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As the demand for opportunities to learn English grows throughout the world, parents and educators are looking for innovative ways to engage students in English-learning opportunities. Perhaps your school or municipality will seek to initiate an English Camp to be on trend with this growing need. Or perhaps, like many go-getter teachers, you wish to initiate such a program on your own. This article explains the basics of designing and organizing a themed English Camp. The process is illustrated by examples from camp programs that were designed as Open Educational Resources (OERs) by English teachers in Belarus, beginning in 2021. The programs are the product of a course organized and facilitated by the authors of this article.

Background: Early childhood is a formative period during which distinguishable development has projections of bearing desirable outcomes within an individual. Hence, physical, language, cognitive, emotional and social independence are healthy components of a typical child's development that early childhood development (ECD) educators deem essential for Grade R readiness. Aim: This article aims to explore ECD educators' perceptions of typical 4-year-old learners' aspects of development and how this supports their readiness for Grade R. Setting: This study was conducted in an ECD centre in a marginalised rural context of the Mandlankala area, Empangeni, north of Zululand. Methods: An interpretive qualitative case study methodological design framed within Bronfenbrenner's person-proximal processes-context model was adopted. Purposive convenient sampling was used to select three ECD educators from an ECD centre. Semi-structured interviews and learners' physical, language, cognitive, emotional and social behaviour observations were used to generate data. Data were analysed thematically. Results: Findings revealed that early childhood educators perceive 4-year-old learners' readiness for Grade R differently based on criteria such as their personalities based on developmental milestones and the educator's experience in the field and training. Conclusion: This study concluded that the learner's level of physical, language, cognitive, emotional and social development influences their readiness for Grade R. Contribution: School readiness skills allow school teachers to expand and further develop learners' skills in the specific areas of social interaction, play, language, emotional development, physical skills, literacy and fine motor skills.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of therapeutic play training on physical health in 10-12 year old children with back muscle weakness. Experimental research model was used in the study. According to the results of the Functional Movement Screening test, 16 children (8 Study, 8 Control) with back muscle weakness were included in the study as participants. According to the pre-test analysis results, children with weak back muscles were given therapeutic play training with 7 different games adapted to increase healthy posture and physical development for 8 weeks and 3 days a week. At the end of the therapeutic game education application process, the FMS test (post-test) was administered to the children again and the results were recorded. The groups were homogeneously distributed, independent sample t-test was used to determine the difference between the research and control groups, and paired sample t-test was used to compare the data within groups. All statistical values obtained were evaluated at 95% confidence interval and significance was evaluated at p<0.05 level. According to the findings obtained from the study, a statistically significant difference was found when the FMS pre-test-post-test results of the children in the study group, in which therapeutic games were applied, were analyzed (p<0.05). As a result of the FMS pre-test before the education program was started, it was determined that 7 of the 8 participants, who could not reach a sufficient score and whose back muscles were found to be weak, reached a sufficient score according to the FMS post-test results after the applications, and only 1 participant showed positive development although he could not get a sufficient score. When the FMS pre-post test results applied to the control group were examined, it was determined that there was no statistically significant difference p>0.05.

Despite initiatives by key actors in the last two decades, Early Childhood Development in Ghana, measured by physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional development of children up to 8 years of age, remains poor. This study aimed to assess Ghana's Early Childhood Development (ECD) status and determinants by analyzing the Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2017/18 data. Among the 3801 Ghanaian children (35-59 months; 1880 males), 42.7% were developmentally on track in literacy-numeracy, 93.6% in physical, 68.2% in social-emotional, 82.3% in learning, and about 67% in at least 3 of the 4 domains. Multiple logistic regression analyses suggest a positive association between ECD and female sex of children, their age, mothers' attendance in any ECD programs, mothers' educational qualification, and household wealth. On the other hand, evidence of a negative association was observed between ECD and child disability, stunting status of children, maternal disability, the number of days children were left alone for more than an hour, and residence in a rural area. The level of maternal education may be implicated in ECD policies as it affected several ECD domains.

During human childhood, brain development and body growth compete for limited metabolic resources, resulting in a trade-off where energy allocated to brain development can decrease as body growth accelerates. This preregistered study explores the relationship between language skills, serving as a proxy for brain development, and body mass index at three distinct developmental stages, representing different phases of body growth. Longitudinal data from 2002 children in the EDEN mother-child cohort were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Our findings reveal a compelling pattern of associations: girls with a delayed adiposity rebound, signaling slower growth rate, demonstrated better language proficiency at ages 5-6. Importantly, this correlation appears to be specific to language skills and does not extend to nonverbal cognitive abilities. Exploratory analyses show that early environmental factors contributing to enhanced cognitive development, such as higher parental socio-economic status and increased cognitive stimulation, are positively associated with both language skills and the timing of adiposity rebound in girls. Overall, our findings lend support to the existence of an energy allocation trade-off mechanism that appears to prioritize language function over body growth investment in girls.

Learning to descend stairs requires motor and cognitive capacities on the part of infants and opportunities for practice and assurance of safety offered by caregivers. The American Academy of Pediatrics prescribes the age strategy to teach toddlers to safely descend stairs but without much consideration for individual differences in infants' skills or caregivers' techniques. The purpose of this study was to observe the natural ways in which caregivers teach infants to descend stairs at home and the extent to which infants abide. Of particular interest was to examine the dynamic nature of caregivers' teaching and infants' learning over the session with attention to individual differences. Dyads (N = 59) were videorecorded on Zoom for 10 min interacting on stairs at home in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Italy, and Spain. Infants (n = 30 girls, 29 boys; 13-month-olds ± 1 week) were novice walkers (M = 2.04 months walking experience). Caregivers used a variety of teaching strategies and focused on "backing" and "scooting." Infants were more likely to heed caregivers' guidance when caregivers provided hands-on support and verbal encouragement suggesting infants were engaged and responsive to caregivers' overtures. Infants' walking experience predicted change in descent strategy over the session. Although infants did not show evidence of learning over the session, consistent caregiver instruction suggested caregivers were persistent, if not effective, teachers. Teaching and learning motor skills in a potentially risky task creates a unique opportunity for interaction, allowing infants and caregivers to learn from one another.

This study examined parental perception of the importance of friendship and five other educational outcomes from 101 Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorders between the ages of 3 and 12 years. Results showed Chinese parents considered friendship less important than social skills, emotional development, and physical skills and motor development. Unlike the results from previous studies, Chinese parents ranked friendship as the second least important outcome. Children's age rather than educational setting impacted parental perceptions. The findings suggested cultural contexts may have influenced parental perceptions of the importance of different educational outcomes, and future research on the influence of cultural contexts is warranted.

Gender differences in early childhood development are under-researched in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where almost 90% of the world's young children live. This study examines the direction, magnitude, and variation of gender similarities and differences in 3- and 4-year-olds' early childhood development in 71 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Moreover, we explore whether country-level gender inequality correlates with gender differences in early development. We analyzed Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI) data from UNICEF's Multiple Indicators Cluster Surveys and the Demographic and Health Surveys between 2010 and 2019 (n = 226,980). Using logistic regression, we estimated children's odds of being developmentally on track in literacy-numeracy, approaches to learning, social-emotional, and physical domains. We also used meta-analytic regression to examine associations between early childhood development and country-level indicators of gender inequality. In approximately one-half of LMICs, odds of being developmentally on track did not significantly differ for girls and boys; in countries with significant differences, girls were more likely to be on track than boys (odds ratio [OR] = 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.18-1.24], p < 0.001). Differences favoring girls were largest in the social-emotional domain (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = [1.24-1.30], p < 0.001). Country-level gender development index explained a substantial amount of variation in gender differences across countries. Overall, findings suggest that when gender differences exist, girls are more likely than boys to be developmentally on track, particularly in the social-emotional domain and in countries with greater gender equality.

The aim of this study is to examine the attitudes towards sports and life satisfaction of university students who study sports education. In the study, questionnaire and scale forms consisting of three parts were used as data collection tools. In the first part, "Personal Information Form" determined by the researchers, in the second part "Life Satisfaction Scale" and in the third part "Attitude towards Sport Scale for University Students" were used. The population of the study consisted of 397 senior year students studying at Ondokuz Mayis University Faculty of Sport Sciences. The sample of the study consisted of 244 students, 184 males and 60 females. As a result of the statistical analyses, it was seen that there was no significant difference between attitude towards sport and life satisfaction levels according to age variable (p>0.05). It was concluded that there was a significant difference in the physical development sub-dimension in the gender variable, in the total score of the life satisfaction scale in the nationality variable, in the total scores of the attitude towards sport scale and life satisfaction scale in the active sportsmanship variable, in the total scores of the attitude towards sport scale and life satisfaction scale and in the psychosocial development and mental development sub-dimensions, and in the total score of the attitude towards sport scale and psychosocial development sub-dimension according to income status (p<0.05). It can be said that demographic variables have an effect on attitude towards sport and life satisfaction.

Background and Aim: Physical activity is an important means to promote the comprehensive and healthy development of children's bodies and minds. The national health strategy and population policy adjustment, the development of kindergartens, and the deterioration of children's physical health have all worked together to bring unprecedented opportunities for the development of children's sports in China. The purpose of this paper is to study the background information of the contents of the curriculum of preschool physical education ability of year 4 students and develop the curriculum to improve the preschool physical education ability of year 4 students. Materials and Methods: The researcher has studied the literature on the development of physical education teachers' physical education ability curriculum to cultivate year 4 students' physical education ability from the aspects of the curriculum development process, components, implementation, and evaluation, and has studied the quality of students' teachers from textbooks, academic documents, and related research. The researcher also used a simple random sampling method to have 4 teachers as a sample. The population is 8 expert teachers in physical education. The research instruments of this study are an interview questionnaire on preschool's physical education ability and lesson plans. Results: Research findings: 1) The 6 components of the course include principles, objectives, content, instructional strategies using situational teaching methods, materials, and evaluation. 2) Preschool physical education ability which includes: 2.1) General ability, 2.2) Special ability, and 2.3) Application ability. After that, the researcher designed and completed the training course components of preschool physical education, and then evaluated the quality by five experts. The IOC value was between 3.80-4.00, and the interrater reliability value was between 0.77-0.79> 0.5. The course components were modified according to the experts' suggestions. Conclusion: The components of the course which include 6 components could improve the preschool physical education ability of year 4 students effectively.

Education is a lifelong endeavour that starts in the womb and lasts until death. It helps the individual to develop full potential by allowing to control the environment of his/her own successful life and living. The foundation of education begins in one's very early childhood and lays the foundation for later stages of educational progression. Nowadays, a growing number of children in early childhood spend a great deal of time in playing electronic games rather than traditional games. Parents and educators are concerned about the current trend because they strongly believe that traditional child games develop more skills than modern electronic or video games. A traditional game can be beneficial in all aspects of early childhood development, including physical or motor, social-emotional, moral, cognitive, and linguistic development. The present study aims at illustrating the importance of traditional Kashmiri games in ensuring the balanced development of children's personalities. The data used were taken from the books, personal sources, journal articles, newspapers, websites, government records, etc. which is mainly qualitative in nature. The results showed that traditional games can have a positive effect on children's motor, linguistic, cognitive, social, and emotional development.

Sports is a new science that shapes human behavior and spiritual structure through individual or team games, movements, and various competitions, as well as improving individuals physically. In this study, it was aimed to examine the the reflection of school sports team life on their development. The research was a descriptive phenomenological study in qualitative design. A phenomenological study is a research that focuses on what people experience and how they experience what they experience. The population of the research consisted of female athlete students who study in public primary, secondary and high schools within the borders of Kepez District of Antalya province in the 2022-2023 academic year, and the sample of the study consisted of 8 female athlete students studying at primary and secondary school in Aslanlar Secondary School. As a data collection tool, a semi-structured interview form consisting of 5 questions prepared by the researcher and including questions about personal information was used. As a result of the research, it was found that sports team life had many positive benefits for social development, personality development, physical development and academic development.

The authors examined technological and traditional infant toys to understand the U.S. toy market facing today's care givers. They found significant differences in the two types of toys in terms of their developmental targets--with more traditional toys aimed at physical development and more technological toys aimed at cognitive development. Given that the toy market is so vast and that technological toys sometimes come with considerable costs, they argue for the need to understand more precisely how toys are marketed to prevent exploitation based on the pursuit of a so-called "brainy baby."

Postural control and muscle strength are important factors for the performance of everyday activities and reduce the possibility of fall-related injuries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a balance training program using action songs on balance and strength of preschool children. A total of 51 preschool children were randomly divided into an intervention group (25 children) and a control group (26 children). The intervention group received a balance training program with action songs (six weeks, two times a week, total 12 sessions), while the control group followed the normal curriculum. Prior to and after the intervention, both groups were assessed in dynamic balance (walking on balance beams), static balance (single-leg stance on forceplate and Flamingo test) and strength (long jump and handgrip). The results showed that the intervention group performed significantly better in the dynamic balance and Flamingo test. There were no significant differences in the centre of pressure (CoP) displacement in the Medio-Lateral direction (CoP/ML), the Anterio-Posterior (CoP/AP), and the strength variables. The reliability of the single-leg test on the forceplate was moderate. Moreover, there were no correlations between balance and muscle strength variables. It can be concluded that the balance training program with action songs constitutes an effective activity for developing preschool children's balance, but not strength. Perhaps balance and muscle strength are independent of each other and may have to be trained with complementary activities. Moreover, the results of the study and the behaviour of the children during the one-leg stance test on the forceplate gave rise to questions regarding the appropriateness of this test for preschool children.

Existing literature has established the benefits of recess and physical activity for children. In response, more schools in the United States are implementing, or even requiring, extended recess time for students. With these policy changes, it is important to understand the impact upon students, faculty, and staff. The following study used the shared experience of three elementary schools in the southern United States who recently implemented extended recess. Semi-structured focus groups with administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, and students from three elementary schools were included in this pilot study. A grounded theory approach was utilized, and findings confirmed the known benefits of recess but also enhanced understanding of the process, which included the challenges involved as well as the importance of stakeholder feedback. Recommendations are included for the professional school counselor which are applicable in both, the United States and internationally.

This study aims to generate instructions for physical education teachers on how to improve physical fitness of students and enhance their physical development using digital applications. For this, the physical development levels of middle school students were analyzed. The secondary goal is to determine how effective the digital learning tools are in enhancing the quality of physical education in the university setting. The present empirical study focuses on evaluating physical readiness of 172 seventh grade students in cities of Aktobe and Orenburg. Pearson correlation was used to establish a connection between the mentioned indicators. Digital technologies have proven effective in enhancing student motivation for sports participation. Specifically, 69% of the respondents said they would be more motivated to participate in sports if there were digital apps or social networks used in the learning process. The results of the study show direct and inverse correlations between test results and physical markers of fitness. Based on the correlations established, the current study also provides physical training guidelines for physical education teachers and middle school students.

Research Findings: Early digital experience (e.g. screen time and digital use) is believed to impact children's brain development, functionally and structurally, but this impact has not been systematically reviewed. In this scoping review, we synthesized and evaluated 33 collected studies on children's digital use (ages 0-12) and their associated brain development published between January 2000 and April 2023. The synthesis of the evidence revealed that (1) digital experience does have positive and negative impacts on children's brains, structurally and functionally; (2) it could cause structural and functional changes in children's frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes, brain connectivity, and brain networks; and the most vulnerable area is the prefrontal cortex and its associated executive function, and (3) early digital experience has both positive and negative impacts on children's brain structure longitudinally. Practice or Policy: Educators and parents should be aware of the potential effects of digital experience on children's brain development and provide appropriate guidance, mediation, and support for children's digital use. Policymakers should establish and implement evidence-based policies and regulations to protect children's digital well-being.

This comparative study of everyday life in Norwegian and French preschools explores how 'risk' related to children's body practices is understood, practised and negotiated by teachers and how this may regulate educational practices in a short- and long-term perspective. Studying educational institutions in two different societies illuminates institutional constraints, normative principles and cultural values influencing everyday practices. Using a polyphonic ethnographic approach, the staff of five settings were invited to react to edited videos of daily life in these settings, and to critically reflect on their own and others' practices. The results show how the teachers articulated the handling of risks and challenges according to the frames and resources related to children and the adults' responsibilities. Six different risk-related themes were identified: the risk of illness, injury, restricting children's bodies and the inability to cope, and risks related to teachers and to pedagogy. These themes also elucidated the different perceptions and values of indoor and outdoor activities through the identification of these risks. Body practices in ECEC appear as socio-political tools to either support or restrict children's experiences.

Health and Physical Education (HPE) has been an important learning area in the "New Zealand Curriculum" (NZC) since the two learning areas were integrated in the 1990s. HPE in the NZC proposed a multi-dimensional education vision, principles and values for students' holistic development founded upon theoretical perspectives such as critical theory, humanism and socio-cultural theory. However, it is unclear whether physical education (as opposed to HPE) is still considered relevant to students' holistic learning experience espoused by academics. Using the theoretical assumption of phenomenology, this research is a qualitative case study designed to investigate primary school classroom teachers' perceived value of physical education in New Zealand. Four primary schools and eight classroom teachers were purposively recruited. Data were from individual semi-structured interviews, documents, observation and email. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and the constant comparative method. The findings identified six subthemes under the postulated value of physical education (physical, psychological and cognitive development): (1) 'it has benefits for physical well-being and health'; (2) 'students learn a lot of social skills'; (3) shaping good character and self-efficacy; (4) physical education is for fun; (5) good character and self-efficacy can bring into classroom learning; and (6) physical education as 'a reset button'. The teachers' perspectives indicate their understanding of the contribution physical education has to the primary school curriculum in terms of facilitating students' holistic development in physical well-being, social skills and supporting other learning areas. We strongly suggest that teachers need to concentrate on students' learning experiences rather than the learning outcomes.

Background: This study assessed the effects of the "Jump-in" whole-school intervention in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on children's weight development by comparing children exposed to the intervention and controls from 3 other large Dutch cities. Jump-in is a comprehensive intervention that aims to stimulate healthy nutrition and physical activity in children at primary schools in Amsterdam. In addition, the relationship between the intervention's implementation degree and its effectiveness was studied. Methods: Demographic and anthropometric data, collected by youth health care professionals via routine health checks at T0 (2014) and T1 (2019), were used to analyze possible intervention effects by comparing the weight development of children exposed to the Jump-in intervention versus unexposed controls. Implementation logs from health promotion professionals were used to determine intervention effects per implementation degree. Multilevel regression analyses were used for all analyses. Results: In total, 4299 children were included mean age ± 5.5 years (T0), 10.6 years (T1), and [approximately equal to] 50% boys/girls at both times. Receiving the fully implemented intervention resulted in a decline in standardized body-mass index (zBMI) compared to the controls (-0.23, confidence interval [CI] -0.33, -0.13). It also led to higher odds to move into a healthier weight category over time (odds ratio [OR] 1.36, CI 1.06, 1.74), yet no statistically significant shift towards a healthy weight was found. Conclusions: Relative to the controls, children exposed to the intervention showed positive zBMI developments, with stronger effects when the implementation degree was higher. Despite positive results, creating more impact might require the further integration of school-based programs into whole-systems approaches that include other energy-balance behaviors.

Batting or striking with a long-handled implement is an important fundamental motor skill used in several lifetime activities. This article outlines basic movement concepts that are developed through batting and provides recommendations that can serve as both curricular options for physical education and a potential homework idea for kids to explore at home.

Purpose: The aim of this article is two-fold. First, it offers a unique account of "San Min," the prototype of the current Chinese educational principle proposed by Yan Fu (1854-1921) that aimed at improving people's physical, intellectual and moral capacities. This system of educational thinking has received only marginal attention in Anglophone research literature. Second, given the influence of Yan Fu's interpretation and promulgation of Herbert Spencer's educational philosophy during that period, it investigates the extent to which "San Min" is derived from Spencer's educational thought (the "Spencerian Triad"). This article focusses on how Yan Fu adapted the ideas of "San Min" from Spencer's account. Design/methodology/approach: This article considers Yan Fu's principle of "San Min" in relation to Spencer's educational triad through a close reading and comparison of key primary texts (including Yan Fu's original writing). It explores the similarities and differences between each account of education's goals and its proposed means of attainment. Findings: Yan Fu's principle of "San Min" is shown to have been adapted from the Spencerian Triad. However, using the theory of Social Organism, Yan Fu re-interpreted Spencer's individual liberty as liberty for the nation. While Spencer's goal was to empower individuals, Yan Fu aimed to serve collective independence, wealth and power. Originality/value: This article addresses oversights concerning "San Min's" Western origins in the Spencerian Triad and its influence on Chinese education under Yan Fu's sway. It is significant because San Min is still at the core of the current Chinese educational policy.

Background: Children's holistic development includes physical, cognitive, socio-emotional, moral and affective development and lies in early childhood development education (ECDE). According to research, children learn through different age-appropriate teaching and learning pedagogies. Therefore, the importance of implementing a play-based methodology in the early years. This study was underpinned by the theory of play as a spiral of learning. Aim: This study aimed to demonstrate how a play-based pedagogy could be utilised to enhance holistic development in young children. Setting: Three ECD centres in Gauteng, South Africa participated in the Thutopapadi (play-based learning) research. The action learning set (ALS) consisted of one Grade R teacher and two practitioners; the Grade R facilitator and three North-West University researchers. Methods: We employed a qualitative approach within the participatory action learning and action research (PALAR) design to interrogate the extent to which a play-based pedagogy could be useful in enhancing the holistic development of young children. Transcriptions of meetings held by the ALS and photovoice were used to generate data. The participants reflected on and communicated about themes discussed during the ALS. We used the principles of thematic content analysis to analyse the generated data. Results: The results of this study proposed that to support holistic development in young children, practitioners and parents should maximise the use of a play-based methodology in both social and learning environments. Conclusion: Follow-ups should be made to ensure that the pedagogy that is being used in early childhood development education centres corresponds with the needs for the development of young children.

This study attempted to search the nature of language development and the relationship between vocal development and motor development in infancy, and it relied on the descriptive and qualitative approach and the method of content analysis to review and compare three researches related to the relationship of language development and physical development during language learning in the infancy. The results of the three studies, despite some difference between them, indicates the relationship between sound, movement, and body signals before, during and after language learning in infancy

The early years of childhood development are a significant time for the acquisition and application of skills that foster motor development, cognitive understanding, and social well-being. However, there are gaps in knowledge of and practical skills for developing physical literacy within early childhood educator preparation programs. This article explains why training early childhood educators in physical literacy is crucial and how to do so.

Aim: To investigate developmental trajectories in early childhood and predictors of class assignment. Methods: Data were available for Gen2 infants at 12 (n = 2275), 24 (n = 1845) and 36 (n = 2110) months of age in the Raine Study. Latent growth class analysis was used to identify developmental trajectories based on the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to estimate associations between foetal growth restriction, gestational age, child biological sex, breast feeding, parental age, socioeconomic factors and developmental trajectories. Results: Two groups of infants were identified, one typically performing and one poorer performing. Being born early-term, pre-term and male were associated with poorer development. Not exposed to breastfeeding was associated with the lower trajectories in the adaptive and personal-social domains. Conclusions: Developmental surveillance and advice for early-term infants should be considered. Findings highlight the continued need to support and promote breastfeeding as a protective mechanism for child development.

Bertrand Russell's educational thoughts significantly deal with reforming education for school going children and he also supported pre-primary education. He favored early childhood education for physical, intellectual and character development. His emphasis on character development of a child shows the significance of early years of life for development of an individual. This paper aims at exploring Bertrand Russell's thoughts on early childhood education. It is an attempt to understand the significance of early childhood education for the holistic development of the children. Though there are early childhood education is prevalent in our country, but it was not mandatory to get early childhood education till the approval of National Education Policy (N.E.P., 2020). It has included early childhood education in compulsory school education for promoting better learning and well being of a child. It is a qualitative research in which historical method has been used where data has been collected from primary and secondary sources. The finding of the study shows that Bertrand Russell's thought on early childhood education is relevant in present Indian context for developing good values, physical and mental development as well as in future learning. This shows that the encouragement to early childhood education and Bertrand Russell's thoughts on early childhood education would be helpful for holistic development of children.

Perceptual development which depends on ability of learning and maturity, is the most important process of mental development. It is commonly believed that the mental development of children is limited due to city life. Children can learn perceptual elements through movement participation. This improves the cognitive development, which triggers kinesthetic, vestibular, balance and tactile input stimuli that contribute to the integration processes in the central nervous system. Children become ready to learn when they develop perceptual and motor skills adequately during maturation and learning. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the training program implemented with developed educational material (a maze-balance board) for perceptual and motor skills of preschool children. This study used a pre-post experimental design. Seventeen preschool children from a primary public school in the Middle Black Sea Region of Turkey participated in the study. Random assignment of preschool children to the intervention and control group was done. The children in the intervention group attended a perceptual-training program of 17 to 22 sessions implemented with the maze-balance board. Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST II) was used to perform the developmental assessment of children. Mixed Model ANOVA was conducted for statistical analyses. A significant interaction was found in language development and gross motor development, showing that supporting perceptual motor skills in preschool children has significantly contributed to the development of language and gross motor skills in this study.

The school, being the second home of pupils, is the second major force in the formation of the pupils' moral structure. It should be the crucial partner of the home in tempering the character of the youth and children with unbending quality, especially in values formation. In this case, it is necessary to evaluate the current status of values teaching and its implication for child development. The study utilized the descriptive design, particularly survey method. This method was used to describe the Christian value formation and levels of child development of pupils. The samples used for the study consisted of a total of fifty (50) Grade VI pupils aged from 11 to 14 years old. Convenience sampling technique was used. A descriptive method was applied in depicting the implication of these values to the community development. The study was done at the Benguet State University Elementary Laboratory School and BSU Guidance Office in La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines. In sum, mean value ratings on holistic child development domains have indicated that ratings among pupils on the five (5) holistic child development aspects ranged from 2.35 to 2.87 indicating that these domains are manifested by pupils in the school excellently, except for the cognitive which reaches a satisfactory 2.35. The overall rate is 2.77 at the excellent level. This can be attributed to the very strong directive of the school to develop its pupils holistically preparing them to embrace life with the essential level of skills needed to address the rudiments of the formative years and unto the next level of education for them. Christian values in terms of repentance, reconciliation, stewardship, faith, worship of God perseverance, hope, trustworthiness, and responsibility were highly manifested by the pupils of the BSU Elementary Laboratory School because values education was integrated in the school curriculum.

Different issues that cause anxiety in people such as future plans, academic success, self-confidence, and health have caused increase in the number of researches focusing on the role of art and music in life. The support of music education in many different development areas of individuals, especially children, has been proven by many studies in the literature. These examples have been analyzed in this research study besides the studies focusing on the impacts of music on adults. It is observed that some studies focus on instrumental music education while some others focus on different musical activities. The basic purpose of this study is to present the effects of music education on different areas of personal development. A detailed literature review process is followed in the scope of this research; numerous Turkish and foreign resources are analyzed and the data are obtained with document review technique. In line with the obtained data, the impact of music on mathematics, brain, cognitive, and physical development, academic success, attention development, and the impact of music on individuals that have different learning abilities are separately analyzed in this research study.

This study aims to analyze anxiety, guilt and embarrassment changes of university students who do and who do not do sports depending on some socio-demographic factors. In the study conducted with university students, a total of 585 university students are included, 307 of students whom do sports and 278 of students whom don't do sports. "Beck Anxiety Inventory", developed by Beck et al. (1988) and adapted to Turkish and conducted reliability and validity studies by Ulusoy et al. (1998), has been used to determine depression levels and "Guilt-Embarrassment Scale" developed by Sahin and Sahin (1992) has been used to determine the levels of guilt and embarrassment. Independent sample t test for paired comparison, One-way ANOVA for multiple comparisons, Tukey HSD test to determine the source of difference were used. In the study, Cronbach's Alpha value has been determined as 0.75 for Beck Anxiety Inventory and 0.82 for Guilt-Embarrassment Scale. As a result, it has been determined that changes depending on doing sports and gender factors are statistically significant (p < 0.05). No statistical change has been observed depending on shelter and income factors. In the light of these findings, it has been found that anxiety scores are higher in males while guilt scores are higher in females. It is thought that this result can be caused by the physical and mental changes between male and female, as well as the sociocultural structure, the social role and status given to female and male. It can also be said that the sport positively affects anxiety and does not have any effect on guilt and embarrassment.

The paper aimed to clarify the Buddhist instruction care for planning Thai elderly to have well-being in the sociocultural settings concerning the elderly development project in Thailand. The objectives of this study were: 1) to clarify the management policy of the elderly development within the upper northeastern locale; 2) to discover conceivable thoughts of instruction care standards for the elderly through the principles of Buddhism, and 3) to create guidelines of Buddhist learning administration for planning the development of elderly well-being. The research methodology regarded the interpretive paradigm while the management of Buddhist learning was interpreted through participant observation, interviewing, focus-group discussion, and documentary investigation. The content analysis was performed to critically study the obtained data. In this research, there were 60 participants, including monks, elderly, government officials, community leaders, local philosophers, and villagers in Khon Kaen and Roi-et provinces. The findings indicate the Thai government policy provided the direction and budget allocation for developing the quality of life, welfare, and health of the elderly and also preparing younger generations to enter the elderly age. According to the document analysis and focus group discussion, it suggested the possible ideas of education care principles for the elderly through the Buddhist principles, particularly Bhavana 4. It also found that many projects have been organized for taking care of the elderly in collaboration with government agencies and communities. Those projects have been allocated budgets by the Thai government. The study suggested that Buddhist doctrine Bhavana 4 consisting of 1) physical development, 2) moral development, 3) mental development, and 4) intellectual development should be provided as the core content of the elderly's education care essentially affecting to the elderly life quality. The study indicates that the guidelines for Buddhist learning management for preparing elderly well-being, allowing the elderly to access the Bhavana 4 as it trains them to be endowed with Tisikkha including moral discipline, mindfulness, and wisdom. Then, they could follow the Noble Eightfold Path that orients them to develop their well-being in Thailand's socio-cultural context.

Fine motor skills enable children to make precise and coordinated movements with their hands and support their ability to engage in everyday activities and learning experiences. In a longitudinal study of 1,058 4-year-old children in rural Pakistan (n = 488 girls), we examined how prior and concurrent levels of home stimulation relate to change in fine motor skills from ages 2 to 4 while controlling for family wealth, maternal education, number of siblings at birth, prior and concurrent measures of children's physical growth and food insecurity, and prior motor skills at age 2. Moreover, we tested whether the association between early home stimulation and subsequent fine motor skills was mediated by physical growth, food insecurity, motor skills at age 2, and concurrent home stimulation. Results revealed that home stimulation at 18 months was positively associated with change in fine motor skills from ages 2 to 4, over and above family socioeconomic resources. This association was mediated by physical growth, food insecurity and motor skills at age 2. In contrast to home stimulation at 18 months, home stimulation at age 4 was positively associated with concurrent motor skills at age 4 when controlling for all antecedent family factors, as well as prior and concurrent measures of physical growth and food insecurity, and prior motor skills at age 2. Findings suggest that the preschool period may be an important window of time when physically and cognitively stimulating experiences at home uniquely relate to variability in fine motor development. [This article is published in "Developmental Psychology" (EJ1305482).]

The impact of regular track and field trainings on student's physical development and physical preparedness have been studied in the work. The study was conducted in the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University. In total, 64 students at the age of 17-20 years have participated into the study. Applied methods: anthropometry, physiometry, the Stange-Hench tests. Sports and pedagogical control tests (on flexibility, strength, speed, endurance and agility) have been used as well. While evaluating students' physical development, the second study of both 'Sports' and 'Initial' groups has revealed the high indices among boys according to the following criteria: body height and weight, chest bulk, vital capacity, chest excursion and the Stange-Hench tests. According to the heart rate criterion, the indices of the "Sports" group were reliably higher than those of the "Initial" group (P < 0.05). During the comparison of the second study results of girls' physical development, more reliable distinctions have been found out (P < 0.05). When the physical development indices were under the study, the second examination exposed and proved that the flexibility of boys from 'Sports' group being higher on 7.1 cm (P < 0.05). The experimental materials provided in this article gave an opportunity for concluding that systematic track and field trainings had had a positive impact on the physical development indices, to be precise on the functional condition and physical preparedness level of boys and girls at the age 17-20 years old.