The Whole Child: Developmental Education for the Early Years

by Joanne Hendrick

Written in a warm, engaging style, this book embraces a current approach to fostering cognitive skills in children ages two through five. It provides a complete developmental approach to early childhood education, giving teachers the specific skills they need to teach the whole child-emotionally, socially, physically, creatively, and cognitively. The author believes that physical and emotional health are fundamental to the well-being of children, and provides practical methods and materials that address the entire individual, not just curriculum topics. The book focuses on the five developmental “selves” of children—placing them in the context of contemporary family life and the multicultural world of today. It contains groundbreaking information about brain development, asthma, and obesity, and coverage of Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories explaining the early childhood education implications. The Reggio Emilia approach is presented throughout the book wherever its strategies are appropriate and effective, and thought-provoking comparison of the constructive emergent and conventional approaches to early childhood instruction are provided along with charts that compare the two. For teachers specializing in early childhood education.

611 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988