The idea of a special type of education for young children emerged in the United States in the mid-nineteenth century, with the kindergarten movement. The kindergarten was created by Friedrich Froebel, the German educator whose ideas, although no longer popular, can be traced to contemporary early childhood education. Froebel explicitly rejected…

Intended for all who are responsible for children in the primary grades, this booklet notes the necessity of play for children's physical, social, and cognitive development, and the increasingly limited opportunities available to children for outdoor play. The booklet makes the case to teachers, administrators, and park and recreation planners to…

With increasing pressures being placed on early childhood teachers to provide academic programs, many are turning away from programs that foster pretend play. This study examined two contrasting approaches to teaching preschool children and considered their effects on children's linguistic and social abilities. One of the teaching approaches…

Based on Vygotsky's theory amongst others that play reflects different aspects of children's development and culture, this thesis explores in depth how aesthetic activities can influence children's play and the nature of the connections between play and culture, primarily in the aesthetic forms of drama and literature. The thesis also presents…

Many children with and without disabilities fail to develop the requisite social skills necessary to obtain a level of social competence that facilitates positive peer interactions and relationships. This study was designed to test a combination of training and generalization techniques to promote independent social interactions for children with…

This book presents sequentially ordered activities designed to foster young children's native creativity. The book is organized in three parts. Part 1: "Unleashing Your Creative Potential," introduces the types of activities found in the body of the book and provides teaching suggestions. Part 2: "Activities, Activities, Activities," gives a…

The paper shows that the study of mathematics can be organized as a complex learning enterprise integrating manipulative-exploratory play into a newer software tool environment--a dynamic geometry, a spreadsheet, and a relation grapher. The discussion reflects work done in a lab setting with preservice and inservice teachers enrolled in…

This study examined the effect of the amount and diversity of information about a child on adults' perceptions of the child's personality traits and sex-typed interests. A sample of 197 college students (ranging in age from 18 to 28 years) were randomly assigned one of three exposure conditions: (1) maximum exposure (subjects observed six boys,…

To examine the influence of older siblings on the sex-typed toy play of younger siblings, a study was undertaken of 60 children, 2 to 5 years old, with equal numbers of boys and girls with older brothers, older sisters, and no older siblings. Children's toy collections were inventoried and classified into conventionally male toys, or toys of the…

This study compared 17 toddlers identified as prenatally exposed to cocaine (along with marijuana, alcohol, or nicotine), with another group of 10 toddlers with no prenatal exposure. All subjects were African-American, 1-3 years of age, and in foster care. Toddlers were age- and gender-matched and compared on measures of temperament, development,…

This handbook is a compendium of current research findings in early childhood education (ECE) and contains 33 essays, divided into 4 parts, by leading scholars in the field. After a brief introduction, part 1 addresses child development and early education in five chapters: "Cognitive Development and ECE"; "Motor Development and…

A study examined the ways teachers and children in a preschool classroom enacted informal book-reading and other informal book-related events. Four key patterns in children's activities and teachers' curricular responses were identified: (1) children naturally selected their own "themes" for reading at the book center, and often these themes were…

Noting that by playing with their child, parents create a bond of intimacy important for the child's healthy development, this book describes developmental events in a baby's first 12 months and suggests play activities and their developmental purpose. Organized in a month-by-month format, the first part of each chapter presents an overview of…

This teacher resource book features 49 organized games that involve active movement and that provide positive play experiences for 3- to 5-year-old children. The games in the book encourage cooperative learning and teamwork, and help children develop important social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. In addition to detailed descriptions…

The relationship between marital distress and children's level of functioning was examined in a study in which children were observed in peer and family interactions. Couples were considered distressed if both partners scored below the mean on the Marital Adjustment Test. The subjects were members of five families with distressed couples and eight…