Forest schools are distinctive outdoor spaces that are often regarded as an alternative to mainstream education. Their increasing popularity in the United Kingdom is often attributed to a perceived decrease in children's outdoor play, due to a concomitant increase in children's use of digital technologies in the home; further compounded by the…

In today's society, values are already an important part of any social and educational project. Physical activity and sport are excellent instruments to promote the conveyance of values resulting in personal and social development. However, an increasing number of authors state that the mere practice of physical activity in itself does not develop…

Investigations into the digital literacy practices supported by new forms of play can pose significant challenges insofar as researchers and educators lack theoretical frameworks nuanced or flexible enough to map the terrain being explored. In this paper the author presents a new hybrid model of ludic authorship which reconceptualises the…

We all 'play' music! Play experiences for children with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) are often compromised, lost in complex care routines, increasingly stretched timetables and a lack of suitable play interventions. This study investigates combining music with play, using a set of guidelines and principles developed by the…

Children's outdoor play is declining, despite clear links between play, learning and development. Alternative learning initiatives which provide children with a diversity of play opportunities, including the chance to play outdoors, are therefore needed. One such programme, Forest School, is increasing in popularity in the UK and internationally,…

The value of self-regulation for academic achievement is well established. Thus it is paramount to understand how these abilities are developed throughout childhood and to develop research methodologies appropriate to the abilities of young children. In light of this need, we analyzed performances of primary school children in two constructional…

In the UK, nearly one-third of children aged 2-15 years are failing to engage in sufficient physical activity (PA). Associated interventions are historically rationalized from adult perspectives. This study aimed to empower children as participants in the research process and experts of their own experience in an endeavour to inform activity…

This article outlines a small-scale research project that attempted to involve primary aged pupils actively in the redesign of their school playground. The project stemmed from concerns raised by school staff regarding the frequency of problematic behaviours during unstructured times, particularly lunchtimes, and the decision to redesign the…

Humans are born with the natural ability to gain skills through play. Children learn about social norms, roles and responsibilities, and language through curiosity-driven, playful interactions and activities. Learning through play harnesses the power of children's imagination and inspires active engagement with the material. The Center for…

Though temporal reasoning is a key factor for text comprehension, existing proposals for visualizing temporal information and temporal connectives proves to be inadequate for children, not only for their levels of abstraction and detail, but also because they rely on pre-existing mental models of time and temporal connectives, while in the case of…

Opportunities for play and self-initiated activity, considered to be an important part of children's learning in early childhood settings, diminish as children progress into school. Previous studies suggest that losing time for play/self-initiated activity can impact negatively on children's attitudes to school learning. This article discusses the…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss a novel life cycle approach to education for sustainable development (ESD) where the students become "design thinkers". Design/methodology/approach: A case study on the creation, development and utilisation of educational games by university students is presented. The paper discusses the…

Background: Significant proportions of school children in the UK do not meet the minimum recommended daily requirements of 60-min moderate-intensity physical activity. Beyond taught classes, playtimes offer the opportunity for children to play and be physically active. Painted markings are one recent addition to school playgrounds that are…

This paper examines the current use of interactive whiteboards in the teaching and learning of children aged three to seven years in Wales, UK. It considers both teachers' and children's reflections regarding the use of this "novel" technology. Observations in 30 classrooms with interactive whiteboards (IWB) and interviews with teachers…

This article reports on the findings of a small-scale investigation into the views of children on potential changes to the playground in a large primary school. As a parent, midday supervisor and member of the school Grounds Development Committee I was interested in how views gathered to underpin change to the playground of one school might fit…