This article describes how American and Japanese kindergartners see play and what teachers can learn from them. The authors share their findings from analyzing photos and interviews from 44 American children in the southeastern United States and 55 Japanese children in the main island of Japan, all aged five to six years. In the study, children…

Early literacy instruction is receiving increasing emphasis. Many teachers of young children recognize that skills such as identifying and forming letters and practicing oral language skills are important (Helm & Katz, 2010). At the same time, teachers also report feeling pressure to focus on intensive drill and practice of isolated skills such as…

Discusses two broad stages of children's drawing--scribbling and representation--and the phases of each stage that children will pass through as they develop. Provides suggestions for supporting children's early drawing development. (HTH)

Describes constructive play and its importance to child development. Outlines the developmental changes in constructive play in young children, and identifies the benefits of this type of play for young children. Discusses the learning experiences of constructive play with art materials in early childhood settings, and describes strategies for…

Describes a project designed to enhance the development of preschool children's aesthetic awareness. Explores how the project presented strategies and materials that can be readily incorporated into the curriculum for any group of young children. Strategies included focusing children's observations; making art happen; and expanding artistic…

Describes a seven-year-old boy's activity of drawing pictures of his favorite sport of basketball. The boy's drawing involved the use of proportional reasoning, which requires an understanding of how relationships between objects vary systematically. (BB)