Pretend play is often undervalued and ignored. This videotape and accompanying booklet highlight how the dramatic scenarios, microworlds, storytelling, and block building of pretend play provide young children the opportunity to develop skills for a lifetime of intellectual, social, emotional, and creative development. The booklet describes the…

Children seem to learn language more quickly when movement precedes language use. (JH)

Ways in which creative dialogue fosters the development of creativity through expressive language and motor movements are described. Procedures are outlined for generating creative dialogue with children ages 3-5 through the observation component (observing, interviewing, transcribing), and with children ages 6-8 through the language development…

Classroom teachers can help children with speech and language impairments to use their language more effectively and with greater variety through activities encouraging and promoting student leadership, social interaction, dramatic play, and nonverbal adaptation. (CB)

Shows how children's use of explicit oral language is related to success in learning to read and writing. Outlines a technique to teach the use of explicit language through dramatic play. (HTH)

The author describes ACT (Acting Out Central Theme), a method for dealing with psychomotor, cognitive, and affective domains in slow readers. The ACT approach involves three sessions which focus on discussion of a theme such as friendship, presentaton of the theme as a skit, and assignment of topics to individual students. (SW)

Pretend play and language growth are related through representational thought. Fundamental to representational thought are five connectives, at the theoretical level, which link pretend play and language growth: motor actions, roles and role changes, creative expression, concentration, and decentration. At the research level, results of selected…

This book provides practical, everyday activities to weave language development and early literacy activities into the daily schedule in an early childhood education program. The chapters are organized by areas common in most early childhood environments: (1) circle time; (2) snack time; (3) dramatic play; (4) outdoor play; (5) art; (6) sand and…

Recommends that drama be included in early childhood education, emphasizing preschool education. Cites research linking drama with enhanced language acquisition in children, ages 3-8. Emphasizes drama's effectiveness as a multisensory learning medium. Notes programs offering drama training for teachers. Suggests changes in teacher education and…

In order to promote critical thinking in young children, particularly children ages 5-8, teachers need to understand skills and dispositions of critical thinkers. This paper discusses these skills, dispositions, and the appropriate classroom climate, within the context of pedagogy, along with learning activities for kindergarten and primary…