Play is the characteristic behaviour of children aged between two to six. It is one useful way in which children can acquire developmental skills. According to theorists such as Sylva, Bruner and Genova (1976) and Gravey (1977), play had intellectual benefits. They believed that play experience was the optimal way of enhancing children's creativity and imagination. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC, 1988) states that a high quality early childhood programme provides a safe and nurturing environment that promotes the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of young children and 'play' is no doubt an essential component of the developmentally appropriate practice. Following the world's trend, 'Learning through play' was first introduced to the pri-primary education of Hong Kong through the Visiting panel of Llewellyn in 1982. Then the Government endorsed their view by adopting the suggested pedagogy as the recommended method of teaching and learning in the local kindergarten in ECR2 (1986). The Government believed that by including the theory of 'learning through play' in the teaching education programme, the curriculum as well as the undesirable pedagogical strategies which had been identified (ECR2 1986) would then change amongst local kindergarten teachers. Has the problem released in ECR2(1986) been diminished after a decade? Is there any instructional paradigm shift witnessed in the early childhood education? A multi-case study was designed to collect qualitative data on the lived experience of the practices of the practitioners in 1996. A group of six in-service kindergarten teachers who were having their one- year Teacher Education Course (95-96) for kindergarten teachers of the Hong Kong Institute of Education were involved in the study. The three levels of reflection proposed by Schon (1987); namely, reflection-for-action, reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action were used as means to collect holistic data of

Empirical Research Background: This study investigates the performance of Hong Kong pre-school children aged from 3 to 5 in the area of number and addition. This is the first stage data reporting. Empirical Research Aims: It aims to establish a scale on number and addition competency for young children aged from 3 to 6, and to validate the number and addition competency of children in relation with the literature and the official curriculum guide. Empirical Research Sample: Ten children aged 3, 4, and 5 were sampled from 10 pre-schools in Hong Kong, with a total of 300 children. Empirical Research Method: Measurement scale and behavioural checklist on number and addition concepts were established for teachers. Empirical Research RASCH: Quantitative data analysis derived from the Rasch model for measurement for dichotomous data were used. Empirical Research Results: The Wright Map showed a general progression of the position of items along the measurement continuum and a gradual increase in the mean difficulty at each of the age levels from 3-year-olds to 5-year-olds. Irregularities showed that children master some concepts earlier than expected. Misfit items showed that there is an absence of curriculum among schools, or among levels. Empirical Research Conclusions: Abilities of children increase in accordance with age, and children master some concepts earlier. There are unlikely a share curriculum among schools.

In view of globalization, this paper takes a critical look at the learning and teaching of second language(s) in two Asian cities, i.e. Singapore and Hong Kong. It discusses the challenges faced by teachers and parents in helping children to learn second languages well as well as comparing the differences and similarities in parental and societal expectations, and the functional roles of second languages in the two societies.

The early childhood period is associated with the fundamental movement phase of motor behaviors (Baddard, 1992; Sanders, 1992; Gallahue & Donnelly, 2003). It is a crucial period for subsequent learning development (White & Watts, 1973; Skinner, 1979; Kelly & Kelly, 1984; Opper, 1992) in the intellectual, social, emotional and physical aspects. In preschool curriculum, movement has been regarded as the essence of life and the course of all learning (Vannier & Gallahue, 1978; Graham, Holt/Hale & Parker, 2007), through which young children move to explore, discover, and to interact with the world and its myriad parts (Whitehurst, 1971). It is why the Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum (The Curriculum Development Council, 2006) has emphazied the importance of “Physical Fitness and Health” as one of the six learning areas for young children in Hong Kong. The main purposes of this paper are two-fold. First, to keep pace with the contemporary trend of early childhood curriculum, an innovative teaching approach for preschool physical education will be introduced with the ultimate goal to enhance young children’s total development in body, mind and spirit. Secondly, through the Hong Kong experience in practicing the approach, the paper will discuss the educational learning outcomes of the preschool physical education curriculum to the whole child development, namely: physical, emotional, social, intellectual, moral, creative and aesthetic aspects. It is expected that the newly innovated approach will initiate new insights to preschool teachers in designing preschool physical education curriculum and remarkable movement to the development of educationally appropriate preschool physical education practice in Hong Kong.

The concept of God and spirituality has often been considered crucial in the development and form of an individual’s personal faith and faith development in most of the developed western countries while little research has been done in the case of Hong Kong. The aim of this study is to trace dimensions in God concepts of preschoolers in two Hong Kong Chinese Kindergartens by documenting what young children know and believe about God and Spirituality orally and by pictures/artwork that the children drawn. Parents and teacher’s concept of God and spirituality would be examined by interviews as to see their relations with young children’s God concepts and spirituality concepts. Through a qualitative investigation on the origins of these concepts from the perspectives of two young children in a K3 class, their parents, head teacher and teachers in the form of case study, it is anticipated that a deeper understanding on the form of young children’s personal faith and spiritual development could be gained on the part of the ECE practitioners and the parents. Implications from findings could be drawn for fostering a suitable curriculum for the young children.

According to the Curriculum Guide issued by the Education Bureau in Hong Kong, English should not be taught as a formal subject and children should be EUR exposed' to it. This paper presents findings from a questionnaire survey and classroom observations on how teachers in Hong Kong preschools help children learn English. It examines the various ways teachers create a rich environment for the children to be exposed to English as a second language.

In the past ten years, Hong Kong Government has promoted the concept of biliteracy (Chinese and English) and trilingualism (Cantonese, Putonghua and English) in education. Putonghua has become an important issue in the school curriculum. Educators debate how and when Putonghua should be taught. In the preschool context, whether Putonghua should be taught as a formal subject or informally through fun and games has been debated. Another critical issue is how parents could help children to learn better outside schools. This paper presents findings on the learning and teaching of Putonghua from interviews with parents and school teachers and principals.