Many early childhood teachers report an increase in children's use of aggressive means to work out disputes, often as a result of such influences as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fad. This article offers suggestions for helping children learn ways to resolve conflicts and for creating a conflict resolution curriculum. (LB)

Outlines 10 misconceptions about young children and block play that discourage teachers, caregivers, and parents from using blocks. Also discusses ways in which these misconceptions can be resolved so that young children in any home or program can enjoy the benefits of regular block play. (BB)

Investigated emotional and facial expressivity in infants who failed to thrive and normal infants who were videotaped in social and cognitive contexts. Although differences in emotional expressivity were not found, infants who failed to thrive displayed more negative effects and used their lower faces less often to express emotion. (Author/BB)

This study of infants with low birthweight and significant or mild intraventricular hemorrhage showed that the association of mothers' interactive behaviors with infants' exploratory play responses was dependent on both the age and medical risk status of the child. The timing of mothers' attention-directing strategies and the level of structure…

Examines the relationship between play and environmental and biological factors and individual differences. Explores correlates of morbidity, nutrition, and caregiving environments on toddlers' play sophistication in Egypt. Suggests that variability in children's object versus social play may be a function of the goodness of fit between child and…

Examines interaction and gender role socialization for 20 parent-child dyads in intact families. Play patterns of parents and children were not typically gender stereotyped. Results suggest a change in parents' perceptions about what is acceptable gender-typing behavior, possibly reflecting a realization that some toys are more socially acceptable…

Tested a proposed developmental pathway for toddlers' mastery of skills in generating non-ritualized forms of cooperative coordinated action with peers. Studied nonverbal imitative acts among U.S. toddlers and toddlers of the Seltaman people of Papua New Guinea. Found that ready imitation of one another emerged during the same developmental period…

Mainstream education forces an adult-centric agenda onto young children which is developmentally inappropriate and educationally unnecessary. Parents can nourish their children's love of learning by challenging current educational practices and by letting their children play and experience nature. The 3 R's should be replaced with the 3…

Describes preschoolers' collaboration during free play in a computer lab, focusing on the computer's contribution to active, peer-mediated learning. Discusses these observations in terms of Parten's insights on children's social play and Vygotsky's socio-cultural learning theory, noting that the children scaffolded each other's growing computer…

This article is based on the findings of a study which examined the literacy and numeracy pathways for a group of 65 children in the year prior to school entry in Victoria, Australia. The article will discuss key features of the home and community pathways for literacy and numeracy development and learning which were identified in the study. In…

Background: To examine longitudinal associations between diagnosis, joint attention, play and imitation abilities and language outcome in infants with autism and pervasive developmental disorder. Methods and Procedures: Experimental measures of joint attention, play and imitation were conducted with a sample of infants with autism spectrum…

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of the Natural Teaching Strategies (NTS) parent training intervention on parent and child behaviour during free play. A pretest/posttest experimental design was used with families recruited from Head Start programs. Measures of observed behaviour were used to determine the use of contingent…

The authors discuss the role that volunteer programs may play in increasing levels of physical activity. In some cases volunteer programs may simultaneously improve individual health, benefit the environment and increase the public's opportunities for physical activity. From a survey of 2,032 respondents, results suggest that volunteers are more…

Although substantial scholarship of a theoretical and empirical nature has accumulated on the young child's developing self-concept, scholars have not to any great extent examined the child's self-knowledge as a spontaneously occurring process-in-action. This paper highlights findings of empirical research as well as classroom vignettes, personal…

Three young children with severe, multiple disabilities were taught to utilize a voice output communication aid (VOCA) to request access to preferred items and/or peers during play activities. Acquisition of VOCA use resulted from a naturalistic intervention strategy that consisted of creating communication opportunities, prompting the participant…