There has been a growing focus in New Zealand on the early literacy learning of young children. This emphasis has challenged early childhood teachers to ensure there are appropriate literacy events within their programme. The aim of this study was to identify early childhood teachers' knowledge and beliefs about literacy learning and examine how…

This study discusses how children make use of the content in play to get a superior status position in their peer-culture and looks at some implications for values education. Observations of children age three to six years were made during their free playtime in pre-school, and both field notes and videotape recording were used for data…

This investigation is an examination of musical practices, musical preparation of teachers, and music education needs as reported by early childhood professionals in the United States. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered via a survey mailed to a random sample drawn from the database of preschool centers accredited by the National…

This article discusses how children learn to understand the decimal system in very concrete ways, while having fun using beads. When counting the beads, the children learn 5,491 is not simply "five thousand four hundred and ninety-one" but actually 5 thousands, 4 hundreds, 9 tens, and 1 unit. They begin to understand that as they get 10 units,…

Purpose: This study explored the effect of frequency (number of presentations), and spacing (period between presentations) on verb learning in children with specific language impairment (SLI). Children learn words more efficiently when presentations are frequent and appropriately spaced, and this study investigated whether children with SLI…

This article can help teachers and directors become eloquent and effective advocates of play-based early learning environments. It defines play and play policy and discusses distinct research areas that support play policy and practice for physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development within diverse early childhood settings. Also…

Children with autism have poor pretend play abilities, which greatly affects their social skill development. This intervention technique, using an adult partner, describes how a guided story and role-play format enhanced abilities of pretence and the understanding of social roles in a ten-year-old, verbal boy with autism. By having an everyday…

This paper starts from the idea that children learn and construct gendered identities within local communities of masculinity and femininity practice, including peer communities. The data presented come from an ESRC-funded study of tomboy identities, which investigated the enabling and constraining factors for girls in taking up and maintaining…

Background: A paradigm shift in educational policy to create problem solvers and critical thinkers produced the games concept approach (GCA) in Singapore's Revised Syllabus for Physical Education (1999). A pilot study (2001) conducted on 11 primary school student teachers (STs) using this approach identified time management and questioning as two…

This paper presents a review of the literature on toy play in infancy and early childhood, with an emphasis on both normal development and special considerations for young children with disabilities. Specifically, it describes children's encounters with toys within a developmental framework, identifies characteristics of the child and aspects of…

This annual report discusses several topics related to the work of the Research and Clinical Center for Child Development. Six topics are covered in the report. The articles are: (1) "Development of Intentional Behavior in Early Infancy" (Hongtu Chen); (2) "An Investigation of the Differences of Social Space in the Playroom: Through…

This research project explored how children's ability to exchange ideas and resolve conflict was influenced by regularly setting aside time to dictate and act out stories. Research methods for this 3-month project included audiotapes, a questionnaire, and the stories from 23 first-grade children. Observations looked specifically at conflict…

This volume provides the latest research and theory in the area of children's play with their parents. It includes discussions of the basic processes involved in parent-child play, parent-child play in atypical populations of children, and parent-child play from a cross-cultural perspective. Fifteen chapters follow the introduction, "Parents and…

This book offers 80 original chants for teaching children to play with language, discover their ownership of language, and experiment with language. The book states that chants can provide a strategy that develops reading skills, ease in dramatic situations, sidebars in art work, communication abilities, awareness of self and environment, and…

This book consists of creative drama activities that introduce, review, and reinforce content material across the curriculum. Step-by-step procedural outlines and actual scripts are included. Chapter 1, "An Overview," presents a definition of creative drama, describes the benefits of using it in the classroom, and outlines suggestions and…