In this study, the author observed young children’s playtime involving tsukiyama (artificial hill) in a kindergarten, focusing on how they developed their tsukiyama play utilizing its environment. The author examined the characteristics of the environment and the value of tsukiyama, with the aim of suggesting appropriate assistance that childcare providers should offer to children. As a method of observation, the author recorded the children’s play involving tsukiyama using field notes and photographs, and then created episodes and graphics based on examples thus obtained for the purpose of analysis. As a result, the author was able to examine the structure of their play in detail using these actual examples. The author was able to clarify how children arranged tools by utilizing the height, slope, and other physical characteristics of tsukiyama to develop their play and how individual children developed their play using their free imagination. The examples enabled the author to capture the characteristics of tsukiyama as a base for small-group creative play and confirm its educational value. The author came to the conclusion that childcare providers could offer three types of assistance: 1) Placing natural objects, as well as tools that children can freely move around, to allow them to expand their creative imagination for play; 2) Intentionally keeping the playground in the same condition left by the children or putting off cleanup (provided that safety is taken into account); 3) Maintaining their readiness to provide partial assistance and keeping a watchful eye. These points were considered important in supporting children’s spontaneous play.

  In this study, we hypothesized that preschool teachers’ facilitation would lead to changes in: (1) the types and quantity of movements among children during spontaneous play, (2) their interactions with peers, and (3) their use of objects and spaces within the preschool environment, consequently fostering new activities. To test this hypothesis, we observed preschool teachers facilitating children's spontaneous play. The participants were 40 children from Preschool A and 24 children from Preschool B, all from the five-year-old class. Observations during free playtime were documented through note-taking and video recording, and teachers' responses to specific cases were collected via interviews and compiled into field notes. The results revealed that: (1) when teachers engaged with the physical environment, the way children’s use of objects and spaces, along with their peer interactions, changed in various ways, leading to an increase in movement types; (2) when teachers focused on children’s interactions with peers, there were similar changes in object and space use, as well as an increase in movement types; (3) when teachers emphasized a specific movement during play, changes in peer interactions and object/space use occurred, but the variety of movements decreased; (4) when teachers facilitated play by organizing rules that allowed children to act on their imaginations, both the variety and frequency of movements increased; (5) when teachers repeated the same engagement with the physical environment or peer interactions, the variety of movements did not increase; (6) when the number of children participating in play decreased during repeated interventions, the variety of movements also decreased. Interviews with preschool teachers further suggested that these facilitations were characterized by second-person engagement, in which teachers empathized with children's feelings. We concluded that preschool teachers’ facilitation, through empathetic engagement, can positively impact children's peer interactions and their use of objects and spaces during free play, promoting a wide range of movement experiences and enhancing the variety of children's movement patterns. However, several points warrant attention. Repeated use of the same intervention does not increase movement variety, and overly directive interventions occasionally limit children's autonomy, reducing the diversity of their movements. Additionally, a reduction in the number of play participants sometimes constrains children's types of movements.

  Recently, in Japan, Certified Childcare Centers (CCC) that has a mix of Type 1 certified children (educational use children) and Type 2 certified children (childcare use children) with different attendance periods and hours were increasing nationwide. Therefore, we consider that examining the differences in educational realities between Type 1 and 2 certification from health realities such as lifestyle habits, is a important research question in the field of our study field. Based on the above, this study examined the differences in lifestyle habits between children who were certified as Type 1 and 2 at CCC in light of Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines. The subjects in this study were 129 children (5 year olds) enrolled in three CCC in O City and K City, O Prefecture. The analysis used data from 89 subjects for whom all data was complete. Data was collected including actual physical activity measurements and questionnaire data on sleep and screen time in present study. All measurements and surveys were conducted between February and March 2021. As the results, no significant differences were found between the two types of children in terms of physical activity time or intensity, but there were confirmed that Type 2 children had less sleep duration and Type 1 children had more screen time. From the above facts, it was deemed necessary to present the results of this research to CCC and parents, share them with them, and then create practices aimed at improving lifestyle habits according to the type of use. It was also considered that the creation of 24-hour behaviour guidelines that were line with the culture and systems of Japanese children was an urgent task.

  Health literacy (HL) is a determinant of health, and its improvement has been considered important for health. However, individual HL has been conceptualized as a competence acquired by adults, with a focus on cognitive literacy, based on the ability to read and write. Therefore, the methodology of HL education in the preschool years, before formal literacy learning, has rarely been studied especially in Japan. In this study, we conducted a scoping review of the content of interventions to improve HL in preschool, to provide data for studying the methodology of HL education in the preschool period. A literature search was conducted in September 2023 using PubMed and Ichushi-Web, based on the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. Original research articles published in English or Japanese were included as eligible studies, and 42 articles were retrieved. The findings were as follows: interventions are mostly targeted adults such as parents and teachers, and there are still few reports of interventions for preschool children; interventions through active learning are successful in nutrition-specific practices in HL; and the initiatives were required to reflect the cultural and social backgrounds of the targeted subjects. The HL structure of preschool children, whose cognitive abilities are still developing, has not been clarified and there are no comprehensive measurement scales applicable to a wide range of literacy skills. We found that there is a need in Japan to address the framework and evaluation of health education in programs aimed at children themselves and at their parents from the preschooler's perspective.

  This study aimed to examine stress and health problems of female care workers who mainly support the daily lives of children with disabilities from the perspective of lifestyle habits, psychological stress, and stress coping. A total of 126 women (51 care workers who mainly provide livelihood support to children with disabilities and 75 general workers) were included in this study. A questionnaire through interview, the Diagnostic Inventory of Health and Life Habits (DIHAL.2), the Japanese version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL), and the Japanese version of the Way of Coping Checklist (WCCL) were administered to all participants. Participants were divided into two age groups: younger persons aged <45 years and older persons aged ≥45 years. Statistical analyses were performed. Differences in each subfactor of the DIHAL.2 were observed between younger and elderly persons and between care workers and general workers. Particularly, differences were observed between younger care workers and younger general workers, with younger general workers demonstrating significantly higher total health, social health, exercise awareness, and stress coping scores than younger care workers. Additionally, differences in meal and sleep regularity were observed between younger and elderly persons, with elderly persons having higher scores than younger persons regardless of occupation. No differences were observed in the scores of the HSCL and WCCL items. However, self-blame was high in all participants, exceeding 1.5, and was the highest in younger care workers (1.9). In conclusion, female care workers mainly providing livelihood support to children with disabilities had low social health, exercise awareness, meal regularity, sleep regularity, and stress avoidance.

  This study aimed to clarify the actual expectations of parents regarding the continuous hosting of Playpark events by analyzing changes in expectations between the first and fifth events and examining the characteristics of expectations that are strongly related to parents' continued participation in the events. The study focused on a series of five Playpark events held in Osaka, between February 2023 and March 2025. At the exit of each event, participating parents were surveyed using a questionnaire regarding their satisfaction with the event, their participation status, and their expectations for their children's experiences at the event. From the first to the fifth event, a total of 542 children participated, and a consistently high level of event satisfaction was maintained. Regarding the expectations for the first and fifth events, a large proportion of parents expected their children to experience unfamiliar or uncommon types of play (78.6%→ 82.5%). A test for differences in population proportions indicated that parents' expectations for nature experiences (55.4%→73.7%) and diverse movement experiences (55.4%→73.7%) significantly increased by the fifth event (p=0.042, h=0.386, 95% CI [0.010, 0.357]). A linear discriminant analysis was conducted with participation status (attending almost every time vs. occasionally, or almost every time vs. first-time participants) as the dependent variable, and expectations for children's experiences as the independent variables. For the comparison between those attending almost every time and those attending occasionally, expectations for play experiences (β = -3.428), physical activity benefits (β = 1.569), and movement experiences (β = 1.327) had high absolute values of standardized discriminant coefficients, indicating significant contributions to group differentiation. This suggests that parents who participate more consistently tend to have higher expectations for the benefits of physical activity and diverse movement experiences. For the comparison between those attending almost every time and first-time participants, expectations for a free play space (β = 2.038), movement experiences (β = 1.710), and play experiences (β = -1.471) had high absolute values, also significantly contributing to differentiation. This indicates that consistent participants are more likely to value free play spaces and diverse movement experiences, compared to first-time participants. Going forward, it is important to longitudinally or cross-sectionally examine the transformation of parental expectations and the process of event establishment as the events continue.

  This study aimed to empirically examine how childcare providers can support children’s motor skills during stilts play, using the OPTIMAL theory as a theoretical framework. Specifically, the study focused on a 5-year-old girl (Child A) who had begun to actively engage in stilts play, and her homeroom childcare provider (Teacher B). We had discussions with Teacher B regarding the key concepts of the OPTIMAL theory before implementing motor skills support in alignment with the theory. The results showed that the introduction of External Focus facilitated the automatization of movements. In addition, support that encouraged autonomous challenge contributed to increased motivation and deeper engagement in play for Child A. These findings suggest that the application of the OPTIMAL theory may be effective in promoting motor learning and the development of play in young children.

  However, caution is required when generalizing the findings, as the study focused on a single child and a specific activity involving stilts. Moreover, since stilts play has the advantage of producing outcomes that are visually easy to assess, the applicability of this approach to other types of physical play remains an area for future investigation.

  Although there is growing interest in the development of social and emotional skills in early childhood education and care in Japan, the definition and assessment methods of social and emotional skills for child are still uncertain. In the field of early childhood education and care, researchers, educators, and kindergarten teachers need an accurate understanding of social and emotional skills.

  Therefore, it is imperative to examine the conceptualization of social and emotional skills and their assessment methods. In this study, we conducted a literature review on social and emotional and cognitive skills of young children in Japan and considered the definition and assessment methods of social and emotional skills in early childhood education and care.

  A literature search and literature extraction using the literature database of CiNii (Article), an article and journal article database of the National Institute of Informatics, revealed that 10 references on social and emotional skills and 15 references on cognitive skills for young children were found to comply with the criteria for this study. The literature review revealed that the concept of social and emotional skills in early childhood education and care was viewed relative to cognitive skills. Social and emotional skills were comprehensive, consisting of multiple skills, many of which were related to how to work on and relate to others. In the methods used to assess social and emotional skills, questionnaires and observational surveys were used for quantitative assessment, and observational surveys and case studies were used for qualitative assessment. Compared to the methods used to assess cognitive skills, the methods used to assess social and emotional skills were more varied, with quantitative and qualitative studies.

  In the field of early childhood education and care, understanding social and emotional skills requires a perspective that these are not only skills related to elements such as qualities and abilities, but also growth-enhancing skills composed of multiple elements, such as perseverance in effort and relationships with others. The study also suggests that a mixed research evaluation using quantitative and qualitative research, as well as an assessment of appropriate research, would be desirable for a comprehensive evaluation of early childhood education and care.

  Research in infant development has revealed that infants develop through complex interactions with their surrounding environment. However, longitudinal research on infant motor behavior development in their natural home settings remains scarce. Therefore, this study aims to elucidate aspects of the relationship between infant motor behaviors and their home environment by examining the traces, a concept within Gibson's (1979) theory of affordances. Using video recordings of infants at home from four to five months of age until the onset of walking, we extracted repetitive motor behaviors and analyzed the types of motor behaviors and the traces that emerged. The findings suggest that traces function as resources for motor behaviors, leading to continuous actions. As infants repeatedly engage with their environment, traces provide opportunities for perceiving the properties of the environment and objects, gradually leading to motor behaviors that utilize the environment. Furthermore, since auditory changes can also serve as resources for infants' motor behaviors, reconsidering environmental changes, including sounds, as traces warrants further investigation.

  In recent years，sedentary behavior has been defined as behaviors resulting in less than 1.5 Metabolic equivalents（METs）of energy expenditure in adults．It has become clear that extended periods of sedentary behavior contribute to several diseases．To date，energy expenditure during sedentary behavior in young children has not been clarified．No established methods exist for measuring energy expenditure during sedentary behavior in young children，and its impacts on children’s bodies are not clear．This study was performed to clarify energy expenditure associated with sedentary behavior in young children using a breath gas mass spectrometer and to create an equation to predict energy expenditure during sedentary behavior using a 9-axis sensor．Energy expenditure in children aged 5–6 years was measured using the breath-by-breath method and 9-axis sensors on the right and left wrists，and the back．The information in three axes was obtained from the accelerometer，gyro sensor，and magnetic sensor，each included in the 9-axis sensor．Energy expenditure revealed by the expiratory gas analyzer indicated that the Oxygen uptake per body weight（VO₂/W） value 6.65±2.95 ml/min/kg．A prediction equation was developed VO₂/W=3.128+ 1.567× Ln[Magnetometer(back)] that provides estimates that correlate better than the others（r = 0.301）with data obtained with our measuring method using a back mounted magnetic sensor．

  This study examined the effects of targeted interventions aimed at enhancing children’s experiences with locomotor and manipulative movements during free play. Participants were 22 four-year-old kindergarten children (12 boys, 10 girls). Teacher-led interventions focusing on locomotor and manipulative movements were implemented once a week over a two-week period, with each type of movement addressed in three separate sessions. The results showed that interventions targeting ball-manipulative movements － activities rarely observed in daily play － led to increases in the variety, frequency, and number of children engaging in these movements during free play. However, these effects were not sustained over time without continued support. Balance-related movements, which were not targeted by the intervention and are also infrequent in daily play, did not show similar improvements. In contrast, intervention focusing on locomotor movements—commonly occurring in everyday play—did not result in changes in children’s behavior. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of movement-based interventions may depend on the baseline frequency of specific movement in children’s daily play. Interventions were particularly effective in promoting engagement in less frequently experienced movements such as ball-manipulative movements, although maintaining these effects required ongoing implementation. The results underscore the importance of regular, intentional interventions that incorporate rarely performed movements in early childhood settings, thereby broadening children’s motor experiences and supporting the development of overall motor competence.

  This study investigated the effects of a parent-child interactional exercise program that took the children’s temperament on parents’ daily-life childcare anxiety and parenting self-efficacy into consideration. The study compared the efficacy of an in-person program, an online program, a revised online program, and a revised in-person program. Parents (N=10: in person program group, N=18: online program group, N=10: revised online program group，N=9: revised in person program group) responded to self-reported questionnaires before and after participating in the programs. Results indicated that parents’ vague childcare anxiety decreased regardless of the program. In contrast, only parents in the in-person group reduced their childcare anxieties, including evasive feelings for children. Moreover, the daily-life parenting self-efficacy in the in-person group increased. The study concluded that all types of parent-child interactional exercise programs considering children’ s temperament positively affected the daily lives of mothers caring for children. However, future studies must examine the program’s procedure and content in more detail to identify the best remote programs for increasing daily-life parenting self-efficacy, similar to the in-person program.

  The purpose of this study was to clarify changes in social and emotional skills (SES)―specifically gender- and grade-based differences―over a three-year period from fourth through sixth grade using longitudinal data. The participants were 205 elementary school children (99 boys and 106 girls). A questionnaire survey was administered annually over the three years using a 21-item, seven-factor SES assessment scale. After excluding missing or incomplete responses, 558 data points were available for analysis. The sum of all 21 items was used as the total SES score, and the sum of the three items within each factor was used as the subscale scores. A two-way analysis of variance with one repeated-measures factor was conducted to examine gender and grade differences in the total SES score and subscale scores. For both boys and girls, fourth- and fifth-grade students had significantly higher total SES scores than sixth-grade students. For the respect factor, girls scored higher than boys, and scores increased with grade level, with fifth- and sixth-grade students scoring significantly higher than fourth-grade students. Girls also scored significantly higher than boys on the consideration factor. Fourth graders scored significantly higher than sixth graders on the perseverance factor, significantly higher than fifth and sixth graders on the self-control factor, and significantly higher than fifth and sixth graders on the sociability factor. In conclusion, children’s SES tended to decline as they progressed from fourth to sixth grade. The results also indicate that gender and grade differences vary depending on the specific SES factor.