Play of younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (siblings; n = 44), very preterm children (preterms; n = 44), and children at typical likelihood for ASD (n = 36) was observed at 24 months. Children with ASD and atypical development engaged less in spontaneous (pre-)symbolic play than typically developing children. Total…

Infants' prelinguistic vocalizations reliably organize vocal turn-taking with social partners, creating opportunities for learning to produce the sound patterns of the ambient language. This social feedback loop supporting early vocal learning is well-documented, but its developmental origins have yet to be addressed. When do infants learn that…

Predominantly, childhood provides a window of opportunity for the promotion and development of social maturation and fundamental movement skills. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of active play on the motor proficiency and social maturity of children. Thirty participants (age range: seven to nine years old) were randomly assigned…

Approaches to discourse analysis in educational research tend to operate within the boundaries of particular video-based research traditions. We examine four of these traditions that are especially relevant to the learning sciences--conversation analysis, discursive psychology, interaction analysis, and video-cued ethnography--and instead of…

Purpose: This study explores one-to-one LEGO® Serious Play® in positive psychology coaching (1-1 LSP in PPC) as an intervention to help emerging adults (EAs) in higher education develop a growth mindset. Design/methodology/approach: This is a qualitative single-participant case study of an EA undergraduate student's experience with 1-1 LSP in PPC…

Children's opportunities for outdoor play have declined (Nash, D. 2018. "The Construction of the Decline of Children's Outdoor Play as a Social Problem in the UK." Canterbury: Canterbury Christ Church University) whilst opportunities for online play are increasing (Berrett, B., J. Murphy, and J. Sullivan. 2012. "Administrator…

This study aims to bridge a gap between Vygotsky's seminal framework on the importance of make-believe play and adult scaffolding in children's cognitive development (e.g. executive function [EFs]) and research in cognitive neuroscience. Kindergarten children (N = 160) and teachers (N = 12) took part in the study. EFs skills and make-believe play…

This is a conceptual paper based on existing literature aiming to provide practical information on designing and implementing activities to promote children's computational thinking. Computational thinking is a relatively new term in early childhood education that refers to a specific problem-solving thinking process involving various logical and…

Purpose: This article reflects on the adaption of Sarah Pink's video re-enactment methodology for exploring children's out-of-school lifeworlds. Design/methodology/approach: Video re-enactments originate in the work of Sarah Pink who developed the methodology to study everyday routines, including activities associated with people's energy…

This qualitative study explores how play informs the making process in a media arts environment. Drawing on Dewey's ([1938]1998). Concepts of experience, purpose, and freedom, we explore how play and making are employed in an out-of-school media arts environment. The purpose of this study is to examine one child's use of digital media in this…

Friendship is of great concern to young children (Unicef 2011. "The State of the World's Children." New York: United Nations Children's Fund). Research also suggests the positive outcomes friendships have on children's development, learning and well-being (Daniels, Tina, Danielle Quigley, Lisa Menard, and Linda Spence. 2010. "My…

Play allows young children to acquire and practice mathematics skills and concepts while engaging in meaningful and enjoyable activities (Bobis, 2010; Reed & Young, 2018). In particular, open-ended play provides children opportunities to discover materials, explore concepts, and solve problems (Rosli & Lin, 2018) and in the process,…

Around the world, on every continent, and in every country, children play. Though culturally contextualized, play is a global common childhood experience. There are cultural variations in children's play activities, and though play looks and sounds different across the world, there are also commonalities. Though scholars find it difficult to…

Theraplay® is an attachment-based intervention involving adults and children which is practised in a variety of settings across the world. The aim of this scoping review is to explore how Theraplay® has been used as an intervention with children and families in order to inform future practice and to identify any gaps in the current literature. By…

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore ways in which educators can provide space for critical literacy and transactional responses with literature in early childhood classrooms. This approach to early literacy involves bringing the following three theories into practice when teaching young children: Transactional Theory of Reader Response,…