This collection of six articles focuses on the importance of play in the education of young children. First, Martine Mauriras-Bousquet provides examples from her work in Asia and Africa to stress the need to preserve children's free play in order to safeguard their cultural identity. Next, Jayananda Ratnaike lists a variety of ways in which…

This study examined the attitudes of 140 children ages 2 through 7 toward mixed-age grouping in a Slovenian kindergarten (preschool) setting. On four consecutive Friday mornings the children, normally grouped in classes aged 2-3 years, 3-4 years, 4-5 years, and 5-7 years, were given the opportunity to switch classes and play among children of…

This study examined high-aggressive and low-aggressive boys' ratings of the effectiveness of aggressive and assertive strategies for solving social problems involving hypothetical peers and actual peers. Subjects were 66 third-grade boys (11 groups of 6 boys each for a total of 22 high-aggressive, 22 low-aggressive, and 22 average aggressive boys)…

A therapeutic play program in New Zealand aims to provide an environment that helps children cope with the stress of being in a hospital. A relatively new aspect of child health care in New Zealand, the therapeutic play program is a preventive mental health program that differs from play therapy, which is intervention for children who have an…

This paper explores the concept of toy lending libraries. The first six chapters discuss: (1) the history of toy lending libraries; (2) the values and purposes of using games and toys with children; (2) the contribution of games and toys to the goals of a children's services library division; (3) examples of toy lending service in public…

Intended for 4-H participants who plan and implement activities in the area of child development, this booklet provides a study guide to help young learners: (1) gain understanding of a preschool child's physical, mental, social, and emotional growth; (2) learn to care for a preschooler and promote preschoolers' feelings of security and safety;…

This study examined the effects of maternal directive and nondirective styles of interaction on the emergence of verbal communicative intent in toddlers, and sought to understand the association between maternal interaction styles and young children's pragmatic acquisition. During free play, maternal utterances of 12 mother-child dyads, with…

This book describes how talk is used to build social organization within face-to-face interaction among a group of urban black children, an analysis providing the opportunity to study language, culture, and social organization from an integrated perspective. Children from a southwest Philadelphia neighborhood were tape-recorded during peer-group…

Focusing on spontaneous drama--a means of encouraging, extending, and enhancing children's imaginations--this book discusses the growth in language creativity that results when students work with teachers who provide informal drama experiences in their classrooms. The book describes what drama is, how it is done with children, and why it should be…

Three separate bibliographies list journal articles, books, manuals, curriculum guides, and other publications regarding early childhood special education. The first bibliography presents 90 references on curriculum and curriculum development in early childhood special education, including coverage of curricula for high-risk and handicapped…

This 30 to 40 minute drama for elementary school students takes place in and around the Pennsylvania State House, Philadelphia, on September 17, 1787, the day the Constitutional Convention ended. The drama focuses on five major points: (1) the Colonial Confederation's situation at that time, which necessitated calling for such a convention; (2)…

Consisting of four modules of three sessions each, this Head Start parenting education curriculum offers parents opportunities to look at their lives from new angles and to share ideas and support with other parents. The first module focuses on daily life and ways to improve it. Parents try out various exercises and relaxation techniques, explore…

Nonbehavioral models to child therapy that attempt to train parents as paraprofessionals primarily follow Rogerian or family systems approaches. Filial Therapy (Guerney, 1964) represents the most purely Rogerian mode and trains parents exclusively in Rogerian techniques in the context of play therapy. Other Rogerian models have been developed with…

Six issues of the newsletter address practical matters for parents of handicapped children. The first issue examines behavior and offers suggestions such as avoiding inconsistency and idle threats while holding reasonable expectations. The second issue continues the discussion on behavior with ideas for disciplining the child fairly but…

Through storytelling and creative drama, teachers can introduce children to good quality literature they might otherwise miss. By making the connection between books and storytelling and between books and creative drama, the storyteller/teacher introduces literature as a source of pleasure. Storytelling and creative dramatics also give children…