Development and Validation of the Material Values Scale for children

The aim of the study was to develop a scale to measure materialism, a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort than spiritual values, to measure materialism among children. Richins and Dawson Material Values Scale was used as well with the Material Values Scale for children on 1001 children 8-11 years old. Previous studies have shown that gender and materialism have been found relatable due to the fact that boys are more materialistic than girls. Children who believe that possessions bring happiness and success are more likely to be unhappy because their expectations might not be fulfilled and peer group influence is negatively related to materialism due to the fact that children will continually compare themselves to others. The results showed that material centrality, material happiness, and material success are very important factor to materialism.

Reference :

Opree, S. J., Buijzen, M. A., Van Reijmersdal, E. A., & Valkenburg, P. (2011). Development and validation of the Material Values Scale for children (MVS-c). Personality and Individual Differences, 51(8), 963-968.

Video Gaming in School Children: How Much Is Enough?

Is video gaming a good thing for children? For some parent video gaming is the only thing that their child does while for other parents that is not one of the options in their child’s life. For the most part video gaming is not good or bad it just depends on the way that people see it. At a neural level, structural and functional brain changes associated with gaming use were most evident with respect to basal ganglia circuitry. It was shown in a study that playing video games for 1 hour per week was associated with faster and more consistent psychomotor responses to visual stimulation, while negative implications were clearly visible only in children at the extreme of our game-playing distribution, with 9 hours or more of video gaming per week. It was also stated that neuroimaging research now suggests that training with desktop virtual environments is also capable of modulating brain systems that support procedural learning. No matter how many studies are done parents are still going to allow their kids to play video games knowing that it will affect them later on in life.

 

                                         Reference:

Pujol, Fenoll, Forns, Harrison, Martínez‐Vilavella, Macià, . . . Sunyer. (2016). Video gaming in school children: How much is enough? Annals of Neurology, 80(3), 424-433.

Interactive technologies for preschool game-based instruction: Experiences and future challenges

There are many ways of interactive technologies for preschooler. Children play in many different ways and the benefits of game play in early childhood education have a variety of developmental milestones.  Cognitive and social-emotional growth is proven in studies of how children play, motivate, and enhance children’s growth. Technologies and games develop preschool children improve three dimensions of their development.  Using technology-aided learning activities to support preschool children, they rely on namely traditional computers, interactive surfaces, robots and other technologically-enhanced toys. Preschooler’s physical, socio-affective and intellectual abilities facilitated collaboration and engagement. They designed a care-receiving robot to give support in English learning to children, there have been many developments to help children with their skills. The tabletop’s form factor and size offers more opportunities for supporting collaboration between peers than the traditional computers do. Game technologies may have a real and noticeable Impact on preschool children. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children are in their pre-operational phased of their development, interaction mechanism that been used in the past to support different forms of gameplay in preschool institutions. Gameplay affects the learning and user adaptation narrative or emotional experience when choosing or developing game experiences for the specific type of users. 

"Interactive Technologies for Preschool Game-based Instruction: Experiences and Future Challenges." Interactive Technologies for Preschool Game-based Instruction: Experiences and Future Challenges. Entertainment Computing, July-Aug. 201q6. Web. 08 Dec. 2016.

Case study of gendered play in preschools: how early childhood educators’ perceptions of gender influence children’s play.

Case study of gendered play in preschools: how early childhood educators’ perceptions of gender influence children’s play.

Play is a very important factor on a child's growth.  The various types of play influence each part of a child’s body.  This article is based off of how gender roles might be displayed or braced during a child’s upbringing and the society they live in.  Gender is acknowledged as the social division of femininity and masculinity.  The differences in gender roles prosper in children at the early stages of life.  Educators and guardians also potentially influence the environment children play in, what children play with and how they engage in play.   Research has explained how gender is an obscure and perceptive area of discussion on how it is molded in individuals and the impact it has on society.  Early childhood education is the most important throughout a child's life.  What they learn at this point will be carried on within them throughout their growth and development.  Educators throughout these years play a significant role in supporting the acceptance of different people and cultures.  Would you want your kid to be left out of activities based on their physical features? Think about it and be a positive influence on your life and the life of others.

Reference

• Chapman, Rachel. (2016). A Case Study of Gendered Play in Preschools: How Early Childhood Educators' Perceptions of Gender Influence Children's Play. Early Child Development and Care, 186(8), 1271-1284.

How Technology is Transforming the Ways in Which Children Play

Play is essential for children's learning and is necessary in school. Play also helps children develop imagination and creativity which are major factors for the child's future cognitive and emotional development.There is a great concern over the amount of time that children spend with electronic devices. Although technology is prominent in the lives of the children; It has become a major concern. It could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on the way it's used. For instance, there has been research done that displays the concern that technology may affect other habits and activities like television watching, studying, free-time play, and sleeping. There was a study conducted to determine what activities preschoolers participated more in. The results showed that preschoolers were spending the same amount of time with technology as they were with traditional forms of play (non-technology). These results made parents realize that attention must be given to the role of play as it evolves. Times are changing and technology will continue to be a big part of the children's lives.

Slutsky, R., & Deshetler, L. (2016). How technology is transforming the ways in which children play. Early Child Development and Care, 1-9.

Can the neighborhood built environment make a difference in childrens development?

Have you ever heard the saying “You are what you eat”? When dealing with children and their environment it is the same concept due to the fact that your neighborhood is a reflection of you.  Neighborhoods are locations where children spend large periods of time outside of home and school. They help to set the trajectories for children ongoing physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. Children resemble sponges, they grasp onto everything they see and hear that is why it is important to have a safe and positive environment for them to grow. Having a livable and pedestrian-friendly neighborhood for children is gaining attention worldwide. It has been proven that when children live in a more walkable neighborhood, with well- connected streets with safe crossing points; footpaths, local destinations, and low traffic volumes and speeds are more likely to be physically active compared to those living in less walkable communities. Many say it takes a village to raise a child and they could not be more correct, having other people to go to for advice or even just a safe haven is important for a child’s development; it is a crucial part in whether or not a child will grow up a menace or respectable individual to society. Your neighborhood does shape you into who you are and who you will grow to be that it is why it is so important to be in a positive upbringing neighborhood and environment.

Reference 

Can the Neighborhood Built Environment Make a Difference in Children's Development? Building the Research Agenda to Create Evidence for Place-Based Children's Policy. (2016). Academic Pediatrics, 16(1), 10.

Curious play: Children's exploration of nature





The purpose of the article is to explain the concept of 'curious play' as a theoretical framework for understanding and discussing children's experiences. The concept of curious play emerged from three sources of inspiration: an ethnographically inspired study of children playing in nature; as a critique of risky play being the dominant discourse in research on children's play in nature; and from phenomenological and cultural-historical theories of children's play and their play environment. These theories recognize that children are born curious, and that environments invite children to engage with the world through playful explorations of many kinds. Most children have access to nature or green areas within a walking distance of their home; playing freely in nature environments is considered an important aspect of daily life and what it means to grow up. They seem to be curious when they are challenged by new or difficult tasks, and encounter physical challenges. Children grow by interacting and playing in and with their world, continually discovering new elements and information that influence their relationships, opinions and interpretations.

Toys "R" Us and Save the Children Launch Fundraising Campaign to Help Kids in Need

Toys R Us' Play with Purpose campaign is supporting Save the Children's early childhood development programs such as Early Steps to School Success, Literacy/Healthy Choices and the Summer Boost Initiative. These programs help children in some of America's most underprivileged areas grow. Toys R Us will provide "play packs" filled with toys that build and encourage socialization skills. Additionally, the pack includes materials to educate parents on the benefits of engaging the children during play. Play can help children create developmental skills, build confidence, and bring out the imagination, which are considered the building blocks to success. This aids in overcoming behavioral issues and improves independent learning. Play is the foundation for learning throughout life. When children pretend play from 8 to 17 months old, they are more likely to a higher intellect at age 5 than those who do not. Young children benefit from interaction, talking, facial expressions and hand gestures, and a childhood without them can lead to disparities in learning and behavior. Even ten minutes of play a day can improve a child’s performance and encourage thinking and successfully control behavior. Toys R Us provides toys because of the multitude of benefits that they cause including helping children reach a higher level of intellect later in life.

Reference:

Toys"R"us(R) and save the children launch fundraising campaign to help kids in need #PlayWithPurpose. (2016, Feb 17). PR Newswire Retrieved from http://ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1765564210?accountid=14518

Playing number board games supports 5-year-old children’s early mathematical development

Children begin to develop mathematical skills at a young age. In doing this, they have a better chance of having knowledge once they begin school. Systems were created to test out whether or not playing board games helped children. The ability of a child to be able to combine magnitudes of real numbers is important for the numeric development, which can be represented in two ways: logarithmic and linear representation. Change in logarithm to linear representation occurred with increasing age and experience with numbers, although children at an early age may only demonstrate a nonlinear magnitude. Many board games were created that would involve shapes and numbers of all sorts, which would indicate how advanced a child was mathematically. The results of these board games establish that playing numbered board games does support a child’s development of basic number knowledge and arithmetical skills. Although, depending on what game is played, the results may vary and support different skills.

Reference

Elofsson, Gustafson, Samuelsson, & Träff. (2016). Playing number board games supports 5-year-old children’s early mathematical development. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 43, 134-147.

Space to play

This article is about how there are many ways to play in the children’s new permanent exhibit Beyond Spaceship earth. Kids that are starters, stuff a flight bag. You can do space suit. You can use to horse to clean up floating droplets of spilled grape juice. If you are younger or shorter, you can crawl into a confined area and tightened some bolts. There are also plenty of interesting artifacts to contemplate as well: notebooks, a NASA selection letter, a flag from the Gemini 8, and everyday items they use. Of course, pop culture is also given its due, with displays featuring an actual Chris Pine/”Star Trek”. The international Space Station in kid friendly form is at its most   impactful in a subtle pairing that beautifully captures humanity’s desire for flight, our ongoing quest to reach out to what’s next and the appeal of both science and art that should be fostered in young people. It is impressive enough to have astronaut Roger Chaffee Apollo inflight suit behind glass. There is a simple airplane with wings, clearly not fight ready and a colorful star surrounded by ripples of color. In the Children’s museum, “Beyond Spaceship Earth there is a display in the Schaefer planetarium and space object theater. It shows that combines planetarium projected images and video footage a live actor, and the capsule itself on a rotating/rising stage. It’s one of two shows performed throughout the day. Kids and adults were both confused by a not-very intuitive Bioreactive interactive area. The exhibit also includes an Indiana Astronaut wall of fame with interactive screens to learn more about these local connections that it makes an effective advertisement for Purdue University where many studied. 

Harry, L. (2016). Space to play. Indianapolis Business Journal, 37(22), 37-38.

Socio-economic Enviroment, Area Facilities and Obesity and Physical Inactivity among Children

There are many risk factors that cause chronic diseases that occur in a persons adult life that were present as a child. Obesity that is present during childhood increases several processes such as type 2 diabetes, chronic back pain, cardiovascular diseases. There seems to be a association between
obesity and absence of physical activity in childhood to the socio-economic context of neighbourhood of residence. The article evaluated whether socio-economic environment and obesity and physical inactivity in children factors are related causes of  household socio-economic position and area facilities. They had two indicators of the socio-economic context of neighborhood of residence based on wealth and deprivation. They were estimated in a sample of 727 children and adolescents residents in Madrid. The results were that the obesity prevalence was 3.79 times higher in areas of living in deprived areas than among those living in non-deprived areas and 2.38 higher among subjects living in less wealthy areas than in those living in wealthier areas. The availability of retail shops in subjects’ neighborhood of residence were not related to the inactivity.Neither neighborhood socio-economic context nor availability of sports facilities was related to physical inactivity.  In Madrid socio-economic context of neighborhood of residence shows a relationship with obesity but not with physical inactivity among children.

Reference

"The European Journal of Public Health." Socio-economic Environment, Area Facilities and Obesity and Physical Inactivity among Children | European Journal of Public Health. Oxford University, 16 Nov. 2015. Web. 08 Dec. 2016.

Climate Change: Child's Play?

Climate change: Child’s play? Is about how climate can affect the opportunity for children to play outdoors. Playing outside is very important for the physical and mental development of children. If children have a lack of playing outside than they won’t be as active and healthy as the kids that do experience playing outside. Climate can be affected by many different factors including, increasing air pollution, and extreme temperatures. Children will become less active and are limited to ways to play if they are indoors. Overall I concluded that outdoor play equals a better life. This is why it’s extremely important to keep our outside environments as clean as possible. Climate change affects many different every day resources to keep children happy and healthy.  Climate can affect infrastructure such as healthcare, education, food and water security, and housing. We need to make a change now in order to prevent decreasing outdoor play for future generations to come. What would you think about your kids not being able to play outside like you did as a child? It wouldn’t be fair. Playing outside is essential to child development and is a necessity for a child to grow and have fun. Climate change is dangerous for our children and we now know that climate change is a big factor of allowing kids to play outside.

Reference

Prasad, T. (2016). Climate change: Child's play? Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 52(4), 471-472.

Supporting Child Play

Child play is very essential for brain, physical, and social development.  It does not matter whether the child plays independently, with other children, or with a parent.  Play helps build stronger relationships and teaches young children necessary life skills.  They can learn how to work together, negotiate, and resolve conflicts while playing.  Playing especially helps with language development involving the amount and frequency of language used.  The exposure of television has an opposite effect that playing has.  Television leads to the decreased amount and frequency of language spoken by parents with their kids.  A study found in JAMA Pediatrics, had researchers test kids on the impact of using electronic toys versus non-electronic toys for children to play with.  The researchers found that when playing with electronic toys, children had a decreased amount and frequency of language used between children and parents.  That being said if children continue to play with electronic toys they will decrease the quantity and quality of the language they speaks.  In my opinion it is much better to use and rely on traditional toys rather than the new electronic toys. Next time you go purchasing toys for children to play with consider buying traditional non-electronic toys including blocks, puzzles, dolls, train sets, etc.  Playing with toys is essential in order to help children develop learning skills, language and communication in order to develop.

Reference

Moreno, M. (2016). Supporting Child Play. JAMA Pediatrics, 170(2), 184.

Young Children Learning from Touch Screens: Taking a Wider View

Touch screen devices have become very common in American children’s lives. Areas of focus where existing research shares issues among children under the age of three are how well children use information learned from screens to reason about events off-screen, using object retrieval and word learning tasks. Another area measures the impact of interactive screens on parent-child interactions and story comprehension during reading time. Touch screens exist everywhere and many parents turn to them for distraction purposes. Infants are able to learn new objects and actions  from the information on the screen. They even are able to learn from the words they already know. Most households own smartphones with children. Studies show that 96.6% of children use devices before their first birthday. Research also found that children respond better with interaction. Young children were more successful in learning words and locations of hidden toys from screens when they were involved in specific contingent interactions, opposed to passively watching events unfold. Other research focused on learning during story time and identified the effects of screens and social interaction. It was found that children’s comprehension from the book was significantly higher than from the iPad. As one gets older, book advantages fade however. The individual is able to use the iPad in other ways that they may have not been able to do as a child. Their knowledge grows as age and experience do.

Reference

Lovato, S., & Waxman, S. (2016). Young Children Learning from Touch Screens: Taking a Wider View. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1078.

Play and Social Interaction Strategies for Young Children with Austism Spectrum Disorder in Inclusive Preschool Settings

Ever wonder how young children with autism develop play and social interaction skills? Play is a way for children to interact with the world around them. This happens through a combination of experiences and interactions supported by toys and places in their life. From my article I've learned with people with ASD have a shortage in developing maintaining, and understanding relationships, have a restricted range of interests that may be abnormal or unconventional and experience limited receptive and expressive communication skills. Children with disabilities are more involved with peers when there are no toys present. According to Piaget identity comes from play as the child increases social norms with others and when others help individual development is enhanced. When a child gets involved in play activities with another child that child expands their range of emotion and improve both social and communication skills. With the skills and improvement on social and communication with children with ASD it could be possible to recognize the great value this device on their lives.

Papacek, A., Chai, Z., & Green, K. (2016). Play and Social Interaction Strategies for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder in Inclusive Preschool Settings. Young Exceptional Children, 19(3), 3-17.

Gender-Typed Play and Social Abilities in Boys and Girls: Are They Related?

    Do different toy types relate to the masculinity and femininity of children? Will they affect the empathy and the ability to comfort other? In all honestly who would even think that toys would have this effect on children, at such an early age. Yet according to studies observed in Hong Kong, more feminine toys result in a much more emphatic child, who can comfort other. Female kids already strive to empathize with others, so this was more related to male kids. “Women are generally more emphatic than are boys and men across the lifespan.” Yet masculine toys seemed to have no affect on dulling a female's ability to feel the urge to comfort others. Yet toys that are gender-neutral, seem to affect both sexes in a non-positive way.  Yet as predicted males prefer more masculine toys, and females prefer more feminine toys, which to most people would be obvious, because that tends to be a societal norm.

Reference

Li, R., & Wong, W. (2016). 74(9-10), 399.

Let the children play, and watch independent learning flourish

Here is where the summary goes.

References

Barber, T. (2016, June 17). Let the children play, and watch independent learning flourish. The Times Educational Supplement.

Play and Social Interaction Strategies for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Inclusive Preschool Settings