Research update

7 tips to make shared book reading even more beneficial for dual-language-learners

Preschool teachers are at their best during book reading activities, when it comes to posing challenging questions, and taking the discussion outside the here-and-now. We want our young dual-language-learners to share in these experiences and make them even more beneficial. I distilled 7 tips from her inspiring talk by researcher researcher Vibeke Grøver at the Equality & Inclusion conference in Utrecht in November 2019.

Do we ask too simple questions during shared book reading?

This blog post was contributed by Astrid Cornelis (Thomas More) Shared book reading reportedly promotes language proficiency, provided that the children are sufficiently challenged. The questions we ask play a crucial role in how much children will get engaged in

How to prevent children’s challenging behaviors in early childhood education

This blog post was contributed by Carla Peixoto (inED). Preschool teachers often worry about how to manage children’s challenging behaviors, such as throwing objects, disrupting other children’s activities, hitting, etc. While in some cases challenging behaviors are brief and easy

Innovations in ECEC do not always result in positive evidence. How should we deal with it?

This blog post was contributed by Helena Taelman (ODISEE). Educational professionals and researchers may build a nice innovation, grounded in the most recent insights of developmental and educational science. Nevertheless, it may not work as expected, since classrooms and schools

Listen to my idea, we could do it together! Cooperative tasks and child participation

This blog was contributed by Tandem Team (http://tandemforfour.weebly.com/) and translated by Carlos Pereira and Marina Fuertes (Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa). From their early years, children can be involved in daily tasks such as helping bake a cake,

The benefits of investing in childcare

By Ruth Heuvelman (CED-group) and Pauline Slot (Utrecht University) Recently, an increasing number of childcare organizations have been taken over by large investors. This evokes reactions from both proponents and opponents. Proponents indicate that this leads to investment in quality,

Girls do karate… And boys ballet

This blog post was contributed by Nadine Correia (ISCTE-IUL). Children classify, from an early age, the world surrounding them, in order to better understand it and to assign it meaning. The concept of gender is one of the first categories that children

The power of structured games for children with behavioral problems

This blog post was contributed by Astrid Cornelis (Thomas More). Playing games together is simple, cheap and fun. Moreover, a recent study shows that children with behavioral problems benefit from playing games with their parents (Healey & Healey, 2019). Playing

The earlier, the better? Three important conditions for early intervention and prevention

This blog post was contributed by Pauline Slot (Utrecht University). Pedagogues, special education teachers or other types of specialists working in ECEC sometimes have to deal with teacher’s concerns about a child’s development, behaviour or home situation. It is good

Equal opportunities for boys and girls through play

This blog post was contributed by Eva Dierickx (AP). In general educators agree that an ideal preschool class offers every child the opportunity to develop optimally by providing an environment where they can improve their executive functions, establish healthy socio-emotional interactions,