Early childhood education (ECE), which includes both early childhood care and preschool education, provides children with an essential foundation for success in life. As Erikson (1950, 1968), an acclaimed theorist of childhood development, has explained, the preschool years are critical to the subsequent intellectual, social, psychological and…

Background: Deafness is the most common sensory impairment in human beings, with significant social and psychological implications. Several questionnaires were designed to evaluate the social and emotional abilities of English-speaking deaf children. This study's objective was to create Arabic questionnaires to assess the social abilities of…

How do young children learn, and what do educators need to know and do to teach them? Covering the full birth-8 early childhood age range, this introductory text delivers up-to-date answers through a unique lens: a deep focus on the neurological foundations of developmentally appropriate practices. Preservice and inservice educators will explore…

Background: Fetal life and infancy might be critical periods for brain development leading to increased risks of neurocognitive disorders and psychopathology later in life. We examined the associations of fetal and infant weight growth patterns and birth characteristics with behavior and cognitive outcomes at the age of 13 years. Methods:…

Given its importance in children's development and learning, researchers have rigorously studied play, and many teachers have used it as a classroom tool. Music researchers have observed that music regularly accompanies children's play because music is part of their culture, and "playing with music" is the most natural form of expression…

The neural representation of visual-spatial functions has traditionally been ascribed to the right hemisphere, but little is known about these representations in children, including whether and how lateralization of function changes over the course of development. Some studies suggest bilateral activation early in life that develops toward…

In the United States, early intervention (EI) programs under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act serve thousands of infants and toddlers with or at risk for developmental delays. Despite this, few studies have investigated the developmental progress and outcomes of children served, especially in relation to the heterogeneity…

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of game-based approaches on game performance, fundamental movement skills, health-related indicators, and physical activity outcomes among children (5-12 years) when delivered in the primary physical education school setting. Method: A systematic search of six electronic databases without date limitation was…

Sleep is important for child development. Sleep problems in early childhood are associated with negative outcomes across numerous domains, including executive control, internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, and social competence (Astill et al., 2012; Hysing et al., 2016; Spruyt et al., 2019). Little research has focused on moderators…

Children learn words in a social environment, facilitated in part by social cues from caregivers, such as eye-gaze and gesture. A common assumption is that social cues convey either perceptual or social information, depending on the age of the child. In this review of research on word learning and social cues during early childhood, we propose…

Purpose: This prospective longitudinal study aimed to explore (a) the development of social-pragmatic understanding of children with bilateral hearing aids (BiHAs), bilateral cochlear implants (BiCIs), and typical hearing (TH) between the ages of 4 and 6 years and (b) group differences between children with BiHAs, BiCIs, and TH. Method: The Pragma…

The overall purpose of this study was to examine parents' role in the development of character among young athletes, with a particular focus on life skills development across learning contexts (i.e., sport, family, school). Participants were 20 parents (13 mothers, 7 fathers, M[subscript age] = 46.8 years, SD = 4.6) and 24 children (14 girls, 10…

This article focuses on the fundamental role that early childhood educators (ECEs) play in the lives of infants and very young children and their families--underscoring the power of early interactions and relationships between infant--toddler and preschool educators and the children in their programs. The authors explore the ECEs' unique roles,…

Interest in social emotional learning (SEL) is higher than ever, as parents, educators, and policymakers recognize that children need more than cognitive skills for later life success. However, most SEL research has been conducted in formal education settings. This article describes results from an empirical study of 4-5 years old SEL in two…

The aim was to evaluate the effects of a family-focused early intervention programme on the cognitive, motor, and language development of infants exposed to social and biological risks in the first year of life. Quasi-experimental randomized controlled trial (RBR-6ct969), with intervention (IG; n = 72) and control (CG; n = 170) groups. IG mothers…