Cross-area play is rooted in the idea that when children are given the freedom to experiment with materials in open-ended ways, their play can transform into elaborate, complex plots and offer rich developmental opportunities.
One valuable way we can support children’s exploration of nature is by teaching them how to observe carefully and create observational drawings, which encourage children to understand and question their world.
Enhanced by math activities, higher-order mental skills and abilities serve as the behind-the-scenes machinery that facilitates young children’s ability to engage in and demonstrate their learning competency.
Authored by
Authored by:
Holland W. Banse Douglas H. Clements Julie Sarama Crystal Day-Hess Marisa Simoni Candace Joswick
Supporting Literacy Through Engaging Instruction & Materials
The Fall 2021 issue of Young Children includes a cluster of articles offering a variety of practices and materials to help early childhood educators foster a love of literacy and support early reading, writing, listening, and speaking development.
Rich and sustained conversations in the classroom provide opportunities to learn about and practice using new vocabulary, to grapple with new ideas, and to contribute to longer-term knowledge and skills.
Classrooms that incorporate child-directed experiences offer many opportunities for children to uncover their ideas, to generate questions, and to construct their own knowledge.
Authored by
Authored by:
Angela K. Salmon María Ximena Barrera
En particular, el juego libre y el juego guiado, conocidos en conjunto como aprendizaje lúdico, son herramientas pedagógicas a través de las cuales los niños pueden aprender de manera alegre y relevante.
Authored by
Authored by:
Brenna Hassinger-Das Kathy Hirsh-Pasek Roberta Michnick Golinkoff
NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.
Authored by
Authored by:
Brenna Hassinger-Das Kathy Hirsh-Pasek Roberta Michnick Golinkoff
Using a fish tank as a project is a great way for teachers to provoke children’s thought, to engage them in the process of representing their learning, and to support their reflections.
Authored by
Authored by:
Andrea Anderson Jennifer Klutz Cindy G. McGaha
Make your teaching more intentional and engaging with this collection of higher-order thinking modules that brings together three of NAEYC’s popular modules into one convenient package.
Mathematics activities can contribute to later success in both math and reading, but activities focused on math and spatial learning can also be really fun and playful for young children—and for their teachers!
Authored by
Authored by:
Ashley Lewis Presser Danae Kamdar Ximena Dominguez
Of all that brain science has taught us over the last 30 years, one of the clearest findings is that early brain development is directly influenced by babies’ day-to-day interactions with their caregivers.
As the parent of a young child, you know that children are curious and eager to learn. To help you make the most of those moments—and to inspire even more of them—we offer several easy strategies for sparking rich conversations.
