We examined how parent math attitudes and practices relate to emergent math skills in 72 preschoolers from low-income households. Specifically, we investigated parents' views about the importance of math learning, their confidence in teaching math, their perceptions of child interest in math, and their time spent engaging their child in math…

Playgroups are a unique form of early childhood provision involving parents and their children attending together. Parents' attendance at playgroups provides opportunities for involvement in play. However, little is known about parents' practices of co-play in playgroups and the potential for these practices to enhance children's play experiences…

This paper outlines the findings from an integrated diagnostic assessment of manifestations of giftedness in senior preschoolers and their interest in professions. The authors investigated the relationship between manifestations of a certain type of giftedness in children and their interest in a certain group of professions. The assessment of…

This paper undertakes an investigation of the "life" of the curriculum concept of "children's interests" in a preschool practice. The concept of "children's interests" plays a vital role in the Swedish preschool curriculum text and in the preschool field. Strongly inspired by Actor-network theory readings, the paper…

Children's food preferences are strongly associated with their consumption patterns. Children tend to choose foods with which they are familiar. It is proposed that the earlier and broader the experience with food, the healthier the child's or adult´s diet. In a focus group we developed a toolkit consisting of a training course for kindergarten…

Early childhood education (ECE) programs in the United States are experiencing paradigm shifts resulting from the standards-based movement. The notion that all children should be ready to learn when they enter school has resulted in ECE programs attempting to balance a standards-based curriculum with the child-centered approach to learning as part…

Many teachers want to provide meaningful science activities and instruction in their classroom that benefit all young children. This is consistent with the increasing focus on enhancing science experiences and instruction in preschool classrooms. Recommendations for how to engage in early childhood science activities are available, as are science…

Farm- and nature-based early childhood education programs have a unique potential to provide young children with skills and experiences that build a strong foundation for future learning and environmental stewardship, but can also to extend positive impacts to families. In this paper, we work to bridge the gap between research and practice by…

Even the most commonplace object can be a powerful learning tool for a young child. In the case described in this article, shoes provided an opportunity for children of all abilities to leave their classroom and explore the places, spaces, and faces of their own community. The study of shoes also demonstrated how one teacher reached each and every…

The article seeks to explore the relationship between the researcher and children aged from one to three years old. The findings are drawn from a research project in an Icelandic preschool where video recordings were used as the main method. The aim of the research project was to understand children's lived experiences when creating their…

In this research article, Haeny Yoon and Tran Nguyen Templeton explore the challenges of listening to children in both classrooms and research that purports to center young children. Through two stories from their respective studies, Yoon and Templeton highlight the complexities of following children's leads given the competing agendas situating…

Research Findings: This descriptive study used sequential analysis to examine both preschool teachers' responsiveness to children's utterances in sociodramatic play and the children's responses to their teachers' utterances. Eleven teachers in a Head Start program were videotaped while interacting with children in the dramatic play center. Salient…

Supporting children's oral language development during the preschool years is critical for later reading success. Research shows that preschool teachers may be missing opportunities to engage children in the kinds of conversations that foster the development of rich oral language skills. Teachers hoping to support these skills can provide children…

Technology, digital media and popular culture form an important aspect of young children's life-worlds in contemporary post-industrial societies. A problem for early childhood educators is how to most effectively integrate these aspects of children's life-worlds into the provision of play-based learning. Traditionally, research has considered…

Alternative instructional and curricular models are regarded as more comprehensive and suitable approaches to providing quality physical education (Kulinna 2008; Lund and Tannehill 2010; McKenzie and Kahan 2008; Metzler 2011; Quay and Peters 2008). The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of the Early Steps Physical Education…