Exploring Young Children's Literacy Development Through Play

An exploratory study was conducted to determine the effects of literacy‐enriched play centers and the emergent literacy behaviors of five‐year‐old kindergarten children. This study focused on play activities that promote reading and writing that can be integrated in play centers in the early childhood curriculum. Qualitative analysis of the data indicated that a language or literacy component can be integrated in the play activities of kindergarten children. Play activities were used to promote the inventing symbols and messages in children's writing. The teachers in the kindergarten classrooms created a literate environment to promote the children's literacy development.     

The Role of the Play Environment in Young Children's Language Development

This study examined the relationships between children's language ability and the play environments. Sixty homecare and 59 daycare children ages 1 to 3 were measured with respect to language abilities such as vocabulary (PPVT-R), interaction patterns, MLU, complexities of language, and emergent literacy development. Home and daycare play environments were evaluated through observations and interviews in terms of the quality of verbal care and physical environments. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the mother-child interaction pattern was the best predictor of children's language abilities. Home environments such as teaching methods of writing, number of books and writing materials, extent of teaching and writing, mother education were also found to be significant predictors. ECERS was the best predictor among daycare environments, and teacher education and teacher child interaction pattern were also found to be significant. ANCOVAs showed that teachers and daycare mothers engaged in better quality of interaction than homecare mothers.     

Some Implications of Cognitive Styles on Young Children's Play

Cognitive styles are broad, systematic characteristics that influence the persons' responses in different situations. The persons' cognitive style defines the strategies they use to respond and behave in each situation. The field dependence independence (FDI) dimension is the cognitive style construct that has generated more research for cognitive functioning and social behaviors. Researchers have identified behavioral attributes between field dependent and field independent persons. These attributes are pervasive and consistent, affecting several areas including the persons' socialization. This paper describes the FDI characteristics in young children's social behaviors, including young children's social orientation, people vs. object orientation, social factors, cognitive performance, social competence, and age and sex differences.     

Assessing the Families' Perceptions of Their Young Children's Acquisition of Literacy

The purpose of this study was to develop a family literacy questionnaire that could be used in a survey or interview to examine the families' perceptions of their contributions to promoting the acquisition of literacy in their young children. An in-depth open ended interview was conducted with 10 families of young children. Family members identified literacy experiences that they shared with their children. The interviewer asked about specific experiences and asked respondees to elaborate on their responses. These questions helped family members to think of literacy experiences that they shared with their children. The information from these interviews provided the basis for the questions that became the family literacy questionnaire. A questionnaire containing 60 items in nine sections was generated. Each section contained from 1 to 8 items. To validate the questionnaire, factors in the questions were matched with factors that emerged from a review of the literature on family variables that have been found to affect literacy in the home. In addition, the questionnaire was shared with a reading specialist, a kindergarten teacher and a well known scholar in early childhood education. There was a 95#pc agreement on the items and directions. Where differences emerged items were either deleted or modified based on the suggestions of the panel.     

Literacy Development in the Family Context

This study investigated the types of literacy activities and materials that family members use to promote the children's literacy development in their home environment. The sample consisted of families of children who were enrolled in four kindergarten classrooms in one school. The initial target sample consisted of 60 families of which 36 volunteered to complete the questionnaire. The Family Literacy Questionnaire was used to collect the data. It provides information on the types of activities and materials family members use to promote their children's literacy development. The results show that the family members [e.g., father, mother, grandmother, aunt] are sensitive to their children's interests and skills in their selection of activities and materials that promote their children's literacy development and family-child interactions in their home environment. Family members engaged in literary activities in both inside and outside the home including trips to the library. Families engaged in informational.     

Family Literacy: Exploring Family Practices

For many decades, research has supported the family's influence and their children's acquisition of literacy. Family literacy theories have been generated and challenged, while studies have been conducted on the family's application of literacy interactions, experiences, strategies, materials, influential factors and programs in a variety of context and both inside and outside the home. Most studies suggest that family literacy contributes to young children's literacy development.     

Family Literacy: Exploring Family Practices

For many decades, research has supported the family's influence and their children's acquisition of literacy. Family literacy theories have been generated and challenged, while studies have been conducted on the family's application of literacy interactions, experiences, strategies, materials, influential factors and programs in a variety of context and both inside and outside the home. Most studies suggest that family literacy contributes to young children's literacy development.     

To Develop Young Children's Conception of Numbers

In a group of children, aged 2:7-3:1* years, the teachers have systematically been working with developing the children's conception of numbers. In the group there are eight children who are all fascinated by stars. The teacher takes this fascination as a starting point to develop the children's conception of numbers. She makes cards with 1,2,3, 4, or 5 stars on. The cards are sorted with regard to the numbers of stars and kept in a box with five compartments, one for each number. When the group is gathered the teacher lets the children choose one “star-card” each, which they are asked to put up on a board together with their name.

The teacher works with the children in steps which have partly been developed with regard to the children's comments. The children are invited to take a star-card with a pattern which they think is nice. Furthermore, they are invited to match cards with the same number of stars and to count the stars on their cards. The children are also asked to compare the length of the rows of cards and to work out how many cards there are in the different rows. They are also asked to pick a card with a given number of stars.

This article demonstrates how the work was carried out and how the children think and how they handle the different parts of the content. When the work is finished, another group of children of the same age is interviewed and the two different groups are compared with regard to the children's conception of numbers. The comparison group, called reference group is meant to illustrate an ordinary way of working with numbers in preschool.     

To Develop Young Children's Conception of Numbers

In a group of children, aged 2:7‐3:1? ?The numbers indicate the child's age in years and months. years, the teachers have systematically been working with developing the children's conception of numbers. In the group there are eight children who are all fascinated by stars. The teacher takes this fascination as a starting point to develop the children's conception of numbers. She makes cards with 1,2,3, 4, or 5 stars on. The cards are sorted with regard to the numbers of stars and kept in a box with five compartments, one for each number. When the group is gathered the teacher lets the children choose one “star‐card” each, which they are asked to put up on a board together with their name.

The teacher works with the children in steps which have partly been developed with regard to the children's comments. The children are invited to take a star‐card with a pattern which they think is nice. Furthermore, they are invited to match cards with the same number of stars and to count the stars on their cards. The children are also asked to compare the length of the rows of cards and to work out how many cards there are in the different rows. They are also asked to pick a card with a given number of stars.

This article demonstrates how the work was carried out and how the children think and how they handle the different parts of the content. When the work is finished, another group of children of the same age is interviewed and the two different groups are compared with regard to the children's conception of numbers. The comparison group, called reference group is meant to illustrate an ordinary way of working with numbers in preschool.

     

Young children's literacy‐related play

Studies indicate that young children’s literacy learning can be promoted in a play setting. Literacy interactions, strategies, and activities in the children’s play environment can facilitate their acquisition of literacy. In literacy‐related play experiences, children select and utilize their abilities that are essential for literacy learning in a social context. Social contexts become pressing venues for introducing children to literacy knowledge and practices, where children develop their language and literacy through their everyday social activities. Children use play as an important resource to explore their developing conceptions of the purposes and characteristics of print in the preschool years. During play young children use language in literate ways, while they use literacy as they see it practiced. A play and literacy relationship emerges when play assists young children to explore and comprehend the interactions between these two realms. The purpose of this paper is to review and analyze current studies that examine the interaction between play and literacy.     

Risk and Protective Factors in Young Children's Adjustment to Parental Divorce: A Review of the Research

This article reviews the literature on parental divorce and early childhood development, using developmental psychopathology as an organizing framework. With respect to young children, three questions are addressed: How does parental divorce affect developmental outcomes? What risk and protective factors influence adaptation? How does early parental divorce affect later adjustment? Because this review is unique in its focus on divorce‐related issues specific to young children, limitations of existing research are noted and directions for future research are suggested.     

Young children experiencing homelessness: the overlooked medium of play

The number of mothers with young children experiencing homelessness and seeking shelter has increased in the USA over the past decade. Shelters are often characterized as environments offering few opportunities for appropriate play experiences. This article delineates the important role of play for young children experiencing homelessness and argues for research of the contextual nature of play in shelters. Situated in the social constructivist paradigm, the article draws from the premise that rich stimulating play experiences mediate optimal early learning. A review of literature revealed scant research of children's play in homeless shelters; as a result, the study of a primary medium for learning and ameliorating adversity for children most at risk of negative life outcomes is omitted. Findings from research of play in homeless shelters can inform fields of education, human development, and health and human services, facilitating improved services for families experiencing homelessness.     

Play and theory of mind: associations with social competence in young children

This study aimed to investigate whether: (1) the development of theory of mind (ToM) is associated with social competence; and (2) social peer play is also associated with social competence in young children. Associations between ToM task performance, frequencies of observed social and solitary free‐play and parent‐rated social competence were investigated in three‐ to five‐year‐old Australian preschool children [N = 85 (46 F/39 M); M = 4 years 6 months, SD = 8 months]. Children’s verbal ability was controlled. Children’s overall performance on combined ToM tasks improved with age, but was not associated with their parent‐rated level of social competence. High frequency of social‐interactive play (i.e. interacting with others in a playful context) was associated with social competence. High frequency of solitary play was inversely associated with social competence and positively associated with overall problem behaviour. Results suggest the importance of social interaction during play for the development of young children’s social competence. More research is needed to determine what role, if any, ToM ability has in young children’s social development.     

Teachers' Roles in Promoting Literacy in the Context of Play

This study focuses on the roles teachers undertake to promote literacy in a kindergarten classroom. Five early childhood teachers and their children participated in this study. Data were collected through systematic videotaped observations during the children's play periods. Inductive content analysis was the method used to analyze the data. The results identify, define, and describe the teachers' roles that they assumed in promoting the children's literacy development in the context of children's play. Teacher roles supporting literacy learning in children's play were identified, defined, and described as discussion leader, storyteller, examiner, instructional guide, informer, learning center monitor and decision-maker.     

Questioning Vygotsky's 'Theory' of Play

It is not uncommon to read about, and hear others discussing Vygotsky's theory of play. This article analyses some key assumptions behind Vygotsky's writing on children's play. The argument presented is that Vygotsky's brief writings about play do not constitute a theory according to scientific definitions of psychological theory, and would be better acknowledged merely as part of the historical evolution of ideas about children's play. Of greater significance is that the theoretical relevance of Vygotsky's opinion about play can seriously be called into question upon the basis of current research in the area.     

科学儿童保健对幼儿健康发育成长的影响

目的研究科学儿童保健对幼儿健康发育成长的影响。方法选取本院于2018年3月-2019年5月收治的140例幼儿作为主要研究对象,随机将幼儿分为对照组与观察组,对照组使用常规保健方式,观察组使用科学儿童保健方式,对比两组幼儿的身体生长发育情况以及幼儿的营养性疾病的发生情况。结果观察组幼儿的身体发育情况明显优于对照组,组间差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05);对照组的幼儿出现营养性贫血的情况高于观察组,但组间差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),对照组的幼儿出现佝偻病的情况明显高于观察组,组间差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论使用科学儿童保健的方式对幼儿进行保健,可以有效的使幼儿的生长发育情况得到提高,同时还可以降低疾病的发生概率。     

Questioning Vygotsky's ‘Theory’ of Play

It is not uncommon to read about, and hear others discussing Vygotsky's theory of play. This article analyses some key assumptions behind Vygotsky's writing on children's play. The argument presented is that Vygotsky's brief writings about play do not constitute a theory according to scientific definitions of psychological theory, and would be better acknowledged merely as part of the historical evolution of ideas about children's play. Of greater significance is that the theoretical relevance of Vygotsky's opinion about play can seriously be called into question upon the basis of current research in the area.