The effect of home math activities on mathematical abilities in preschool children: The mediating effect of spontaneous focusing on numerosity

The aim was to investigate the predictive effect of executive function on learning quality, early language ability, and mathematical ability in preschool children aged 4–6 in Sultanate Oman. A cross-sectional mediation model in which learning quality mediated the relationship between executive function and early mathematical and language abilities was used. Five kindergartens were selected from Oman. One small, one medium, and one large class were randomly selected from each kindergarten, for a total of 15 classes. In each class, teachers selected 10–20 children with average performance, totaling 270 children, of whom 140 were girls (51.8%). There were 130 boys (48.2%). This study yielded the following findings: (1) executive function has a significant positive predictive effect on learning quality and early-stage language and mathematical abilities; and (2) learning quality plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between executive function and early-stage mathematical abilities, but has no mediating role in the relationship between executive function and early-stage language abilities.

In the present study, preschool and kindergarten children's ability to disregard meaning and focus attention on the phonological properties of speech was evaluated through two different tasks. (1) The word‐size task evaluated the child's ability to compare the size of words, for pairs in which length of word and size of referent were incongruent (e.g. train‐telephone). (2) The word‐similarity task evaluated the child's ability to identify, between two different words, the one that was like a standard word. One of the words rhymed with the standard word, while the other was semantically related to it. The kindergarten children, who were learning to read, were able to disregard meaning and attend to the phonological properties of speech, regardless of the task. The preschool children, on the other hand, were, in general, more likely to disregard meaning and pay attention to the phonological properties of speech in the word‐similarity task than in the word‐size task. This discrepancy in the performance of the preschool children is interpreted in terms of differences in the type of phonological operation presupposed by the two tasks.

Research has supported the association between movement behaviors and cognitive ability in preschool children. However, most of the research has independently examined the various movement behaviors (e.g., physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep) without considering the dynamic composition of these behaviors in a 24-hour daily cycle. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationship between 24-hour movement behaviors and cognitive ability in preschool children. The participants were 191 Chinese preschool children from Zhuzhou aged 3-6 years. We measured light physical activity (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary behavior (SB) using the Actigraph Accelerometers and evaluated the children's sleep time based on reports from parents and teachers. The Chinese version of the Wechsler Young Children Scale of Intelligence (C-WYCSI) was used to assess cognitive ability. Compositional analysis and isotemporal substitution were performed to examine the influence of 24-hour movement behaviors on children's cognitive ability. After controlling for demographics (e.g., age and sex), the composition of 24-hour movement behaviors was significantly associated with the verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ), performance intelligence quotient (PIQ), and full intelligence quotient (FIQ). Importantly, preschool children demonstrated greater cognitive behavior when time in MVPA replaced that spent in LPA, SB, or sleep than when time spent in LPA, SB, and sleep replaced that spent in MVPA within the 24-hour cycle. Physical activity engaged in a 24-hour daily cycle has a significant effect on cognitive ability in preschool children, with increased MVPA and LPA being associated with higher PIQ and FIQ and increased sleep being associated with lower VIQ, PIQ, and FIQ. Replacing time in SB and LPA with MVPA is promising for children's cognitive development.

This study examined the relationship between planning and attention skills and mathematical abilities in preschool children and then assessed the predictive power through regression analysis. In addition, the prediction power of children's planning and attention skills on mathematics ability was also investigated. The study, conducted using a relational survey model, consisted of 88 children aged between 60 and 72 months attending a preschool institution in Istanbul. The measurement tools used in the study were the "Cognitive Assessment System (CAS)" and the Test of Early Mathematics Ability (TEMA-3). The findings showed a moderate, positive, and significant relationship between early mathematical ability and planning skills (r = .60, p < .01). A lower yet still significant relationship was found between attention skills and early mathematical ability (r = .40, p < .01). According to multiple regression analysis results, planning and attention skills together accounted for 37% of the total variance in early mathematical ability (R² = .37, p < .001). Standardized regression coefficients indicated that planning skills (β = .68) were a significant predictor of early mathematical ability (t = 5.23, p < .001). However, attention skills (β = - .11) were not found to be a significant predictor (t = -0.83, p > .05). These results suggest that planning skills play a critical role in mathematical achievement during the preschool period. While a significant relationship was found between attention skills and mathematical ability, attention skills were not identified as a direct predictor of mathematical ability. This study highlights the importance of supporting planning skills in early childhood to enhance mathematical development.

Growth and development evaluations of physical abilities (physique, motor ability) in preschool children are generally done with uniform evaluation charts of evaluation ranges based on cross-sectional data. In recent years, objective evaluation methods with least squares approximation polynomials have also been established. However, variability cannot be ruled out when using cross-sectional data on the growth and development of physical abilities in preschool children, and so physical development evaluations based on longitudinal changes with age, taking date of birth into account, have not been established. Of course, there are times when methods for constructing evaluations cannot be established. In this study, we applied the wavelet interpolation model to physical ability measurements corresponding to year and month of age, in order to evaluate growth and development of physical abilities associated with longitudinal aging over three years in boys 3 to 5 years old in Japan. First, standard age-related changes were investigated. Physical growth fundamentally tends to occur gradually, but body weight increases with slight fluctuations. In standard development of motor ability, particularly in the 20-m dash, fluctuating trends were seen near 3 years old, but there was a converging tendency in fluctuations associated with aging. In the tennis ball throw, the biological variation was pronounced, and there were large individual differences. Based on these trends, the effectiveness of applying the wavelet interpolation model became clear in this study. Hence, we applied the wavelet interpolation model to the mean values and standard deviations for the growth and development of physical abilities associated with aging over a span of three years during early childhood, and constructed an age span evaluation chart. With this evaluation chart, an evaluation that can correspond flexibly to growth and development in physical ability could be said to have been constructed.

Preschool age children are closely related to language and speech development. Mastery of speech clarity and awareness of letter sounds is one aspect of children's readiness to master letters in each vocabulary. Phonological skills affect the achievement of children's phonological awareness, without good phonological skills and phonological awareness skills, children can experience problems in their reading skills. Learning about the structure of language sounds can build phonological awareness skills necessary for reading success during the preschool years. Children who have speech sound production problems in phonology rules, tend to have difficulties in phonology awareness and reading. This study aims to determine whether there is a relationship between phonological ability and phonological awareness in preschool children in Karanganyar. The method used in this study is a quantitative method with correlational research and cross sectional. The sample was taken from 41 respondents with phonological problems with purposive sampling. Data was collected using test instrument. The results of the analysis using the Spearman Rank correlation test obtained a (p) value of 0.004 (p <0.05) which means that there is a relationship between phonological ability and phonological awareness ability in preschool children aged 4-6 years in Karanganyar. The magnitude of the correlation is indicated by the correlation coefficient (r) value of 0.444, meaning that it has a moderate positive correlation. This relationship can be concluded that phonological ability affects the achievement of phonological awareness ability in reading readiness of preschool children.

<p style="text-align:justify">The ability to think creatively has a vital role in the development of preschool children. This research provides a comprehensive review of innovative approaches and strategies for developing creative thinking in preschool children based on current trends and methodologies used in educational settings. This research shows three significant areas: (a) creative thinking skills in preschool children, (b) factors influencing creative thinking skills in depth, and (c) innovative strategies and approaches to stimulate creative thinking abilities in preschool children. This research uses a literature study method assisted by the publish perish application to find reference sources related to creative thinking abilities in preschool children. Studies show that creative thinking abilities in preschool children enable them to find innovative solutions, help them adapt to challenges, foster self-confidence and courage, and enrich their experience and knowledge of the world around them. Meanwhile, preschool children's creative thinking abilities are influenced by collaboration from the external environment (parents, teachers, and society); providing support and examples for children to develop and stimulate their creative thinking skills is very important.</p> <p> </p>

Past research in developmental psychology has revealed close links between affect and planning ability over the life-span. However, such links have rarely been studied in children from non-clinical samples. To address this gap, the present study investigates whether negative affect, understood as a temperamental trait, affects planning ability in 5-year-old children. Moreover, it examines whether selected cognitive processes, that is inhibition, verbal working memory, and cognitive flexibility, mediate this relationship. A total of 103 children aged M = 5 years 4 months, SD = 2.7 months, and their parents participated in the study. The analyses, which employed a path mediation model, revealed that negative affect's influence on planning was entirely mediated by flexibility. Moreover, flexibility partially mediated the relationship between inhibition and planning, and verbal working memory had a direct effect on planning. The results provide a new insight into the relationship between negative affect and planning ability in non-clinical preschool children.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disorder, characterized by language and social deficits that begin to appear in the first years of life. Research in preschool children with ASD has consistently reported increased global brain volume and abnormal cortical patterns, and the brain structure abnormalities have also been found to be clinically and behaviorally relevant. However, little is known regarding the associations between brain structure abnormalities and early language and social deficits in preschool children with ASD. In this study, we collected magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from a cohort of Chinese preschool children with and without ASD (24 ASD/20 non-ASD) aged 12-52 months, explored group differences in brain gray matter (GM) volume, and examined associations between regional GM volume and early language and social abilities in these two groups, separately. We observed significantly greater global GM volume in children with ASD as compared to those without ASD, but there were no regional GM volume differences between these two groups. For children without ASD, GM volume in bilateral prefrontal cortex and cerebellum was significantly correlated with language scores; GM volume in bilateral prefrontal cortex was significantly correlated with social scores. No significant correlations were found in children with ASD. Our data demonstrate correlations of regional GM volume with early language and social abilities in preschool children without ASD, and the absence of these associations appear to underlie language and social deficits in children with ASD. These findings provide novel evidence for the neuroanatomical basis associated with language and social abilities in preschool children with and without ASD, which promotes a better understanding of early deficits in language and social functions in ASD.

Objectives: Our aim was to explore the collaborative improvement of children's music appreciation ability and mental health level, so as to promote the application of music education in preschool children's mental health education activities. Methods: We first established a mathematical model for the degree of order and degree of collaboration of the complex system for the collaborative improvement of preschool children's music appreciation ability and mental health level; and then, based on the evolutionary game theory, we analyzed the choices of strategy in the 2 subsystems???music appreciation ability cultivation and mental health improvement???in the process of collaborative cultivation; finally, we investigated the preschool children's music appreciation ability and mental health level before and after the implementation of the collaborative improvement mechanism, and conducted regression analysis and correlation analysis on preschool children's music appreciation ability and mental health level. Results: We found that with the improvement of music appreciation ability, the mental health level of preschool children also improved. After the implementation of the collaborative improvement mechanism, all indicators of the music appreciation ability and mental health level of the preschool children were higher than those before the implementation of the mechanism. Conclusions: There is a positive correlation between preschool children's music appreciation ability and their mental health level, and the collaborative improvement mechanism proposed is effective.

IntroductionOne of the important tasks of modern education is the adaptation of children with autism spectrum disorders to the social space, which allows them to ensure their personal development and self-realization.ObjectivesStudy of the specifics of the socialization of children of preschool age with autism spectrum disorders.MethodsThe study involved 27 preschool children with autism spectrum disorders attending an educational institution for children with disabilities; 6 were girls and 21 were boys; 20 children with intact speech and 7 children with speech disorders. The following methods were used: “Map of manifestations of activity by A.M. Shchetinina, N.A. Abramova; “Map of observations of the manifestations of communicative abilities in preschool children” A.M. Shchetinina, M.A. Nikiforova; “Emotional faces” N.Y. Semago.ResultsIt was found that children with autism spectrum disorders have the greatest severity of such activity indicators as “is in a good mood” (1.67), “shows stubbornness” (1.56) and “shows great mobility” (1.56). Among the manifestations of communicative abilities in preschool children, the most developed parameter is: “sincere in his statements, in the manifestation of his feelings” (2,07). At the same time, the lowest expression of communication skills (0.96) in children with autism spectrum disorders is observed in terms of: “has organizational skills”, “the child seeks to understand the other, his thoughts, feelings”; “observant, sees and realizes the characteristics of other children and adults”. The least pronounced indicator is observed in the indicator of initiative; children do not show initiative in communication, have difficulty understanding and supporting the initiative of another child in an interaction situation. Children have a low level of operational communicative actions and skills: children are not expressive in communication, do not master verbal means of communication and are not able to maintain contact with communication partners.ConclusionsThe results obtained in the study confirm the need to develop and implement psychological and pedagogical programs aimed at developing social skills in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders. This paper has been supported by the Kazan Federal University Strategic Academic Leadership Program.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if the implementation of an intervention involving teachers' use of children's literature, related storybook manipulatives, and a scaffolding (LMS) approach to learning would improve preschool children's mathematics test scores. Additionally, the LMS approach was examined to determine whether teachers' perceptions of their effectiveness in mathematics instruction changed from the beginning to the end of the study. The subjects of the study included 60 preschool-aged children and six teachers from two child care centers. The preschool teachers participated in either a control or experimental condition (the LMS approach) in their daily mathematics instruction with their preschool children. The researcher tested the children using the Test of Early Mathematics Ability and an abbreviated version of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. The study was based on two main research questions. The first question asked if there was a difference in the Test of Early Mathematics Ability total posttest scores between children in the literature-manipulatives-scaffolding intervention group and children in the control group after assuring equivalency of the two groups. The second question addressed if preschool teachers believed they were more effective in their mathematics instruction after implementing the LMS approach with young children. The answer to the first research question was that there was no statistically significant difference in the Test of Early Mathematics Ability total posttest scores between children in the literature-manipulatives-scaffolding group and children in the control group. However, the answer to the second question was that preschool teachers believed they were more effective in their mathematics instruction after implementing the LMS approach with young children. Recommendations for future research on early childhood mathematics include the investigation of preschool children's ability, achievement, and interest in mathematics; teachers' use of mathematics scaffolding techniques; and longitudinal mathematics interventions beginning during the preschool years.

Pre-school period is one of the most important times for children’s growth and development. If there is a growth and development disturbance at this time, it will impact when the child is growing up. One of the factors which related with growth of pre-school children is nutritional status of height for age. The purpose of the study was to analyzed the relationship between the nutritional status of height for age with the cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional abilities of pre-school age children. This research was an analytical observational study using a cross sectional design. Sample of this study was 35 pre-school children selected randomly using simple random sampling. Samples were student of TK Hang Tuah 22, Candi, Sidoarjo. Data collection instrument includes the questionnaire on the characteristics of the subject and the respondent, a Denver instrument Developmental Screening Test II (DDST/Denver II). Spearman Rho test was used to analyze the data. The results showed that there was a relationship between height for age nutritional status with cognitive abilities. However, there was no relationship between the nutritional status of height for age with physical and socio-emotional ability. The conclusion of the study is nutritional status of height for age has a significant association with cognitive abilities in pre-school children. Thus, parents need to monitor the nutritional status height for age of their children by measure the anthropometric result periodically and fulfill the nutritional needs of protein, calcium, vitamin D, zinc, and others. Therefore, if there is any problem founded, it can be handled properly and will not affect the growth and development of the children.

In contemporary society, fostering algorithmic abilities in preschool children is regarded as an increasingly significant yet insufficiently studied issue. A key characteristic of preschool age lies in the fact that children encounter most knowledge and experiences for the first time, while their personal background is too limited to provide a reliable foundation for learning. In the early stages of learning, mastering elementary algorithmic operations, viewed as generalized ways of acting, becomes a prerequisite for advancing to more complex forms of knowledge.This article examines the current state of the problem related to the development of algorithmic abilities in preschool children. Drawing on an analysis of psychological, pedagogical, and methodological studies addressing this topic, the authors propose a model for teaching the fundamentals of mathematics aimed at strengthening algorithmic abilities in preschoolers. The effectiveness of this model is confirmed through the use of specific tools designed to build algorithmic skills, including task-based games, games with incomplete action structures, quest activities, rule-based games, and integrated tasks.

Introduction: There is a lack of studies specifically analyzing the association between motor abilities and movement skills with cognitive abilities in children. Objective: The study aimed to examine the association between motor abilities and movement skills with the cognitive abilities of preschool children. Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, the total sample consisted of 91 children (41 boys and 50 girls), preschoolers aged five to six years (average age 6.09±0.38 years). Motor abilities were assessed through four Bruininks–Oseretsky (BOT-2) subtests, and movement skills were evaluated via the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2), while cognitive abilities were measured using the School Maturity Test (TZŠ+). Results: Based on multiple regression analysis, significant associations between motor abilities and cognitive performance of preschool children were revealed. Specifically, the results demonstrated that motor abilities, particularly body coordination and fine motor integration explain a notable proportion of the variance in cognitive total scores. Contrary to expectations, movement skills did not demonstrate an association with cognitive abilities in preschool children. Conclusions: In conclusion, the findings underline the importance of fostering comprehensive approaches to early childhood education that recognize the integral role of motor abilities in cognitive development. Further exploration is warranted to elucidate the specific mechanisms underlying the association between movement skills and cognitive development.