Actors create theatre with and for with children in diverse theatrical, educational and therapeutic contexts but little is known about the 'artistry' of their practice. This paper analyses a theatrical encounter between a child and an actor and identifies four key qualities of 'pedagogically tactful' (van Manen 2016) actor practice: listening,…

This study investigated whether the types and amount of playful activity and thought exhibited from early childhood to adulthood are related to aspects of moral development, such as empathy, behavior, and reasoning. It explored whether the assertions of theorists such as Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erikson regarding the facilitative effect of games with…

Defining moral imagining as the ability to universalize and to understand a situation from another person's perspective, the author discusses the conditions of learning to be imaginative, as well as the relations of moral imagining to sympathy, compassion, and concern. (Author/SJL)

Considers possible links between development of empathy and some children's spontaneous creation of imaginary companions or situations, citing examples of Agatha Christie's "Autobiography." Questions if such activities show ability to "decenter emotionally." Suggests need for better methods of assessing emotional decentering…