Children are often afraid of all sorts of things, some of them reasonable, some of them less so. Usually, the things that children are afraid of are the things that are unfamiliar to the children, the unknown. Even as adults, we are often afraid of new situations and the unexpected.
There are some common fears for children such as strangers, the dark, or loud noises. There are less common fears such as dogs, crowds, or heights. Then there are those fears that just kind of take you by surprise.
We are beginning our second week in our Camping study. We have discussed where people go camping, what they might do while they're camping, and the various materials needed for camping. We have discovered that very few of our children have any experience camping so we're aware that there's a lot for them to learn over the course of the next 5 weeks before school is over.
Today, we had planned to take the kids on a nature walk. The Head Start that I work at is in a suburban area with not a whole lot of wooded areas to explore, but there is a very short loop trail through about 1/4 acre of trees. The vast majority of the children in our class live in the local housing development placing them about 1/4-1/2 of a mile from this trail. I was absolutely shocked to discover that one of the children in my class was genuinely afraid to go into the woods with the rest of the class. Through much discussion and assurance that all would be safe, we managed to get him to be brave and face that which he was afraid of.
We had an open discussion along the way to the trail about how we are all often afraid of what is new. He was afraid to go on a nature walk because he didn't know what to expect. I promised him that when we go for a nature walk next week that he won't feel scared because it will be something he has done before.
When it comes to children, always expect the unexpected!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
A Beautiful Day for Camping
This is the first week of our Camping study. Today was a beautiful day, sunny and 70 degrees out, so we spent the whole day outside. We packed up the tent and other camping supplies we had in our classroom and set them all up outside. Unfortunately, we don't have too many trees on our playground and for purposes of monitoring and because we share the playground with the three other classrooms in the building, we set up the tent in a separate area from the rest of the playground.
The children loved using the real wood logs to create a pretend campfire. They used the frying pan that is made for camping to cook all of their pretend food before serving it to their friends. All of the extra food was stored in the cooler so that it would all stay fresh.
Very few of our children, if any, have ever been camping. It was surprising how involved some of the play scenarios became, especially since we have just begun to discuss camping. We have lots of activities planned to explore tents, camping materials, camping activities and the great outdoors! You can find a calendar of what we're doing here.
The children loved using the real wood logs to create a pretend campfire. They used the frying pan that is made for camping to cook all of their pretend food before serving it to their friends. All of the extra food was stored in the cooler so that it would all stay fresh.
Very few of our children, if any, have ever been camping. It was surprising how involved some of the play scenarios became, especially since we have just begun to discuss camping. We have lots of activities planned to explore tents, camping materials, camping activities and the great outdoors! You can find a calendar of what we're doing here.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A Visit to the Airport
Today was the big day. We loaded 15 troubled preschoolers in a bus and took them to the airport. It went so much more smoothly than I had expected due in large part to the preparedness of the staff at the airport. The man who helped us organize our trip arranged for us to board a private jet which was fascinating and impressive even to the adults with us. We toured the hanger where planes were being serviced. The children were fascinated by the big tanker truck that showed up to perform a "fuel drop" into the giant storage tanks. They were allowed to climb through the cab of a fuel truck and stood in awe as we watched one jet land and another take off. We were also fortunate enough to see an Air Force Jet taxi by the hanger we stood at. It was an experience almost beyond words and I'm sure that the children will remember it for years to come. We now consider our Flight study complete, however, I am fairly certain we are far from finished discussing planes and flight. I am completely satisfied that these children will walk away from this study far more excited about learning than they ever have been.
A great big, huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this fantastic experience!
A great big, huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this fantastic experience!
Monday, April 27, 2009
What is That?
This morning I arrived at work about 10 minutes earlier than usual. It's the first day back from April vacation for most of our kids and I had some things I wanted to set up. We are beginning a study on Camping.
On Friday I had gone to work to cover child care and while I was there, I took out the table, chairs, and the kitchen. In its place, I put out some of the camping materials I had. Today I set up a small, real, 3 man tent and finished arranging the materials in our campsite. I was surprised at how many children asked me "What is that?"
These children come from some questionable homes, but it never occurred to me that they wouldn't know what a tent is. I had assumed that given the amount of TV these children watch, they would have at least seen some cartoon or other about camping. It should be an interesting trek through the magical world of camping as we explore this topic over the next 5 weeks. Looks like we're starting at ground zero!
On Friday I had gone to work to cover child care and while I was there, I took out the table, chairs, and the kitchen. In its place, I put out some of the camping materials I had. Today I set up a small, real, 3 man tent and finished arranging the materials in our campsite. I was surprised at how many children asked me "What is that?"
These children come from some questionable homes, but it never occurred to me that they wouldn't know what a tent is. I had assumed that given the amount of TV these children watch, they would have at least seen some cartoon or other about camping. It should be an interesting trek through the magical world of camping as we explore this topic over the next 5 weeks. Looks like we're starting at ground zero!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Almost the End of the School Year
It's hard to believe that the end of the school year is rapidly approaching! In about 5 weeks we will be packing up the classroom in preparation for the summer. We will inventory our supplies and decide what materials we need for next year. Obviously, there will be a need to order new consumable materials, particularly art supplies, but we will also take stock of the manipulatives, blocks, and discovery centers to ensure that there are adequate materials for the children to explore. So many things to consider, how do you decide which materials to purchase with the meager budget we have to work with?
Friday, April 24, 2009
Making a Change
We are finishing up our study on Flight and preparing to begin a new one on camping. We still have our field trip to the airport on Tuesday, so when the kids get back from vacation on Monday, we'll revisit our old study, but there will be a bit of a stir about our new study. Generally, it's a good idea to prepare children (especially the children in our class) for change, but I went into the classroom today and set up a whole campsite in our dramatic play area, removing all of the old materials. The question is, how will the children react on Monday?
It will be a challenge to keep the children occupied elsewhere until we're able to meet and discuss the rules for all of the new materials. I think it's best to utilize real materials whenever possible. I added a tent, sleeping bags, a cooler, folding chairs, flashlights, and a camp frying pan. We will work together to make a representational fire pit and I may try to bring in a large branch or 2 to attach to the wall to create the feeling of being outside.
The children have been immersed in the Flight study now for about 5 weeks. If we weren't rapidly approaching the end of the school year, we would make the transition a little slower, but with only about 5 weeks left of school, we want to make sure that the children have adequate time to explore our new theme. It should be a fun way to finish up the school year while providing us ample opportunity to spend extra time outside enjoying the spring weather!
It will be a challenge to keep the children occupied elsewhere until we're able to meet and discuss the rules for all of the new materials. I think it's best to utilize real materials whenever possible. I added a tent, sleeping bags, a cooler, folding chairs, flashlights, and a camp frying pan. We will work together to make a representational fire pit and I may try to bring in a large branch or 2 to attach to the wall to create the feeling of being outside.
The children have been immersed in the Flight study now for about 5 weeks. If we weren't rapidly approaching the end of the school year, we would make the transition a little slower, but with only about 5 weeks left of school, we want to make sure that the children have adequate time to explore our new theme. It should be a fun way to finish up the school year while providing us ample opportunity to spend extra time outside enjoying the spring weather!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Pilot Visit
My brother-in-law visited my class today. We are doing a study/theme on Flight (you can find Flight themed activities at http://www.creativepreschoolcurriculum.com/Flight.html) and he's a pilot. We are about 5 weeks into the study, so the children are familiar with a lot of the terminology as well as some of the physics and major concepts behind flight. They were very excited to hear what he had to say.
It's amazing how discussing something the children are interested in can really capture their attention. There are 17 children in my class and large group time can often be a struggle. We have many children with behavioral, emotional, or developmental problems and it can be very hard to manage the group and maintain their interest. We had 13 children in class today and all except for one sat at circle for nearly a full half hour.
My brother-in-law brought in pictures of what the control panel looks like in the cockpit of the planes that he flies. The children asked what each button, knob, dial and lever did. They listened to the pilot's responses even when they didn't fully understand the explanations. Children who are normally quiet at large group time raised their hands for a turn to talk to the pilot.
Yesterday, the children wrote out a list of questions to ask our visitor. We have been working on the difference between a question and a statement, but it's still a tough concept for many of our children to understand. A couple of questions we were able to form were: Why do airplanes have windows? How do the wings work? How do the wheels go up? and Do you have to go to school to learn how to become a pilot? All in all some pretty good questions, especially when combined with them asking about all the different gadgets in the pictures our guest brought.
Maybe it's the uniform, maybe it's his size, maybe it's simply having a stranger in the classroom, but whatever magical thing came over our class should be repeated over and over again! It's hard to determine how much young children gain from a discussion of something as abstract as flight or being a pilot, but we're satisfied that the children in our class will each pull something valuable out of the experience. Thank you so much for taking the time to drive out and talk to our class Brian!
It's amazing how discussing something the children are interested in can really capture their attention. There are 17 children in my class and large group time can often be a struggle. We have many children with behavioral, emotional, or developmental problems and it can be very hard to manage the group and maintain their interest. We had 13 children in class today and all except for one sat at circle for nearly a full half hour.
My brother-in-law brought in pictures of what the control panel looks like in the cockpit of the planes that he flies. The children asked what each button, knob, dial and lever did. They listened to the pilot's responses even when they didn't fully understand the explanations. Children who are normally quiet at large group time raised their hands for a turn to talk to the pilot.
Yesterday, the children wrote out a list of questions to ask our visitor. We have been working on the difference between a question and a statement, but it's still a tough concept for many of our children to understand. A couple of questions we were able to form were: Why do airplanes have windows? How do the wings work? How do the wheels go up? and Do you have to go to school to learn how to become a pilot? All in all some pretty good questions, especially when combined with them asking about all the different gadgets in the pictures our guest brought.
Maybe it's the uniform, maybe it's his size, maybe it's simply having a stranger in the classroom, but whatever magical thing came over our class should be repeated over and over again! It's hard to determine how much young children gain from a discussion of something as abstract as flight or being a pilot, but we're satisfied that the children in our class will each pull something valuable out of the experience. Thank you so much for taking the time to drive out and talk to our class Brian!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Field Trips and a Guest Speaker
We are in our final 2 weeks of our Flight study. The children have gotten really involved in exploring some complex concepts such as gravity, lift, drag, and force. We have made airplanes and rockets out of everything we can think of. We have created parachutes and released them. The children have explored innumerable cause and effect relationships. The flight study has been fully ingrained into the content areas such as math, science, literacy, and art as well as social and emotional development.
It's time to expand further on the subject. To make the topic more concrete, we are planning possibly 2 field trips and we have invited a guest speaker to come talk to the children. We're hoping to wrap up the study with the children still excited about the subject of flight.
We have invited a pilot to come speak to our children. Before he arrives, we will write out questions we want to ask him. We are hoping that since the children have spent so much time engrossed in the subject of flight that they may come up with some interesting questions for our guest.
On our agenda is a trip to a local small airport. Given the dynamics of the children in our class, we're unsure how this will turn out, but it will be worth the challenges to provide them with the opportunity to see a real airport and hopefully some planes in motion. We are still negotiating with them about actually getting on a plane. Keep your fingers crossed!
Finally, we are going to visit the local children's museum which actually has a display about flight. The children will have the opportunity to build various air planes and see how they fly. This trip should be a lot easier for us to manage since the location is a lot more confined.
There's still a lot for us to cover in order to wrap up our study in the 2 weeks before vacation. We're planning to begin a study on camping when we come back, so we want to make sure that the children feel the fight study's complete before they leave for vacation.
It's time to expand further on the subject. To make the topic more concrete, we are planning possibly 2 field trips and we have invited a guest speaker to come talk to the children. We're hoping to wrap up the study with the children still excited about the subject of flight.
We have invited a pilot to come speak to our children. Before he arrives, we will write out questions we want to ask him. We are hoping that since the children have spent so much time engrossed in the subject of flight that they may come up with some interesting questions for our guest.
On our agenda is a trip to a local small airport. Given the dynamics of the children in our class, we're unsure how this will turn out, but it will be worth the challenges to provide them with the opportunity to see a real airport and hopefully some planes in motion. We are still negotiating with them about actually getting on a plane. Keep your fingers crossed!
Finally, we are going to visit the local children's museum which actually has a display about flight. The children will have the opportunity to build various air planes and see how they fly. This trip should be a lot easier for us to manage since the location is a lot more confined.
There's still a lot for us to cover in order to wrap up our study in the 2 weeks before vacation. We're planning to begin a study on camping when we come back, so we want to make sure that the children feel the fight study's complete before they leave for vacation.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Not Enough Hours in the Day
I teach preschool in a Head Start classroom. Our class day runs from 8:30 until 12:30 five days a week. As many preschool teachers would agree, it is tough to fit in all of the curriculum needs into the school day. Planning the daily schedule to include all the necessary components takes time and consideration.
Our school day includes:
8:30-8:45 Arrival
8:45-8:55 Wash Hands & Morning Meeting
8:55-9:25 Breakfast
9:25-9:35 Clean Up & Brush Teeth
9:35-10:15 Outside
10:15-11:15 Free Choice/Centers
11:15-11:30 Clean Up & Wash Hands
11:30-11:45 Circle/Large Group
11:45-12:15 Lunch
12:15-12:30 Clean Up & Manipulatives or Music and Movement
12:30 Departure
At the beginning of the school year, our schedule looked very different. We have several children in our class that have difficulty with transitions, so we took a close look at the schedule and cut out any that we could. This leaves large blocks of mostly unstructured time in our day with lots of goals still to work toward.
This forces us to be very mindful of creating "teachable moments" in order to reach our teaching goals. Where we used to have a story time so the children had direct exposure to being read to daily, we now read to children in small groups during free choice time.
Head Start has taken on a new initiative called "I Am Moving, I Am Learning" which focuses on increased physical activity and an increased awareness of nutrition. One of our teaching goals is to have 30 minutes of structured physical activity every day (60 minutes is recommended but given that our program is a 1/2 day program, it's unrealistic that we'll be able to reach that goal). Because of the challenges we have with transitions, we will need to meet this goal in creative and spontaneous ways. We already incorporate music and movement at least once or twice a week after lunch. This meets 1/2 of our goal for those days.
We are always trying to figure out ways to incorporate our Literacy, Math, Science, and other goals. We are selective when choosing which activities to do, preferring activities that are rich in multiple areas of cognition with the intent of covering several of our teaching goals in one activity. Children need the opportunity to repeat activities, to hear stories over and over, and to be able to explore materials used in activities on their own. This requires intense consideration when planning your activities. Visit www.creativepreschoolcurriculum.com for some cognitively rich activities to try with your children.
As preschool teachers, we all face similar challenges, but we each have unique experiences and approach our challenges in different ways. Utilize the ideas of fellow teachers so that you spend less time planning (reinventing the wheel) and more time working toward your teaching goals. Make learning fun and exciting and keep those children's minds and bodies in motion!
Our school day includes:
8:30-8:45 Arrival
8:45-8:55 Wash Hands & Morning Meeting
8:55-9:25 Breakfast
9:25-9:35 Clean Up & Brush Teeth
9:35-10:15 Outside
10:15-11:15 Free Choice/Centers
11:15-11:30 Clean Up & Wash Hands
11:30-11:45 Circle/Large Group
11:45-12:15 Lunch
12:15-12:30 Clean Up & Manipulatives or Music and Movement
12:30 Departure
At the beginning of the school year, our schedule looked very different. We have several children in our class that have difficulty with transitions, so we took a close look at the schedule and cut out any that we could. This leaves large blocks of mostly unstructured time in our day with lots of goals still to work toward.
This forces us to be very mindful of creating "teachable moments" in order to reach our teaching goals. Where we used to have a story time so the children had direct exposure to being read to daily, we now read to children in small groups during free choice time.
Head Start has taken on a new initiative called "I Am Moving, I Am Learning" which focuses on increased physical activity and an increased awareness of nutrition. One of our teaching goals is to have 30 minutes of structured physical activity every day (60 minutes is recommended but given that our program is a 1/2 day program, it's unrealistic that we'll be able to reach that goal). Because of the challenges we have with transitions, we will need to meet this goal in creative and spontaneous ways. We already incorporate music and movement at least once or twice a week after lunch. This meets 1/2 of our goal for those days.
We are always trying to figure out ways to incorporate our Literacy, Math, Science, and other goals. We are selective when choosing which activities to do, preferring activities that are rich in multiple areas of cognition with the intent of covering several of our teaching goals in one activity. Children need the opportunity to repeat activities, to hear stories over and over, and to be able to explore materials used in activities on their own. This requires intense consideration when planning your activities. Visit www.creativepreschoolcurriculum.com for some cognitively rich activities to try with your children.
As preschool teachers, we all face similar challenges, but we each have unique experiences and approach our challenges in different ways. Utilize the ideas of fellow teachers so that you spend less time planning (reinventing the wheel) and more time working toward your teaching goals. Make learning fun and exciting and keep those children's minds and bodies in motion!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Shake and Shiver
This is a song that my 8 year old daughter is writing:
I was on a river when suddenly, suddenly
I fell into a river.
Ohohohoh, so I climbed out.
Now I am all wet, all weeet.
I started to shake and shiver, shake and shiver.
Now all I can do is go inside, go inside,
But I can't go inside because the door is locked.
So all I can do is go next door,
But I can't because they don't like wetness in their house.
So all I can do now is to shake and shiver
So I might get the flu or a cold or maybe frostbite
And it is winter
So all I can do is to shake and shiver!
By Madison
I was on a river when suddenly, suddenly
I fell into a river.
Ohohohoh, so I climbed out.
Now I am all wet, all weeet.
I started to shake and shiver, shake and shiver.
Now all I can do is go inside, go inside,
But I can't go inside because the door is locked.
So all I can do is go next door,
But I can't because they don't like wetness in their house.
So all I can do now is to shake and shiver
So I might get the flu or a cold or maybe frostbite
And it is winter
So all I can do is to shake and shiver!
By Madison
Monday, March 23, 2009
Out of the Mouthes of Babes
Children can say the most amusing things. Sometimes what they say can be frustrating, amusing, or just downright hysterical! Most of the time, children have no idea what it is about what they say that adults find so funny. That in and of itself is often the cause of some laughter as children will continue to repeat the things that adults laugh at in an attempt to figure out just what we find so funny.
Every parent or teacher can think back to things the children in their care have said and remember some key phrases. My children are 11 and 8 and I can still hear each of them ask for an "ungerbar" for snack. For those of you who don't speak their language, that's a granola bar. My 3 year old neice is always looking for the "morote", otherwise known as the remote. These little snippets help to remind us our children still have a lot to learn.
In my preschool classroom, we are doing a study on Flight (you can find the activities we're using at www.creativepreschoolcurriculum.com/Flight.html). Our class consists of 17 3-5 year old children. We have only just begun our study, but the children are already amazing me with some of the vocabulary they're using. One 3 year old told his mom that "a pilot and a copilot fly planes" and that "airplanes don't have a steering wheel, they have control yokes". One of our 4 year olds picked up the term fuselage from a video we were watching. This wasn't one of the words we had intended to teach them, but it seemed to attract his attention, so we started discussing it.
We don't always enjoy the words that come out of the mouths of children. One of the most memorable milestones is when a child first learns to put sounds together to form a word. We are so amazed and excited over their ability to speak, but before long we begin to realize that we can't always control what they choose to say. They may pick up words or phrases from parents, siblings, schoolmates, or out in public.
Whether or not you enjoy what they're saying, continue to get those children talking! Language development is significantly related to children's future success in school. One book that I found particularly helpful was How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber.
Remember that time flies, this too shall pass, and they're only little once! Cherish every memory, even the ones you think you'd rather forget. Life is short, enjoy all the little moments!
Every parent or teacher can think back to things the children in their care have said and remember some key phrases. My children are 11 and 8 and I can still hear each of them ask for an "ungerbar" for snack. For those of you who don't speak their language, that's a granola bar. My 3 year old neice is always looking for the "morote", otherwise known as the remote. These little snippets help to remind us our children still have a lot to learn.
In my preschool classroom, we are doing a study on Flight (you can find the activities we're using at www.creativepreschoolcurriculum.com/Flight.html). Our class consists of 17 3-5 year old children. We have only just begun our study, but the children are already amazing me with some of the vocabulary they're using. One 3 year old told his mom that "a pilot and a copilot fly planes" and that "airplanes don't have a steering wheel, they have control yokes". One of our 4 year olds picked up the term fuselage from a video we were watching. This wasn't one of the words we had intended to teach them, but it seemed to attract his attention, so we started discussing it.
We don't always enjoy the words that come out of the mouths of children. One of the most memorable milestones is when a child first learns to put sounds together to form a word. We are so amazed and excited over their ability to speak, but before long we begin to realize that we can't always control what they choose to say. They may pick up words or phrases from parents, siblings, schoolmates, or out in public.
Whether or not you enjoy what they're saying, continue to get those children talking! Language development is significantly related to children's future success in school. One book that I found particularly helpful was How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber.
Remember that time flies, this too shall pass, and they're only little once! Cherish every memory, even the ones you think you'd rather forget. Life is short, enjoy all the little moments!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Effective Classroom Management
Effective classroom management takes some planning, but is well worth the effort involved. With a well thought out classroom design, schedule, list of rules, and predictable consequences there will be more time for teaching since you will spend less time dealing with challenging behaviors.
Have a plan before the children even step into the classroom. The arrangement of furniture and materials can go a long way to reduce challenging behavior. If the materials you provide are interesting, displayed in an inviting way and are easy to find the children can easily become engaged with them. The placement of furniture is equally important. Clearly defined areas or centers allow children to be more selective, focused and thoughtful about their play and will reduce the chance that children will simply “float” from activity to activity.
Each center should have an appropriate variety of materials, but not so many as to be overwhelming. Materials can easily and frequently be rotated to provide something new for the children to explore. All of the materials and their place on the shelves should be labeled both in writing and with a picture. This will allow the children to easily put the materials away when they are finished. For more ideas on how to arrange each center and what materials to provide, please check out the article about centers.
Furniture placement can go a long way toward minimizing conflicts and challenging behaviors. Use shelves, cubbies, tables and other furniture to clearly define centers. When considering furniture placement, think about traffic patterns, flooring, lighting, outlets, and the amount of space needed for each center. Be open to rearranging the furniture once the children have been in the classroom and you have seen the way they behave in the environment. Be aware of possible “fast lanes” where the children may be inclined to run through the room. Designing the traffic pattern so that children must maneuver around furniture will force them to slow down.
It is important for the children to know what is expected of them. Clearly defined rules guide the children into making the right choices. Predictable consequences for unacceptable behavior create consistency all of the children in your class. They will be able to predict what the outcome of their behavior will be. Being consistent with consequences is the key to minimizing unacceptable behaviors. As often as possible, ignore irritating or frustrating behaviors. Limit reacting only to behaviors that are dangerous or cannot otherwise be ignored. Many children will repeat behaviors simply to get attention, even if that attention is negative, so it’s vital to limit the negative attention to behaviors that simply cannot be ignored.
The best way to create an environment of cooperation is by “catching children being good”. Constantly and consistently recognizing appropriate behaviors encourages children to repeat the behaviors you would like to see more of. Concentrate on two or three behaviors that you would really like to see more of (cleaning up a center when they’re done and walking safely through the classroom, for example) and make a show of rewarding children doing those things with praise and possibly even a tangible incentive such as a sticker.
When encountering challenging behaviors another thing to take a look at is the schedule. Take some time to ask yourself these questions: Is there too much structured time? Is there too much time where the children must decide on their own what to do? Is there a balance of active and quiet activities? Are the children expected to wait for long periods of time?
Many of us overlook transitions when we are planning our schedules and activities. Transitions are often a time when challenging behaviors erupt because children may not be ready to change activities, they may not know what they should do, or they may simply be bored because they are waiting for the rest of the class. Use a fun song to alert the children that it's time to transition, instead of yelling to them. Try "The More We Get Together" or another familiar song. It will take several days for the children to recognize this as the signal for a transition, but eventually, once the children hear the first few words, they will join you in alerting the rest of the class that it's time to move on.
Try to limit the amount of time the children need to wait, but in a large group waiting is inevitable, so make fun of it! Have something easily accessible for the children to do while waiting. For example, use permanent marker to write letters on unifix cubes to spell each child's name. Have these names stored in a bucket near the large group area so that when the children are waiting for everyone to arrive they can practice building their names. When waiting in line, play simon says, sing a silly song or create a clapping pattern that you repeat each time you're waiting. Here is one example of a song that can be sung while waiting:
I'm so bored that I could cry,
Why am I waiting?
Why, why, why?
I need something fun to do,
Kiss the dog or eat a shoe!
Something better happen fast!
I'm so bored I may not last!
Use transition times to create patience, but it is appropriate to admit that waiting can be boring and frustrating, especially when you're waiting for children who are being uncooperative. If the children have something silly they can do to express this, you will be less likely to encounter challenging behaviors.
Consider these questions when you are planning for tranistions: Are you allowing adequate time for transitions? Are you planning activities for transition times? Are you giving sufficient warning that a transition is about to take place and telling them what will be expected of them? Are there too many transitions in your day? Which transitions could you eliminate?
By thoughtfully planning out your schedule, room design, rules and consequence/reward system, you will be significantly cutting back on the amount of challenging behaviors you must deal with each day. You must remain flexible. When something is not working the way you'd like, look at the reasons behind it and consider making a change. Making changes during the school year typically presents some obstacles, but it is well worth the effort to have a smoothly functioning classroom full of engaged learners.
Have a plan before the children even step into the classroom. The arrangement of furniture and materials can go a long way to reduce challenging behavior. If the materials you provide are interesting, displayed in an inviting way and are easy to find the children can easily become engaged with them. The placement of furniture is equally important. Clearly defined areas or centers allow children to be more selective, focused and thoughtful about their play and will reduce the chance that children will simply “float” from activity to activity.
Each center should have an appropriate variety of materials, but not so many as to be overwhelming. Materials can easily and frequently be rotated to provide something new for the children to explore. All of the materials and their place on the shelves should be labeled both in writing and with a picture. This will allow the children to easily put the materials away when they are finished. For more ideas on how to arrange each center and what materials to provide, please check out the article about centers.
Furniture placement can go a long way toward minimizing conflicts and challenging behaviors. Use shelves, cubbies, tables and other furniture to clearly define centers. When considering furniture placement, think about traffic patterns, flooring, lighting, outlets, and the amount of space needed for each center. Be open to rearranging the furniture once the children have been in the classroom and you have seen the way they behave in the environment. Be aware of possible “fast lanes” where the children may be inclined to run through the room. Designing the traffic pattern so that children must maneuver around furniture will force them to slow down.
It is important for the children to know what is expected of them. Clearly defined rules guide the children into making the right choices. Predictable consequences for unacceptable behavior create consistency all of the children in your class. They will be able to predict what the outcome of their behavior will be. Being consistent with consequences is the key to minimizing unacceptable behaviors. As often as possible, ignore irritating or frustrating behaviors. Limit reacting only to behaviors that are dangerous or cannot otherwise be ignored. Many children will repeat behaviors simply to get attention, even if that attention is negative, so it’s vital to limit the negative attention to behaviors that simply cannot be ignored.
The best way to create an environment of cooperation is by “catching children being good”. Constantly and consistently recognizing appropriate behaviors encourages children to repeat the behaviors you would like to see more of. Concentrate on two or three behaviors that you would really like to see more of (cleaning up a center when they’re done and walking safely through the classroom, for example) and make a show of rewarding children doing those things with praise and possibly even a tangible incentive such as a sticker.
When encountering challenging behaviors another thing to take a look at is the schedule. Take some time to ask yourself these questions: Is there too much structured time? Is there too much time where the children must decide on their own what to do? Is there a balance of active and quiet activities? Are the children expected to wait for long periods of time?
Many of us overlook transitions when we are planning our schedules and activities. Transitions are often a time when challenging behaviors erupt because children may not be ready to change activities, they may not know what they should do, or they may simply be bored because they are waiting for the rest of the class. Use a fun song to alert the children that it's time to transition, instead of yelling to them. Try "The More We Get Together" or another familiar song. It will take several days for the children to recognize this as the signal for a transition, but eventually, once the children hear the first few words, they will join you in alerting the rest of the class that it's time to move on.
Try to limit the amount of time the children need to wait, but in a large group waiting is inevitable, so make fun of it! Have something easily accessible for the children to do while waiting. For example, use permanent marker to write letters on unifix cubes to spell each child's name. Have these names stored in a bucket near the large group area so that when the children are waiting for everyone to arrive they can practice building their names. When waiting in line, play simon says, sing a silly song or create a clapping pattern that you repeat each time you're waiting. Here is one example of a song that can be sung while waiting:
I'm so bored that I could cry,
Why am I waiting?
Why, why, why?
I need something fun to do,
Kiss the dog or eat a shoe!
Something better happen fast!
I'm so bored I may not last!
Use transition times to create patience, but it is appropriate to admit that waiting can be boring and frustrating, especially when you're waiting for children who are being uncooperative. If the children have something silly they can do to express this, you will be less likely to encounter challenging behaviors.
Consider these questions when you are planning for tranistions: Are you allowing adequate time for transitions? Are you planning activities for transition times? Are you giving sufficient warning that a transition is about to take place and telling them what will be expected of them? Are there too many transitions in your day? Which transitions could you eliminate?
By thoughtfully planning out your schedule, room design, rules and consequence/reward system, you will be significantly cutting back on the amount of challenging behaviors you must deal with each day. You must remain flexible. When something is not working the way you'd like, look at the reasons behind it and consider making a change. Making changes during the school year typically presents some obstacles, but it is well worth the effort to have a smoothly functioning classroom full of engaged learners.
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