The relation of amount of adult-directed activity to children's social, play, and task behaviors was examined for 141 children in 13 Head Start classes. (JMB)

Explored infants' capability to request a partner's participation in social games. Nineteen infants who were 9, 12, 15, and 18 months old played games for 30 minutes in a laboratory setting with an adult partner. Children's nonverbal behavior and vocalizations after the adult discontinued play were compared with behavior during game-playing…

Play interactions between six male autistic children (aged 8 to 12 years), younger normally developing kindergarten children, and nonhandicapped same-age peers resulted in gains for all (subjects were only those autistic children (6) observed; their autistic classmates were not observed) subjects in proximity, orientation, and responsiveness when…

Examined spontaneous communicative acts (requests for information, calls for attention, intention statements, etc.) of a group of young second-language learners and their native-speaker interlocutors in three play situations. Results showed that, while the response rate to some types of utterances was predictable, others did not generate the…

Discusses major issues related to youth sport including definition of terms, development of motor skills, and relationship of physical activity to other aspects of development and to sex roles. Practical suggestions for the classroom teacher are presented to help them prepare children for an active and healthy life. (AS)

Firstborn children's reaction to sibling birth assessed in 41 families via family interviews at 1 month prepartum and 1, 4, 8, and 12 months postpartum. Familial interaction patterns were observed in semistructured play sessions. Time since the birth of the sibling and sibling gender had significant effects on firstborn children's adjustment.…

Presents a rationale for viewing theatre as a form of education, and looks at several different ideas for why and how drama should be taught; considers what types of skills children should acquire from a theatre class, and whether drama should focus on the internal, subjective experience of theatre, or the external mechanics of it. (JC)

A case study is presented of a three-year-old girl who exhibited aggression towards other children when playing. A behavior management program involving praise and rewards for good behavior and negative consequences for misbehavior was successful in reducing the behavior problem. Cooperative behavior was maintained even when tangible rewards were…

A study investigated the symbolic play development and mother-child interactions between toddlers and their adolescent or mentally retarded mothers. Differences in maternal behaviors were found between the not-at-risk control group and the mentally retarded and adolescent mothers. (JOW)

Board games parents may use to improve their child's basic skills in reading, math, spelling, and reasoning are reviewed. The article describes eight games along with suggestions about how each game may be used to improve skills. Suggested ages and manufacturer of each game are listed. (JL)

Assumptions were made that children differ in production of imaginative behavior and speech-to-self or private speech. Three-, four-, and five-year-old children were observed with fantasy materials. Verbal fantasy play was assessed in relation to other individual characteristics of children. Results are reported. (JS)

Study recorded the ongoing verbal and nonverbal behavior of 156 preschool children (M age=51.1 months) as they played, in dyads, during 78 cooperation episodes. The results are discussed in terms of the motivational and organizational role of both transient and enduring affective states during cooperation episodes. (Author/RWB)

Observation of eight-month-olds (N=7) during isolated free play session with three toys revealed that significantly more vocalizations were present during transition periods where changes from locus of attention and changes in facial expression occurred. (Author/CB)

Preschool children observed during periods of free play were assessed on two measures: Parten Scale for social participation and teachers' rating of children's social behavior. Discussion of results includes implications of relationship of positive and negative behaviors, inverse relationship between teacher-directed and group positive behaviors,…

This article presents a broad ranging philosophical and theoretical argument for improving the education of young children through a greater understanding of developmental child psychology. Notes that play is essential for individual mental development, and must be used in educational settings. Maintains that pure scientific research is simply a…