Presents theoretical background for building an early childhood curriculum based on the Educare approach. Five principles are explained. They emphasize that learning drives development and that social interaction, interpersonal relationships, mutual understanding, and culture are unique in developmental processes. Concludes that teachers can have…

Describes a program developed to help parents become effective playmates. Suggests that interactive play between infants and adults has numerous benefits, although these benefits will not occur automatically; they require parents to develop the appropriate skills. Proposes methods to facilitate play and make an important contribution to the…

Describes ways of observing and interpreting children's peer social behavior based on the impression management perspective, which focuses on the social construction of a child's individual self-concept. Suggests that teachers and caregivers can use impression management strategies to observe and promote prosocial development in young children.…

Observed the playground behavior and social interaction of 27 kindergarten children in a university laboratory school, focusing on the children's ability to successfully negotiate social interactions. Found that communication skills, ability to recognize and understand others' emotions and needs, and self-confidence are critical to positive social…

Children who are deficient in social skills or who have developed inappropriate communication skills may be at risk in school and disruptive to family dynamics. To prevent crises developing in adolescence, the Stop-Think-Do social skills program, first developed in Australia, provides a method of reinforcing cooperative behavior and…

Examined mother-child communication patterns in relation to mother's marital status, child gender, and play activity in light of contextual-ecological models. Suggests that the socialization of gender be viewed as a construction influenced directly by factors in the immediate interactive context and influenced indirectly by developed adaptations…

Proposes methods to enable both normal and at-risk young children to develop high and long-lasting competencies in language and other cognitive and social skills. Recommends engaging children with language informally in play and the ordinary routines of child care, both individually and in small groups, and emphasizing both the social,…

Describes and illustrates a technique for using guided dramatization in intervention with special needs or at-risk children. Discusses social benefits of the technique. Maintains that the technique is useful for helping mainstreamed children socially integrate into the regular classroom. (BG)

Examines sex-typing of children's housework and how parents indirectly and directly affect children's chores. Data for 600 households from the 1988 National Survey of Families and Households show that sex-typing is common and that father and mother effects were strongest in relation to the child of the same sex. (JB)

Restructuring middle-level education calls for broad, fundamental, and multifaceted changes in schooling. Such changes must be based on a clear articulation of how early adolescents learn and supported by congruent practices and expectations. Forward-thinking middle schools stress interdisciplinary teaming, active learning, responsible…

Reports results of 2 studies on the relationship between social competence and social-cognitive development in children aged 9 to 12 years. There were reliable age differences in interpersonal negotiation strategies in thought and action. Both measures were associated with behavioral adjustment and social status. (GH)

Results of a study on the relationship between children's sociomoral development and the sociomoral atmospheres of three types of kindergarten classrooms suggest the possibility that heavily academic, teacher-centered programs hinder children's development of interpersonal understanding and their broader social-cognitive and moral development. (LB)

Discusses High/Scope Preschool Curriculum Comparison study, which was designed to test impact of major methods of curriculum. Three models used differed in degree of initiative expected of child and teacher. Sixty-eight children of 3-15 years were studied. Results showed that child-initiated learning models led to high quality academic results and…

Discusses difficulties parents encounter when they play with their disabled child and the inappropriateness of some commercial toys for disabled children. Also describes the development of adapted toys and of toy lending libraries for young disabled children. (BB)

Development and validation of the Assessment of Social Competence (ASC), designed for individuals at all levels of functioning, are described. Results from samples of 140 children/youth and 161 adults with mental retardation and other disabilities indicate ASC is a comprehensive, criterion-referenced tool for both descriptive and intervention…