Whole Child, The: Developmental Education for the Early Years

A classic in the field, this practical methods text 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.

Written in a warm, engaging style, the authors present foundational information about the field and working with children from birth to age 8, as well as a strong rationale for teaching the whole child, focusing on the five developmental selves of children. The text’s developmental domain chapters begin with discussions of physical and emotional health, proposing that they are fundamental to the well-being of children. Discussions also place children in the context of contemporary family life and the multicultural world today. Throughout, they clearly provide practical guidelines, methods and materials that address the entire individual, not just curriculum topics. Further, in this day and age of teaching mandates and standardised testing, the authors address how to meet school standards while remaining true to developmentally appropriate practice. With an emphasis on emergent curriculum, intentional teaching, and the Reggio Emilia approach, students learn about best practices in a way that is accessible and encouraging to the novice teacher.

The Whole Child is a sensible methods book that explains how to teach young children in ways that foster healthy development, emphasising all aspects of the child and what they need from the learning environment in order to thrive.