Using participatory observations accompanied by video and audio recordings, this article investigates how negotiations about play scripts evolve during play in two Waldorf kindergartens. In particular, this study aims to examine how child-initiated play can contribute to the development of basic democratic skills in early childhood. The concept of…

Conflict situations occur in daily life in kindergarten. Often children find solutions by negotiations and compromises, but sometimes they also can use physical force against each other. The focus in this article is kindergarten practitioners' interventions in conflict situations when children use physical force and do not stop when they are told.…

Relationships with others are not always easy and harmonious. Already in the kindergarten group, there are many conflicts between children, which are the result of a distorted way of developing interpersonal relationships. It is the most important task of the educator, parent and psychologist--to recognize these dangerous trends and help the child…

Several authors consider high and frequent conflicts between friends during childhood as a serious risk for subsequent conduct problems such as generalized physical aggression toward others (e.g., Kupersmidt, Burchinal, & Patterson, 1995; Sebanc, 2003). Although it seems logical to assume that friendship conflict could have some negative…