Children's development of social understanding. Using language games to promote the comprehension of mental states

The authors explore the theme of social understanding via the theoretical constructs of theory of the mind and emotion understanding. They start from a state-of-the-art review of psychology inquiry into the fascinating domain of children's developing knowledge of intentions, emotions, thoughts, desires and beliefs, before going on to offer a clear and focused account of a training study they conducted in preschools, and the educational programme that this research has informed and validated. The intervention they document entailed story readings enriched with the language of inner experience, followed by small-group language game activities designed to enhance the participating children's social, emotional, linguistic, and cognitive skills.
The book is addressed to educators, teachers, parents, practitioners, and all those who wish to support and foster the development of social understanding in children, while doubling as an up-to-date reference work for scholars and researchers interested in this line of inquiry.