Description:
This practical book guides educators to nurture, scaffold, and assess young children's executive skills (ES)--critical building blocks for social-emotional well-being and school success. The authors explain how ES are linked to self-regulation and the development of play, language, literacy, and behavior skills in 3- to 8-year-olds, including those with disabilities. Every chapter discusses ways to create playful learning opportunities and classroom routines that support both ES and academic growth. The book's utility is enhanced by vivid vignettes, Questions to Ponder and Discuss, and video links. It also guides teachers to cultivate their own vital ES capacities; the Appendix includes a reproducible/downloadable self-assessment tool.
Review Quotes:
"Barnes and Cartwright have produced the ultimate guide to understanding and improving young children's self-regulation. Translating science to practice, this book offers clear explanations and practical suggestions for working with all children in the classroom. Barnes's and Cartwright's individual expertise in special education and neuroscience, respectively, complement each other perfectly. This book will surely be a standard reference for early childhood educators everywhere. I expect it will be a favorite of my students for years to come."--Stuart Marcovitch, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
"This book provides an excellent overview of self-regulation, ES, and how they support children's learning and development. The authors do an outstanding job of translating the research into accessible, practical strategies to promote the growth of ES in early childhood education settings. A great resource for teachers and early childhood specialists."--Sammy Ahmed, PhD, Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Rhode Island
"This much-needed book fills a gap in early education resources. The authors have created a resource that is not only easy to read, but is also well researched and up to date. I love the vignettes, which skillfully show how early educators can apply the ideas in their classrooms to support children. The tables are loaded with well-organized information that educators can turn to time and again. There is so much to recommend about this book."--Nancy Garon, PhD, Department of Psychology, Mount Allison University, New Brunswick, Canada