Children Learn by Observing and Contributing to Family and Community Endeavors

This volume highlights patterns and variability in the normative development of the everyday lives of children, while expanding beyond the usual research populations that have extensive Western schooling in common. It documents the organisation of children's learning and social lives, especially among children whose families have historical roots in the Americas, where children traditionally are included and contribute to the activities of their families and communities, and where Western schooling is a recent foreign influence. The findings and theoretical arguments reveal a coherent picture of the importance of the development of children's participation in ongoing activity as presented by authors with extensive experience living and working in such communities.