Construction of Power, Construction of Play: A Reflection of Children\u27 Social World

This study is fundamentally a descriptive case study. Based on the view thateveryday talk is a major tool of children’s socialization (Shieffelin & Ochs,1986;Watson-Gegeo,1988), the author aims to examine the process of languagesocialization of Japanese children attending a private nursery school in westernJapan during a one-year period. All of the classroom procedures are viewed asvarious forms of social and cognitive learning processes guided by a teacheraiming to shape the children to be appropriate members of the community. In thisstudy one conflictive episode was selected to illustrate how children skillfullyrepeated each other’s utterances in order to gain control over an ongoing activity,whereas children who were marginalized by a dominant group made excellent useof access strategies and joined the activity in the end. The value of kodomorashisa (childlike children) in early childhood education will also be discussed

Удовольствие и интерес к игре как основа подхода к проектированию детской игровой площадки

The article considers design of children’s playgrounds. The design traditions in modern architectural school are discussed, the problem of “the game” is identified and the term “pleasure” is focused. The conclusion is that we need a new approach to design children’s playgrounds in order to interest children in the age group from six to fifteen.В статье рассматривается проектирование детских игровых площадок. Обсуждаются традиции проектирования в современных архитектурных школах, ставится проблема «игры» и центральное внимание уделяется термину «удовольствие». В заключении делается вывод, что нужен новый подход к проектированию детских игровых площадок, для того чтобы заинтересовать детей возрастом от 6 до 15 лет

We make the road by walking: challenging conceptualisations of leisure time for children in poverty

In this article, we discuss a research project focusing on the ways in which children in poverty spend and experience their leisure time. We argue that the dominant conceptualisation of leisure time participation reduces poverty to a lack of social and cultural capital, marginalising poor children as passive objects of socialisation. Inspired by the interpretative paradigm of lifeworld orientation, three insights are identified throughout poor children’s experiences, which include the following: (1) challenging taken-for-granted divisions of time; (2) giving meaning to regimes of time as an on-going learning process; and (3) imagining a socially just future

The Curative Power of Play: The Voices of Therapists around the World

It is important for all therapists to be culturally sensitive to children and their eco-systems as well as to be aware of the current trends and the changing application of play as a healing agent. The focus of this study is on the development of a current description of play by therapists from a global perspective through a thematic analysis of focus groups resulting in an explanation of how play contributes to healing and the practice of therapy. In this study, the naturalistic method of qualitative research (Bowers, 2009; Lincoln & Guba, 1985) was applied to the study of play around the world, resulting in a new description of “play”. The analyses of focus group meetings in Morocco, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada and Europe resulted in the emergence of 8 themes: productivity through play, contribution to development, facilitation of the relationship through play, honouring diversity, collaboration between children and caregivers, stimulation through technology-based play, relaxation provided by play, and the devaluation of play. These themes, which are presented through the “voices of the participants”, together with the literature review, serve to enrich the changing description of play. With participants from all continents, a current global perspective highlights the changes that play, both as a concept and as a healing agent, has undergone and will continue to do so. New information emerged suggesting that technology has become a worldwide focus for children but has a paradoxical effect on their relationships

Recontextualising ‘play’ in early years pedagogy : Competence, performance and excess in policy and practice

This paper traces the way discourses within early years policy and practice impose meanings onto the signifier ‘play’. Drawing on Bernstein’s conceptualisation of recontextualising strategies, we explore how these meanings regulate troubling excesses in children’s ‘play’. The analysis foregrounds an underlying question about the hold the signifier ‘play’ maintains within discourses that appear antithetical to traditional understandings of ‘play’. Keywords: play, Bernstein, early years, recontextualising strategies, pedagogic discours

Culture and Learning

Ensuring "the development of the child ... to the maximum extent possible" is part of every child’s rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. But to what extent is "development" a cultural process that varies between societies, or a natural process that is the same for all children? This edition of Early Childhood in Focus addresses the major policy questions surrounding the place of culture in early childhood programmes, and how to promote development and learning while respecting cultural diversities. Published in collaboration with the Open University, the ECiF series provides clear reviews of research on key policy and practice issues intended to be of value to policy makers and advocates for the rights of children

The Right to Play

This issue of Early Childhood in Focus is published to coincide with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's General Comment No. 17 which aims to strengthen implementation of children's right to rest, leisure, play and recreational activities (as set out in UNCRC, 1989, Article 31). 'The Right to Play' offers short summaries of theory, research and policy issues that can inform the implementation of Article 31. Section 1 is about the concept of play, the ways culture defines play in children's lives, the role of play within early childhood pedagogy and children's own views on play. Section 2 looks more closely at the function of play in supporting children's development, including social, emotional and cognitive benefits. Section 3 is about the opportunities and challenges for realizing children's right to play, including the pressures of early schooling as well as child work, and the implications of commercialization and the growing place of new technologies in young children's lives

Foundations of Character - Developing Character and Values in the Early Years

Foundations of Character takes a deep and insightful look into character and values development during the 'early years' phase of education. It is commonly assumed that the influences on the early years of a child'slife are determinative for the future individual: the evidence from this report suggests that it is more complex. Children's exposure to and engagement in early childhood education is currently a widespread phenomenon in England, with 92% of three year olds and 98% of four year olds benefitting from some free early years education of up to 15 hours per week. This study aimed to explore the developing dispositions, values and attitudes of a sample of young children in the familiar contexts of their homes, early education settings, and primary schools. It was hoped that this exploration would also provide insights into the values of the significant adults in these children's lives, and these adults' views about the development of character and values