The first six years of the child's life are infinitely the most important, as they are the years in which attitudes are being established, habits formed, and character trends largely fixed. This article examines topics such as race relations and prejudice in kindergarten, the role of kindergarten teachers, soldier play in kindergarten and its…

Impairments in social communication are the core diagnostic features of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In the past two decades findings from important clinical research studies have translated into improvements in understanding and practice, for example leading to a reduction in the age at which autism is commonly first recognised and diagnosed…

Vivian Gussin Paley is a teacher, writer, lecturer, and advocate for the importance of play for young children. Author of a dozen books about children learning through play, she has received numerous honors and awards including an Erickson Institute Award for Service to Children, a MacArthur Foundation Fellows award, and a John Dewey Society's…

The traditional kindergarten program often reflected a rich but generic approach with creative contexts for typical kindergartners organized around materials (manipulatives or dramatic play) or a developmental area (fine motor or language). The purpose of kindergarten reflected beliefs about how children learn, specialized training for…

Over forty years ago, Howard Zinn identified the problem as not one of civil disobedience, but of civil "obedience". He confronted the problem of remaining obedient to laws and rules even "in the face of the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war and cruelty." Framed in an early childhood context, this article explores the value of…

Kindergarten has changed significantly in the last two decades: children now spend more time being taught and tested on literacy and math skills than they do learning through play and exploration, exercising their bodies, and using their imaginations. Many kindergartens use highly prescriptive curricula geared to new state standards and linked to…

Examines Robert Fulghum's book, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten," recommending that all people delve into their own early childhood experiences to better understand the issue. The paper compares the author's early childhood experiences and insights on the value of such experiences to Fulghum's experiences. (SM)

Although a five-year-old entering kindergarten is probably excited about the new experience, there is often a degree of anxiety involved. As a kindergarten teacher whose goal is to create a classroom environment that fosters learning, encourages independence and is orderly, cheerful and welcoming, this author describes 11 simple things that she…

This paper focuses on the kinds of notations young children make for fractional numbers. The extant literature in the area of fractional numbers acknowledges children's difficulties in conceptualizing fractional numbers. Some of the research suggests possibly delaying an introduction to conventional notations for algorithms and fractions until…

Many children come to kindergarten with insufficient social skills to participate in the activities necessary for academic achievement. Children enrolled in prekindergarten programs across the United States are expelled at higher rates than older students. Boys are expelled 4 1/2 times more often than girls. When children excluded from…

In these times when educational standards, assessment, and evaluation of core subjects seem to dominate the public school agenda including early childhood, the challenge for educators to provide essential art experiences for children is daunting. Examinations of the greater educational value of art media can reveal some answers. Knowing how…

The Iowa Prekindergarten/Kindergarten Task Force prepared this report in response to the following charges: to develop recommendations for strengthening existing kindergarten programs and to design a plan for implementing appropriate prekindergarten programs. Among the report's recommendations are that: (1) the Iowa Department of Education…

Describes the pressures on young children to read at an early age. Discusses the disadvantages of a subskill approach to reading for the improvement of test scores. (RJC)

In this article, the author provides several strategies on how to help children who will not follow rules. These strategies include: (1) allowing lots of talk time; (2) increasing small group activities; (3) reconsidering one's pacing; (4) scheduling additional free time; (5) reducing transition times; (6) reevaluating classroom rules; (7)…

Presents a joint statement by various educational associations of concerns about present practices in pre-first grade reading instruction and offers recommendations for improvement. (Author/BB)