This study reports on crawling variability and differences in variability between infants with typical development (TD) and those with developmental delays. This longitudinal study included 0-year-old infants with no apparent dysfunction. The crawling movement in the video was coded objectively with reference to previous research. The infants were…

Pretend play is important for children's development. However, recent research indicates that, as preschool children age and get more proficient at pretend play, they prefer real objects. We examined whether toddlers prefer real objects when they are younger as well as when they are older and more proficient in pretend play situations. Forty-three…

In recent years, preschooler's self-regulation has been extensively researched. This systematic review deals with the overlaps and differences among the many different terminologies and definitions of self-regulation in childhood and the association with preschooler's social-emotional and behavioural development. A systematic literature search in…

The current study investigated infants' spontaneous object interactions during naturalistic observation in a daycare centre in Japan. The researcher visited the class for 49 days, once a week, for one year (in the morning for about 1.5 h). Infants' and caregivers' interactions during free play time were videotaped. Of particular interest in this…

This study explored child behaviours that enable mothers to perceive their child's minds. We administered the Mind Perception Questionnaire to 216 women with children aged between 0 and 24 months and 221 working women without children. Participants responded with mind perceptions for various entities, including for their children (a 0--2-year-old…

Some children form an attachment to a variety of inanimate objects, such as cloths or soft toys, referred to as attachment objects. This study examined the developmental change in children's behaviours toward their attachment objects to understand the role of such objects through an online survey of 700 parents with 0- to 9-year-old children, of…

We investigated whether preschoolers' social-emotional competencies predict their peer relationships and academic achievements during grade one. Measures of cool and hot executive functions, theory of mind, social-problem-solving, and peer acceptance were administered to a sample of 48 preschoolers (M = 77.91 months). Academic achievement and peer…

The purpose of the present study was to clarify comprehensively how and to what extent inhibition, spatial working memory (WM), and auditory WM influence agility, balance, and dexterity of motor coordination and comprehensive physical ability in kindergarteners. Participants were 43 children between the ages of 4 and 5 years old. The children…

The present study examined whether young children demonstrated consistencies in their allocation patterns across distributions of positive and negative resources. Preschool children from younger (age 4-5) and elder (age 5-6) classrooms were asked to allocate rewards when one person contributed more than the other and to allocate the responsibility…

The purpose of this article is to explore the way preschool teachers teach reflective care in Japan. The article builds on a two-month ethnographic study conducted in Japanese kindergartens and nurseries among children aged 3-6 years. The data were analysed using concepts of age and gender. The results show that care in Japan, in contrast to…

This paper introduces the characteristics of early childhood care and education (ECCE) assessment and identifies current challenges and changes in the assessment of ECCE in Japan. There are differences in assessment between ECCE and elementary school education. Assessment in ECCE is used to focus on making better plans, improving the understanding…

The purpose of this study was to examine similarities and differences in the perceptions of childcare among early childhood teachers in Japan and the USA. Participants consisted of 278 Japanese early childhood teachers (10 males and 268 females) on the Japanese mainland and 78 American early childhood teachers (5 males and 73 females) in the…

A mail survey was used to investigate 5-year trends in Japanese mothers' reports of their 3-year-olds' cognitive, psychomotor, and social developmental attainment. Findings indicated significant decreases in all domains, not attributable to changes in family structure, although scores were higher among children in nuclear families than in extended…

In revising their kindergarten curriculum, Japanese educators have adapted Western ideas of creativity and expression. Explains that this is especially visible in the goal of "expression" in the current kindergarten curriculum. Provides details on the new curriculum's aims, specifically in relation to the use of Japanese paper and…

Provides a brief history of Japanese early childhood education. Explains that the kindergarten idea came from Western countries and was adapted to Japanese society by the Ministry of Education and by Christian missionaries. Presents examples of these adaptations in the Japanese translations of Froebel's books as well as in the development of…