School readiness includes the readiness of the individual child, the school's readiness for children, and the ability of the family and community to support optimal early child development. It is the responsibility of schools to be ready for all children at all levels of readiness. Children's readiness for kindergarten should...
Developing a Teddy Bear Therapy Training Program for Family Therapists
Teddy bear therapy (TBT) represents an innovative application of family therapy within the context of child, and specifically play, psychotherapy. Drawing on play and storytelling, it entails the therapist and the (referred) child telling a story about a teddy bear that is facing difficulties similar to the child's. Together, therapist...
The use of augmented toys to facilitate play in school-aged children with visual impairments
Background: Children with visual impairments (VIs) face challenges in social play activities, which limits their opportunities to practice social skills. Aims: We investigated whether augmented toys were effective to facilitate play in 52 children with VIs who attended special schools for students with visual impairments and blindness. Methods and procedures:...
English language learners’ writing behaviours during literacy-enriched block play
Despite the rising number of linguistically((Linguistics is the scientific study of human language, meaning that it is a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise study of language. Linguistics encompasses the analysis of every aspect of language, as well as the methods for studying and modelling them.)) diverse students in countries where...
The Benefits of Recess in Primary School
Although recess has traditionally been a regular practice in primary school settings, today recess is being reduced or eliminated in an effort to provide more instructional time and increase achievement. However, empirical research does not support the elimination or reduction of recess. Research documents that recess affords many physical, cognitive,...
Movement as a Way of Knowing
Movement comes in all sizes. It is stretchable, temporally elastic, and full of energetic possibilities. It can be tailored to any occasion. It can be discreet or boisterous. Like anything that is overdone, it can tire you out or even knock you out. Children often excel in it and of...
Evolution of American Playgrounds
Common usage claims broad application for the term playground including school playgrounds, park playgrounds, wilderness playgrounds, zoo playgrounds, arboretum playgrounds, camp playgrounds, casino playgrounds, dog playgrounds, cruise playgrounds, street playgrounds, rooftop playgrounds, loose parts playgrounds, check-a-child playgrounds, wilderness playgrounds, imagination playgrounds, accessible playgrounds, intergenerational playgrounds, natural playgrounds, etc. Even politicians...
Fostering young children’s interest in numeracy through demonstration of its value: the Footsteps Study
Children's early mathematical abilities are fundamental to their later academic achievement. An interest in mathematics in the early years is likely to establish a positive attitude to later mathematical learning, hopefully sustaining continued interest in mathematics and mathematical learning. Approaches to early mathematics teaching in the early years, however, are...
Engaging Higher Education Learners With Transmedia Play
This article documents the application of transmedia play in a higher education business context, providing a case study of how transmedia play can be infused into an undergraduate marketing course. We share our findings regarding learner experience and engagement, detailing results from structured interviews with 22 course participants. Evidence shows...
A Qualitative Study of the Play of Dual Language Learners in an English-Speaking Preschool
Little research has been conducted on the play of children of very low English proficiency within English-speaking preschool classrooms. In the present investigation, we recorded and described the naturalistic free play of four dual language learners (DLLs) and compared their interactions to those of four English-speaking children. Units of interaction...
The role of play in children’s learning: the perspective of Ghanaian early years stakeholders
The purpose of this study was to examine Ghanaian stakeholders' beliefs about the role and importance of play in early years (3 to 5†years) children's learning, referred to as play-learning beliefs. A survey design was adopted in order to gather data necessary to examine the differences among stakeholders' play-learning beliefs....
Exploring the potential of explicit/implicit teaching through plays for EFL learners’ pragmatic development
The present study investigated the possible contribution of plays as a medium of instruction for pragmatic development through explicit and implicit instruction. To this end, 80 English-major university students formed four intact experimental groups: two literary and two nonliterary groups. One of the literary groups (Implicit Play) received typographically enhanced...
Bejazzled: employing attributes of pre-schoolers play to facilitate musical interactions with jazz
Although early childhood caregivers in South African townships integrate singing into their teaching on a daily basis, they are often unaware of how to facilitate other musical interactions through movement, playing instruments or body percussion. The Bejazzled action research project was initiated to facilitate these interactions through collaborative teaching between...
Educator decision making about outdoor learning spaces in Early Childhood Education and Care services
In Australia, the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) invites educators in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services to view children as learners who are confident and involved (Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009) while the National Quality Standard (NQS) contends that the "educational program and...
Constituting play connection with very young children: Adults active participation in play
A large body of educational research has focused on play as one of children's own activities, however, considerably less attention has been paid to structures and practices associated with joint play between adults and children. This article contributes to this line of research by analyzing adults' participation in joint play...
Evaluating a supported nature play programme, parents’ perspectives
Concern has been raised recently in relation to excessive use of digital technology and the detrimental effect this has on familial relationships, well-being and development, andon people's connection with nature. This article provides a timely response to†this concern by presenting the findings of a qualitative evaluation of†a supported nature play...
Building inclusion and resilience in students with and without SEN through the implementation of narrative speech, role play and creative writing in the mainstream classroom of primary education
Based on the theory of inclusion, the present 3-year pilot program (2013 - 2016) deals with narrative speech, role play and creative writing as a useful tool to build resilience in primary school students with and without Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the mainstream classroom. The specific aim of the...
Pere verges: School and gamification in the early 20th Century
The pedagogue Pere VergÈs is a symbol of the New School in Catalonia. His model, which was focused on the students' interests, was aligned with the modernized school, in contrast with purely memorization-based education. It thus focused on autonomy and the child's self-management of the entire learning process. The pedagogue...
Impact of scheduling multiple outdoor free-play periods in childcare on child moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: A cluster randomised trial
Background: Increasing the frequency of periods of outdoor free-play in childcare may represent an opportunity to increase child physical activity. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of scheduling multiple periods of outdoor free-play in increasing the time children spend in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) while attending childcare. Methods: The...
Differentiated socialization for gender reasons in early childhood education: An ethnographic study
The article analyzes how children construct their gender identity in schools and specifically during the early childhood education. To this end, it has conducted twenty seven-participant observations during free play within a school. Once the comment period ended three focus groups were organized with students of different ages to narrate...
