Preschool Age Children
Preschool age children are beginning to understand what emotions they are feeling and how they can express those feelings in socially appropriate ways. Feelings and emotions can be difficult to understand but promoting, supporting, and labeling these emotions, especially when you see that they are experiencing them, can aid children developing an understanding building relationships with their peers is way to support the development of a child as a whole. Placing social-emotional development high on the list of important skills to learn, as most Kindergarten teachers do as well, will promote and environment that is inclusive and empathetic. Children need to be able to control their impulses, take turns, engage in cooperative play with their peers, conflict negotiation, and shared use of space and materials. We introduce "Rules” that teaches and reminds us how to be kind and caring friends who are responsible for what we say and do. These skills will allow children to engage in meaningful relationships with their peers and the adults in the program.
Using positive reinforcement gives children a chance to recognize when they are engaging in pro-social behavior instead of being reprimanded when they do something "bad". Teachers need to be in-tuned to when a child has responded to a situation in a socially appropriate way. For example, if a teacher witnesses a child sharing materials with a peer a teacher can respond to them by saying, "Wow, your shared that with your friend. Look how happy you made them feel. Now you can play together!". Children respond more positively when you acknowledge something they did right and are more likely to repeat this behavior again.
Every program deals with children with challenging behavior, these are children after all who haven't had the life lessons yet that adults have had. Patience is a big component when working with challenging behaviors. Children are working out how they the world makes sense and how their actions affect others around them. Remaining positive in these situations is key, when children see that you are angry it can lead to them feeling negative about themselves or become even more angry themselves. To support these children extra teacher support is helpful. You can explain to the child that you will be close by so that you may help them in times of need. For some children this is enough, the extra guidance when they need it can give them the confidence to regulate themselves. Modeling pro-social behavior is one of the most important ways to support young children in the preschool age. Children learn how to appropriately interact with peers by watching the way the adults and other children interact with each other. Using language like, "I see that you are frustrated because you want a turn on the bike. I know it is hard to wait for your turn. Let's find something else to do while we wait." is helpful in labeling and acknowledging their feelings while promoting self-regulation skills.
Preschool age children are beginning to understand what emotions they are feeling and how they can express those feelings in socially appropriate ways. Feelings and emotions can be difficult to understand but promoting, supporting, and labeling these emotions, especially when you see that they are experiencing them, can aid children developing an understanding building relationships with their peers is way to support the development of a child as a whole. Placing social-emotional development high on the list of important skills to learn, as most Kindergarten teachers do as well, will promote and environment that is inclusive and empathetic. Children need to be able to control their impulses, take turns, engage in cooperative play with their peers, conflict negotiation, and shared use of space and materials. We introduce "Rules” that teaches and reminds us how to be kind and caring friends who are responsible for what we say and do. These skills will allow children to engage in meaningful relationships with their peers and the adults in the program.
Using positive reinforcement gives children a chance to recognize when they are engaging in pro-social behavior instead of being reprimanded when they do something "bad". Teachers need to be in-tuned to when a child has responded to a situation in a socially appropriate way. For example, if a teacher witnesses a child sharing materials with a peer a teacher can respond to them by saying, "Wow, your shared that with your friend. Look how happy you made them feel. Now you can play together!". Children respond more positively when you acknowledge something they did right and are more likely to repeat this behavior again.
Every program deals with children with challenging behavior, these are children after all who haven't had the life lessons yet that adults have had. Patience is a big component when working with challenging behaviors. Children are working out how they the world makes sense and how their actions affect others around them. Remaining positive in these situations is key, when children see that you are angry it can lead to them feeling negative about themselves or become even more angry themselves. To support these children extra teacher support is helpful. You can explain to the child that you will be close by so that you may help them in times of need. For some children this is enough, the extra guidance when they need it can give them the confidence to regulate themselves. Modeling pro-social behavior is one of the most important ways to support young children in the preschool age. Children learn how to appropriately interact with peers by watching the way the adults and other children interact with each other. Using language like, "I see that you are frustrated because you want a turn on the bike. I know it is hard to wait for your turn. Let's find something else to do while we wait." is helpful in labeling and acknowledging their feelings while promoting self-regulation skills.