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Category: Early Childhood Education

Early Years Library
9 January 2023
Learn more about these free resources designed to help early childhood education practitioners support young children’s development of essential skills.

B: Building Blocks: The power of the brick
6 July 2022
How can block play support children's development?

K: Keeping up the good work: The long-term effects of early interventions
6 July 2022
What do we know about the long term effects of programmes supporting children's development?

Parent Cooperative Early Learning: The Playcentre Approach
5 July 2022
Whānau Tupu Ngātahii means families growing together. Paul Crowhurst tells us more about Playcentre, a family-led, play-based approach to early childhood education in New Zealand.

David Whitebread Memorial Lecture 2022: Theory and Research on Self-Regulated Learning Meet Real Life in Classrooms
15 June 2022
PEDAL and the Whitebread family come together annually for the David Whitebread Memorial Lecture to celebrate the memory of Dr David Whitebread, PEDAL’s founder and a pioneer in early childhood development research. This is a recording of the inaugural David Whitebread Memorial Lecture, given by Professor Nancy Perry from the University of British Columbia in […]

Power of Play: Evidence on Playful Early Learning in Bangladesh and BRAC’s PlayBook Launch
6 December 2021
Early childhood is a critical time in a child’s development and life. When play is integrated into how we care for and educate young children, it promotes their development and helps them grow into adaptable, resilient, socially and emotionally literate adults who can navigate the world and overcome the adversities of poverty, crisis and conflict […]

Play in Green Spaces: A PEDAL panel discussion
25 March 2021
Adults instinctively feel that playing outside is good for children, but what is actually known about the benefits of play in green spaces? As cities around the world continue to expand, more children are growing up without access to the countryside, or even to parks and gardens. Playtime takes place indoors or in the built […]

PEDAL | BBC Breakfast report on playful writing
26 September 2017
Acting Director of PEDAL, Dr David Whitebread, is interviewed in a BBC Breakfast report on playful approaches to learning and ‘playful writing’ in schools. This report was originally recorded in February 2017.

PEDAL Seminar: Play, self-regulation and early childhood – What does research say?
26 September 2017
A rare opportunity to hear from two of the world’s foremost developmental psychologists about how their research has been applied to education and social policy. Of particular interest to academics, teachers, early years practitioners, and third/public sector professionals, Professor Blair and Professor Sylva highlight the effects of early education on development, attainment and fulfilling individual […]

Play: A window into children’s social worlds
11 September 2017
This was a keynote lecture from world renowned Professor of Educational Psychology, Professor Anthony Pellegrini titled Object Use & Play in Childhood: Development and Possible Social Functions. Professor Pellegrini discussed the potential evolutionary significance of play and the challenges and rewards of getting scientists out of the lab and onto the playground! Professor Anthony Pellegrini […]