Traditionally, the Indian child has been cherished and reared with an approach to parenting characterized by an easy pace, the absence of set rules, and permission to play freely within the matrix of a large, joint family. Rough toys, fashioned by local craftsmen, have been handed down from generation to generation. But today, India is beset with…

Mass communication researchers have largely ignored the role of audio media and popular music in the lives of children, yet the available evidence shows that children do listen. Extant studies yield a consistent developmental portrait of childrens' listening frequency, but there is a notable lack of programatic research over the past decade, one…

The purpose of this book is to help parents and teachers recognize and understand dramatic play in childhood as a process whereby the child acts out human experience in an attempt to order, clarify, and understand it. Written by a person experienced in theatre and drama, the book considers the following aspects of dramatic play: the importance of…

This student guide for a program focusing on how children develop self-confidence or self-doubt and learn whether or not they are competent provides some guidelines and special activities for increasing competence in children. Designed around a magazine format to allow maximum flexibility to different groups using the materials, the guide is…

Despite growing professional interest in the field of children's literature, adults provide few, if any, experiences to improve children's taste or enjoyment of books. A wide range of conflicting opinions exists concerning the wisdom of attempting in any way to guide children to read worthwhile books; and experts differ sharply with children over…

This paper reports a survey of children's interests at two ages. Data was obtained from a questionnaire administered to 200 grade 1 and 180 grade 7 boys and girls in ten different primary schools in the Perth, Australia area. Children were administered a 10-question questionnaire designed to measure leisure and academic interests. First grade…

This paper discusses the nature of language knowledge and the manner in which children come to acquire this knowledge. Among the topics discussed are language production and the ability to understand sentences never heard before, sentence formation, children's construction of rules, children's language creativity, language acquisition and age,…

In 1972, a study was undertaken to test the reactions of media-inexperienced children in the Jamaican highlands to their first exposure to video-cassette-delivered episodes of "Sesame Street." Children were randomly selected from three different age groups: three to five-year-olds, six to eight-year-olds, and nine to eleven-year-olds.…

This manual was designed to provide instructors in adult basic education with lesson plans which treat the subject of parent education and family life. The lesson plans, factsheets, and worksheets in the manual deal specifically with the subject of child development from 6 to 12 years. The lessons encompass a range of topics including childhood…

Creative methods of communicating with young children are discussed. In order to communicate through talk, adults must realize that children have a "secret world" with their own language and reasoning and must respect it. Self awareness, patience, understanding, and consistency are necessary for adults to truly communicate with children through…

This paper argues that the best way to teach reading to children is through literature that reflects children's own language and what they consider relevant. Only those materials written in a language very similar to that which the child hears and uses himself, the author argues, will serve as the best teaching devices. Since the language of…

Offers an author's thoughts on winning the Newbery Medal. Reveals the writer's background and his tentative beginnings as a children's author. (NKA)

Notes that F.H. Anstey's children's novel "Vice Versa" is unusual for its day (1882) because it attacks Victorian fathers and insensitive boarding school teachers, and points out how cruel children can be to one another when maintaining their own power structures. (JC)

Presents a study of the use of serious subject matter in plays for youth by (1) tracing the trends of increasing advocacy and acceptance of such subject matter and (2) outlining patterns in the ways in which such subject matter is presented, focusing on original, contemporary plays, written by American playwrights. (JC)

Reprint of Corey's classic satire written in the first person of a student who is discussing his overview of his educational experiences in elementary school. From a seventh grader's perspective, the article speaks sensitively and clearly to the dynamics underpinning the dichotomy between a student operating within a rigid academic structure and…