Ample research data indicate that young children recognize racial characteristics and subsequently exhibit both positive and negative racial attitudes toward their own and other racial groups. In the early childhood field, educators commonly adopt an anti-bias/multicultural curriculum to address such issues with young children and--with rare…

Children's media is replete with human-like portrayals of animals and objects that wear clothing, speak, drive cars, and experience human emotions. Recent research has shown that anthropomorphic portrayals of animals in books lead children to think anthropomorphically about real animals. Here we asked whether this is also the case for an inanimate…

Fostering children's engagement in regular recreational reading beyond independent skill acquisition is beneficial to promote continued literacy engagement. Regular recreational reading is associated with both literacy skill acquisition and maintenance across the life span. Children's perceptions of the importance and value of reading can…

This paper examines the meaning, assessment, and development of connection to nature (C2N) in two- to five-year-old children. It grows out of a Connection to Nature Workshop organized by the University of Florida, Stanford University, the North American Association for Environmental Education, and the Children and Nature Network to evaluate…

"Wellbeing" and "belonging" are explored in this article through sociolinguistic interactional analysis of naturally arising conflict situations, captured ethnographically on video, and through analysis of teachers' discussions during focus groups. Post-conflict analysis of child-led actions revealed children used numerous…

This study investigated the use of a playful, narrative, vignette-based method, called Story Magician's Play Time (SMPT), in supporting children's social-emotional reasoning and in helping children practice their social skills. We set out to examine (a) in what ways children use SMPT sessions to explore social interaction situations and to…

This study explored the views of participants who completed a 5-week, online, interactive, family-based, salt reduction education program (Digital Education to LImit Salt in the Home). A secondary aim was to explore the views of school staff on the delivery of food and nutrition education in schools. Children aged 7-10 years, their parents and…

In this study, the relationship between the quality of life levels of children aged 9-11 and their perception of family functions and some demographic characteristics was investigated. The sample of the study included six primary schools and six secondary schools in the central districts of a metropolitan city located in the west of Turkey in the…

This research aimed to explore the play situations and episodes that are developed in early childhood settings focusing on the interactions between children and their adult teachers. A questionnaire survey including 50 participants was first carried out to explore teachers' perspectives and practices regarding musical play; this was followed by 19…

Research Findings: The present study examined the relationship between poverty (income-to-needs ratio [INR], parent education, material hardship, and food insecurity) and children's school readiness (vocabulary, mathematic skills, and phonological awareness) through the mediating roles of stimulation and chaos in the home environment, maternal…

Children's interests are an important basis for creating an early childhood curriculum. However, opportunities to build a curriculum responsive to children's interests may often be missed if busy teachers simply add new resources to activities. This article draws on the notion of "real questions" as a way to interpret children's…

In the discourse on children and early childhood education, the concern to 'give children a voice' has become increasingly important in recent years. The starting point for this development is the idea of a 'competent child' whose perspectives, perceptions and ideas are valuable and important. For this reason, ECE has set itself the goal of…

Caregivers' mentalization has gained importance in recent years, but most studies only include parental figures. Given empirical evidence showing the importance of educators in the development of preschoolers, this paper aims to assess how the mentalization and stress levels of parents and educational staff are related to attachment, ToM and…

Children as young as pre-school are experiencing difficulties related to stress, anxiety and inattention which could be supported through the use of mindfulness. However, there is very little research on how to effectively deliver mindfulness approaches within Early Years (EYs) practice. A year-long action research project was conducted with an…

This paper responds to suggestions that the concept of 'child voice' is under-interrogated in academic and grey literatures. It presents findings from data generated with seven mothers in a small-scale qualitative study about young children's well-being in a low-income area in England. The findings suggest a re-conceptualisation of young children…