The Role of Music in Japanese Vocabulary Acquisition and Pronunciation Skills in Preschool Children

Introduction. The article is devoted to the substantiation of the theoretical and methodological foundations of the process of formation of creative self-expression skills in preschool children in the process of artistic and aesthetic activity, which allow to identify patterns and principles, as well as prospects for the development of the studied direction in the pedagogy of preschool childhood. Methodology. The article provides an analysis of the content of key methodological provisions based on the analysis of scientific sources on the problem of research, as well as general scientific methods of analysis, generalization and synthesis. Results. The article analyzes the “mechanisms” of the formation of creative self-expression skills in children of preschool and primary school age in the process of artistic and aesthetic activity; a detailed justification of the three selected approaches (systemic, culturological, subject-activity) and principles (cultural conformity, dialogic, integrative artistic and aesthetic development of reality, emotional openness, value-semantic orientation of artistic and aesthetic activity, empathic interaction, polysubjectivity), which form the methodological basis of the study, is presented. Conclusions. For the first time, the paper reveals the initial methodological foundations of the process of formation of creative self-expression skills in preschool children in the process of artistic and aesthetic activity, making a significant contribution to the expansion of scientific ideas about the creative self-disclosure of a child by means of artistic and creative activity. The expediency of using systemic, culturological, subject-activity approaches as a methodological basis for the formation of creative self-expression skills in older preschool children in the process of artistic and aesthetic activity is substantiated. It is shown how the general ideas of these approaches are implemented through the holistic implementation of a number of provisions and principles.

Цель. Статья посвящена актуальной в современной коррекционной педагогике проблеме подготовки дошкольников с задержкой психического развития к обучению в образовательной организации. Предметом анализа выступают особенности формирования навыков чтения у детей дошкольного возраста с задержкой психического развития. Автор ставит целью раскрыть методику формирования навыков чтения у детей дошкольного возраста с задержкой психического развития. Задачей выступает расширение и углубление научных представлений об особенностях формирования навыков чтения у детей дошкольного возраста с задержкой психического развития путем их экспериментального изучения и методического обеспечения по данному направлению работы.Метод или методология проведения работы. Основу исследования образуют методы теоретического анализа, синтеза и логических обобщений, а также педагогический эксперимент.Результаты. Результаты работы заключаются в том, что автор проводит теоретический и экспериментальный анализ особенностей формирования навыков чтения у детей дошкольного возраста с задержкой психического развития и предпосылок их развития, представляет методические рекомендации по их формированию.Область применения результатов. Результаты исследования могут быть применены в сфере работы с детьми с задержкой психического развития в образовательной организации.

This systematic review aimed to examine the associations between combinations of 24-hour movement behaviours and fundamental movement skills (FMS) in preschool children. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and CNKI from January 2013 to March 2025. All literature published in English or Chinese that explored the associations between combinations of 24-hour movement behaviours and FMS was selected. The present review comprised a total of twelve articles, encompassing 2531 participants from eight different countries. More studies have indicated that children who adhere to two or three of the 24-hour movement guidelines demonstrate a significantly higher FMS. While, there has been limited research investigating the associations between specific combinations of 24-hour movement behaviours and FMS, yielding mixed results. The optimal combination of 24-hour movement behaviours for preschoolers’ FMS has yet to be defined and may vary across subcategories of FMS.

ABSTRACTImportanceCleft lip and palate (CLP) is globally among the most common childhood malformations. This disorder impacts childhood development, including speech and language, and affects children worldwide.ObjectiveTo analyze child development skills (adaptive fine motor, gross motor, personal‐social, and language) in preschool children with isolated CLP compared with children without this malformation.MethodsThe participants included an experimental group of 27 children with isolated CLP and a comparison group of 27 children without CLP aged between 48 and 59 months. The groups were evaluated using two instruments: the Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST‐II) and the Avaliação do Desenvolvimento da Linguagem (ADL‐Language Development Assessment). Data were analyzed by descriptive and inductive analyses, using the Student’s t‐test and the Mann‐Whitney test, at a significance level of P ˂ 0.05.ResultsAll children in the comparison group performed within normal standards for their age range in the DDST‐II and the ADL. The worst performance in the experimental group was observed in language skills, followed, in declining order, by adaptive fine motor, personal‐social, and gross motor as measured by the DDST‐II. Children with isolated CLP also performed poorly in receptive, expressive, and global language in the ADL. No statistically significant differences were observed in the experimental group’s scores for the ADL and the DDST‐II.InterpretationDevelopmental skill levels were below expectations for children of this age with isolated CLP.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined by impairment in social communication and the presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. Individuals with ASD receive a variety of interventions tailored to their specific needs, enhancing their social, communication, and adaptive skills. Speech therapy (ST) aims to promote speech and language development and further improve social and communication skills in children diagnosed with ASD. Music therapy (MT) has been recognized as an intervention for individuals with ASD to facilitate social and communication skills. At present, there is no systematic review (SR) of MT compared to ST on social communication skills in preschool children with ASD. Objective: This SR aimed to (a) investigate the effectiveness of MT compared to ST on social communication skills for preschool children with ASD and (b) investigate which type of MT, compared to ST, affects the social communication skills of preschool children with ASD. Materials and methods: This SR was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using five databases: the CINAHL Complete, PubMed, Scopus, ERIC, and Cochrance. The researchers also conducted a hand search for reference lists of identified articles and pertinent reviews for additional studies. We assessed the risk of bias using the Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies-of Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool and the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2). Results: The initial literature search yielded 63 articles. Following the exclusion of non-relevant studies, 2 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. The results indicated that the differences in overall efficacy between MT and ST were not statistically significant. Both therapies are effective for speech production, including semantics, phonology, pragmatics, and prosody in preschool children with ASD. MT, specifically developmental speech and language training through music (DSLM), is equally successful as ST in enhancing speech production. Behavioral intervention, applied behavior analysis verbal behavior (ABA-VB), is also effective in improving core symptoms of autism, such as social and communication deficits. Conclusion: MT has comparable efficacy in enhancing speech production compared to ST, which impacts social communication in preschool children with ASD. Nevertheless, ST remains a cornerstone in addressing communication deficits in children with ASD, focusing on structured speech and language development. MT provides a complementary approach that can enhance speech production and bring more enjoyment to these young children, who frequently struggle with social communication. Therefore, MT could be viewed as a complementary approach to traditional ST. Limitations included research on the use of DSLM and ABA-VB by music therapists has been sparse, and the number of studies has been small. Further study would allow for more precise conclusions regarding the effect of MT compared to ST on social communication skills in preschool children with ASD.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the concurrent relationships between selected teacher-rated executive function (EF) and a comprehensive array of emergent literacy skills in preschool children after adjusting for targeted covariates including at-risk status. The sample comprised 114 three-year-olds who were attending Head Start preschool. The teacher-completed Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool was used to generate three predictor variables: Inhibitory Self-Control, Flexibility, and Emergent Metacognition. The emergent literacy outcomes included the Teacher Ratings of Oral Language and Literacy Reading, Writing, and Language scales, Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale 5 Vocabulary Subtest, Test of Early Reading-3 Convention Subtest, and Print Knowledge and Phonological Awareness subtests from the Test of Preschool Early Literacy. Findings revealed that after controlling for selected covariates (age, gender, classroom) and at-risk status, when the three EF indices were included in the model the amount of variance significantly increased for all of the emergent literacy outcomes, with the total variance accounted for ranging from 32% (Phonological Awareness) to 59% (pre-Writing). Emergent Metacognition was a significant predictor for nearly every outcome except Phonological Awareness and Reading Conventions; Flexibility and Inhibitory Self-Control were significant predictors of Language. Significant interactions were present for at-risk status and teacher ratings of both Flexibility and Inhibitory on TERA-3 Conventions, but these findings appeared to be affected more by the not at-risk group than the at-risk group. Results reinforce the potential added importance of teacher ratings of EF, particularly with respect to the integrity of early developing EF, in the prediction of emergent literacy skills in young preschool children.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between working memory (WM) and fundamental movement skills (FMS) in preschool children and to examine the roles of age and gender in this context. A total of 131 preschool children were recruited, and their WM abilities and FMS levels were assessed using standardized WM tasks and the TGMD-3. The results revealed no significant gender differences in WM tasks and total FMS scores, with the exception of the backward digit span task. Weak to moderate significant positive correlations were found between total WM score and total locomotor skills score (r0.265) as well as total FMS score (r0.245). Furthermore, age significantly predicted the total score of object control skills (OCS), while the total WM score was a significant positive predictor of the total FMS score. These findings suggest an association between WM and FMS in preschoolers, with age being a significant influencing factor. The results have important implications for preschool educational practices and related intervention studies.

The communication skills of typically developing Finnish-speaking children between three and six years of age were examined using the Children's Communication Checklist (CCC). The differences between the boys and girls were also investigated. Results showed that the performance of the three-year-old children differed on the Speech subscale of the CCC compared to the five-year-old and six-year-old children and on the Syntax, Coherence and Use of Context subscales from the six-year-old children. Four-year-old children differed from the six-year-olds on the Syntax and Coherence subscales, and the five-year-olds differed from the six-year-olds on the Rapport subscale. Boys performed similarly to girls except on the Interests scale where the boys' performance was poorer. The CCC was effective in evaluating typical communication skills in pre-school children, and it can be used to investigate pragmatic skills in children as young as three years of age. As the development of pragmatic abilities may develop differently across languages and cultures, studies about children's pragmatic development in different languages and cultural backgrounds are needed to identify if there is a universal developmental pattern of communication, as well as features that are specific to a given culture and to a given language.

Acquiring optimal motor skills in preschool children presents a key element for proper psychomotor development. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine gender differences and the effects of a multi-year exercise program on the level of motor skills in 161 preschool children (5–6 yo). Participants were divided into one control and three experimental groups. Motor skills were assessed with the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2). To determine the difference in scores for each BOT-2 test between control and experimental groups, one-way ANOVA was used for girls and boys separately, while two-way ANOVA was used to determine the difference between the genders in the overall BOT-2 score. The results indicate that a 1-year multilateral exercise program has a positive effect on the level of motor skills in preschool children. Interestingly, additional years of participation in exercise programs yielded the maintenance of acquired motor skills level. Additionally, the exercise program affected preschool girls more than boys considering both individual and composite BOT-2 scores. According to the findings of this study, the presented exercise program could have potential benefits on multilateral development of the motor skills in preschool children, which could facilitate the balance of locomotor and manipulative skills. Therefore, the integration of multilateral programs intended for preschool children could be considered for implementation within the kindergarten curriculum.

The article is devoted to the theoretical substantiation of the expediency of preparing future masters of preschool education for the formation of engineering skills in preschool children; analysis of scientists’ research on the problem of students’ readiness for pedagogical activity. Some issues of training future masters of preschool education to organize the formation of engineering skills in preschoolers as a necessary component of future professional activity are presented. The readiness of future masters for the formation of engineering skills is interpreted as a special new component in the personality structure, which determines the direction and nature of professional and pedagogical activities, its focus on engineering training of preschool children, consistent actualization in emotional and volitional acts and relevant means of engineering. Innovative ways to improve the professional training of future specialists in the field of preschool education at the second (master's) level are identified, taking into account the formation of competencies defined in the educational and professional training program for masters of specialty 012 Preschool education. Methodical recommendations for future masters of preschool education on the formation of engineering skills in preschool children are given. The essence of engineering thinking is determined as well as the ways of its formation and development in preschool children in the process of relevant activities. LEGO-design and other types of technical creativity are highlighted. The algorithm of formation of engineering skills in children is singled out, which, according to the author, is carried out in stages: "I am a researcher", "I am a designer", "I am a specialist", "I am an artist". The system principles of cooperation of the preschool institution with parents for future masters of preschool education on the formation of engineering skills in preschool children are highlighted.

KELLER, MARTHA FREESE, and CARLSON, PETER M. The Use of Symbolic Modeling to Promote Social Skills in Preschool Children with Low Levels of Social Responsiveness. CHRID DEVELOPMENT, 1974, 45, 912-919. The efficacy of symbolic modeling in promoting the development of social skills in preschool children was investigated. 19 socially isolated children were exposed either to 4 5-minute videotapes in which social skills were modeled (treatment) or to 4 sequences of a nature film (control). The frequency with which subjects dispensed and received social reinforcement and the frequency of social interaction were rated by observers preand posttreatment and at follow-up. Results indicated that treatment produced increases in all 3 dependent measures for the treatment group. The data were interpreted as supporting a social facilitation explanation of treatment effectiveness. The importance of peer reinforcement in supporting social interaction was also demonstrated.

Early childhood education is fundamental to a child's overall development. During this crucial period, which spans from birth to age six, the cognitive, emotional, social, and physical foundations are laid. The development of cognitive skills is particularly important, as these skills are necessary for future learning and the coherent development of critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. The objective of the research was to analyse the main theories that underpin educational strategies for the formation of cognitive skills in preschool children with a comprehensive approach, their perspectives, as well as the challenges and counterarguments that arise in the educational, social and cultural spheres. Empirical (documentary analysis) and theoretical (analytical-synthetic, inductive-deductive, historical-logical analysis, systems approach) methods were used to conduct the research. The comprehensive educational strategy for the development of cognitive skills in preschool children is much more than a pedagogical model: it is a commitment to the comprehensive development of children and the construction of more just and equitable societies. Early childhood education is a crucial pillar for the social, cultural and economic development of any society, and a comprehensive approach is the path to more meaningful and transformative learning.

Development of Algorithm Skills in Preschool Children

Preschool children are children aged between 3-6 years, while at 4-6 years they usually attend kindergarten programs. It is hoped that they have been able to master several skills that require fine motor skills, such as using playdough by cutting in accordance with the fine motor development that must be achieved.This study aimed to determine the effect of playing therapy by using playdough with patterns cutting toward improving fine motor skills in preschool children in the Kedurang Health Center Work Area. This research design used a quasi experiment. A sample of 15 preschool children was taken by purposive sampling. The results of test analysis in the pre and post therapy intervention group playing playdough obtained a p-value of 0.000. There is a significant effect after playing playdough therapy on improving fine motor skills in preschool children. It is expected that the PAUD Nurul Amal Kab. South Bengkulu, the working area of the Kedurang Public Health Center, can be more creative in using learning methods such as playdough so that children's fine motor skills are more stimulated.Keywords:Â Preschool children, fine motor skills, Playdough

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of gross motor skills in preschool children. The participants in this study were preschool children, with a total of 30 children aged 5-6 years, who were selected by convenience sampling technique. The instrument of this study was the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2). This study is a descriptive analysis. The results of gross motor skills showed that 5 children were in the below average assessment category (17%), 7 children were in the very poor assessment category (23%), and 18 children were in the poor assessment category (60%). Therefore, the majority of the total children's gross motor data is in the poor category. In conclusion, the competence of preschool children's gross motor skills needs to be improved by optimizing the teaching-learning process. This study contributes to the implementation of further research, namely the need for treatment to optimize Gross Motor skills in preschool children. The urgency to conduct appropriate and measurable treatments to improve preschool children's gross motor skills is important to be considered in the learning and teaching process.