This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of working with young children in nursery and infant schools. The second edition of this popular and successful handbook has been revised throughout to take account of recent work, and new chapters have been added to Cognitive Development (by Sohan and Celia Modgil), Assessment (by Steve Tyler) and Parent-School Relationships (by Teresa Smith).

Intended for students and teachers, The Education of the Young Child approaches the subject in a straightforward and readable way, emphasizing the implications of the topics covered for the actual business of teaching three- to seven-year-olds. These topics include the major curricular activities carried out in nursery and infant schools, such as play, music, art and craft, movement, reading and writing, and number skills. There are also chapters on all the major aspects of psychological and social development in young children, for example the development of language, of physical growth, of thinking, of intelligence and creativity, and of social behavior and personality.

Throughout the book the accent is upon clarity and informality. The authors are all experts in their particular fields, and all have had professional experience of the three- to seven-year-old age group.