Research Information System
EUROPEAN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION RESEARCH JOURNAL, vol.34, no.1, pp.1-25, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
The research aims to provide a comprehensive perspective on sustainable life skills in early childhood and examine the inclusion of these skills in children's picture books. A checklist for sustainable life skills was proposed in the study, based on the literature. 75 books were selected from 320 children’s picture book examined using the criterion sampling method. In the data analysis, qualitative content analysis was used to determine whether the children's picture books included sustainable life skills. A book review conducted using this checklist determined that children's books contain strong content in terms of the life skills of respect and rethink. On the other hand, life skills related to the themes of reducing, reusing, and connecting with nature were identified as being addressed quite limitedly in the books. Results are expected to raise awareness about the use of children's picture books in educational practices for sustainability. Children's picture book are expected to support teachers in understanding and implementing sustainability-related activities within the EfS framework. Furthermore, the use of children's picture books is considered to play a significant facilitating role in planning and implementing EfS practices appropriate to the children's age and developmental levels in pre-service and in-service teacher training.