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Spatial skills significantly predict educational and occupational achievements in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As early interventions for young children are usually more effective than interventions that come later in life, the present meta-analysis systematically included 20 spatial intervention studies (2009–2020) with children aged 0–8 years to provide an up-to-date account of the malleability of spatial skills in infancy and early childhood. Our results revealed that the average effect size (Hedges's g ) for training relative to control was 0.96 ( SE = 0.10) using random effects analysis. We analyzed the effects of several moderators, including the type of study design, sex, age, outcome category (i.e., type of spatial skills), research setting (e.g., lab vs. classroom), and type of training. Study design, sex, and outcome category were found to moderate the training effects. The results suggest that diverse training strategies or programs including hands-on exploration, visual prompts, and gestural spatial training significantly foster young children's spatial skills. Implications for research, policy, and practice are also discussed.

Parental beliefs about play and learning are part of the “belief-context” of early childhood development and can thus make a key difference for the child. Previous studies have focused on cross-cultural comparisons, and therefore have neglected intra-cultural variations. This study sampled 163 Chinese mothers with children aged two to four years old ( M = 38.73 months, SD = 4.91) in south-eastern China, using the Chinese Parent Play Beliefs Scale, Home Play Activities Questionnaire and China Developmental Scale for Children. The latent profile analysis identified the three profiles of Chinese mothers: (a) Traditional mothers, who placed higher value on pre-academic activities, but lower value on early play; (b) Contemporary mothers, who placed higher value on early play, but lower value on pre-academic activities; and (c) Eclectic mothers, who placed the highest values on both pre-academic activities and play. The three profiles of mothers’ play beliefs were differentiated by maternal education, frequencies of children’s play and pre-academic activities at home, and children’s early development. Children of Eclectic mothers had better cognitive development than those of Contemporary mothers, and had better socio-emotional and overall development than those of Traditional mothers, even after adjusting for socio-demographic variables.

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