Observation is a useful tool, even in infant and toddler classrooms. Applied correctly, observation and assessment can help lay a foundation for a successful education throughout life. As appropriate practices are researched and policies change, teachers and caregivers of the youngest children (referred to as careteachers for this article) find…

The communication process between care providers and children can, at times, be complex. Young children typically lack the verbal language necessary for complex emotional expression. In this article, the authors contend that using some basic "child centered play therapy" (CCPT) techniques would be beneficial in enhancing communicative…

The brain is a complex organ with an intellectual capacity that is unique to humans. For educators, it is wise to study the brain's many attributes and how it functions to help guide, inform, and improve teaching practice. Learners' brains are particularly sensitive to certain kinds of stimuli--that is social, physical, cognitive, and emotional…

Among various benefits of art for young children, this article highlights the emotional development aspect, specifically boosting self-confidence through art activities. The definition of self-confidence as having trust in one's self, clear knowledge of one's strengths and limitations, and assurance of one's ability to handle a variety of…

Concrete, Representational, Abstract (CRA) instruction is a process for teaching and learning mathematical concepts. Starting with manipulation of concrete materials (counters, beans, Unifix cubes), the process moves students to the representational level (tallies, dots, stamps), and peaks at the abstract level, at which numbers and symbols are…

Challenging behaviors can happen to children with a variety of abilities in all kinds of settings, and children's early experiences as members of classroom communities serve as the foundation on which lifelong patterns of social behaviors are constructed. Therefore, helping children with challenging behaviors become fully included is essential for…

Early childhood professionals can provide services and effective support to assist military families with healthy coping and functioning before, during, and after deployment. The purpose of this article is to examine what is known about the effects of stressors associated with the military lifestyle and how they impact returning military members,…

For a majority of teachers, traditional professional development workshops lack relevancy and leave teachers on their own to implement what was learned. Workshops are frequently structured in ways in which teachers are seen simply as recipients of information handed down by trainers (a more passive role) versus those who reflect on and construct…

This article describes how American and Japanese kindergartners see play and what teachers can learn from them. The authors share their findings from analyzing photos and interviews from 44 American children in the southeastern United States and 55 Japanese children in the main island of Japan, all aged five to six years. In the study, children…

The focus and goal of classroom management should be first and foremost learning. When trying to prevent interruptions to learning, or dealing with interruptions to learning when they occur, teachers need to move beyond simply imposing a consequence and assuming students have learned from the interaction. Students need to be taught the skills and…

Early childhood teachers play a key role in addressing the needs of young English Language Learners, and a vast body of research is dedicated to assessing best practices for teachers. However, less research addressing the role of policymakers, program directors and administrators is available. Although teachers can make a difference in the lives…

The authors share how to develop active, stimulating learning environments with a focus on culturally relevant music for young Latin@ children. They provide a backdrop for this article by sharing the role of música (music) in their own lives as children, educators, and for one of them as an artist and the other as a parent of a now five-year-old.…

With the increased accountability of early childhood programs and the need to carefully document each assessment, teachers need to explore videotaping to enhance observational assessments. Observing children continues to be an effective method for understanding the uniqueness of each child's development. In this article, the authors present a case…

While conducting a needs assessment for a large Midwestern social service organization, the authors asked 252 preschool children from six Head Start programs what they like best about school. They wanted to reveal how children perceived their school and what they liked best about school--more specifically, what were their favorite areas and…

Many new teachers are concerned with how to respond appropriately when preschoolers make statements that can be considered rude, hurtful, or socially inappropriate. This is particularly true for comments related to children with disabilities. New teachers are often afraid that negative and unkind comments will be made by young children in their…