Early Years Bulletin, Winter 2014

Early Years BulletinWinter 2014

vol 2, no 2

Contentsp. 2Focus on Infants& Toddlers:Taming Temper Tantrums: Toddlers’ Development of Self-Regulation

p. 5 Suggested Books About Emotions for Infants & Toddlers

p. 6Children’s Books

p. 9 Focus onPre-K & K:Positive Guidance Strategies

Child care providers, especially those caring for infants and very young children, know the importance of forging a strong relationship with

the parents of children in their care. These relationships should be built on mutual respect and trust. Parents and child care providers must work together to keep children on a routine and promote learning and socialization.

Often, parents must return to work shortly after the birth of a new child; they are likely to be feeling unsure and anxious at this time. Open communication is especially important with new parents, because they themselves may not yet know how they would like their babies to be cared for and nurtured. Below are a few guidelines to help you build a strong foundation of communication and mutual respect with nervous new mothers and fathers.

• Cultivate respectful and open lines of communication – where pos-sible, send photos and updates of the child’s progress, and keep a journal to share information about children’s day-to-day activities with their parents.

• If the parents seem unsure, offer support and guidance. You’ve cared for many infants over your lifetime, but this may be their first time! Offer to share your knowledge, but remain respectful of par-ents’ own preferences.

• Be empathic about the new mothers’ and fathers’ overactive nerves. Most will find it very difficult to leave their child in the care of anoth-er—no matter how qualified. Show that you understand their con-cerns, and describe your role as an additional person to provide love and support to the child. Parents will be happy for another loving presence in their child’s life.

Child Care Providers and New Parents:Building a Strong Foundation

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Early Years Bulletin Winter 2015

Sarah and her 2-year-old daughter, Mikayla, are walking in a hurry out of a grocery store when Mikayla points to a pack of crackers and mumbles. Sarah calmly tells Mikayla that it is almost dinner time, promising to fix her favorite dinner once they get home. Before they reach the store exit, however, Mikayla goes limp, resisting their departure. When Sarah stops to pick up Mikayla, the toddler starts wailing and fighting Sarah’s grip while pointing to the checkout aisle where the packs of crackers are. Sarah begins to feel angry and frustrated as she tries to control Michaela’s temper tantrum, desperately trying to calm her down.

Temper tantrums are common in children, beginning around age 15 to 18 months and sometimes even

earlier. Tantrum behaviors range from crying and screaming to more severe actions like breath holding and head banging. In most cases, these fits are developmental, as a child’s emotional and verbal immaturity collides with the desire for independence and autonomy. Such temper tantrums are among the most common childhood behavioral problems reported by parents and caregivers. Toddlers are experiencing significant developmental milestones. They are beginning to perceive themselves as individuals; at the same time, improving motor skills and balance make it possible for them to move, reach, experiment, and explore their surroundings. Such expressions of autonomy typically elicit “No” from parents and caregivers, often causing distress in toddlers.

In the opening vignette, the mother did not want her daughter to eat a snack so close to dinner time. Her refusal challenged the toddler’s competency and autonomy. As the girl could not understand why she was being told “No,” she became frustrated. Adult expectations that toddlers will be able to demonstrate impulse control and self-regulation, as well as delayed gratification, often result in emotional meltdowns. This article will focus on the influence that self-regulation, emotional regulation, and emotional competency have on temper tantrums, and offer practical suggestions for how practitioners can deal with children’s emotional outbursts.

Self-RegulationSelf-regulation is the ability to monitor and manage our thinking, attention, feelings, and behavior in order to accomplish our goals. The development of self-regulation involves the child’s ability to control bodily functions, manage emotions, and maintain focus and attention. We see self-regulation when an energetic child sits down to read a book after an active playground time or when an upset child calms him/herself down with a security object, such as a beloved teddy bear or a blanket. Self-regulation is also the set of processes children use to exercise control over inner emotional states, which is essential for social and emotional competence. Development of executive functions in the brain is also necessary for self-regulation. The development of self-regulation occurs in the pre-frontal cortex, which is located in the front of our brain.

Taming Temper Tantrums:Toddlers’ Development of Self-Regulation

by Nur Tanyel, University of South Carolina Upstate

Focus on Infants & Toddlerseditors: Laura Hooks & Nur Tanyel

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Winter 2015 Early Years Bulletin

This vital brain region does not finish developing until we reach our mid-20s. Consequently, young children usually have difficulty controlling their impulses. With sensitive and responsive caregiving strategies, however, adults can help children develop strategies for promoting and im-proving self-regulation.

Self-Regulation and TemperamentResearch suggests that some attributes of our temperament are biological and evident at birth. Right from the start, babies demonstrate unique ways of expressing their feelings and responding to the world around them. Some children are temperamentally inclined to be highly active, highly sensitive, and highly intense. Such temperamental traits have an impact on the development of self-regulation and the intensity and the duration of temper tantrums.

Two-year-old Haley has not stopped moving since the day she

joined her child care program. Every time her caregiver, Jenny, turns

around, Haley is climbing on a shelf, grabbing toys, and touching

other children; she especially loves swinging her arms and legs to her

own rhythm. Jenny sometime feels exasperated by Haley’s high level

of activity. One day, Haley walks in with a bandage on her knee and

says, “I hurt and I cried and cried.” “I see that,” replies Jenny, looking at

Haley’s mom for explanation. “Haley jumped off the jungle gym at the

park and scraped her knee this weekend,” Haley’s mom says.

Although Haley seems highly active for a 2-year-old, she was expressing her normal temperamental traits. While caring for a child who demonstrates high or low extremes of temperamental traits can be challenging, the goal should not be to protect and shield the child from those situations by constantly saying “no” or “stop,” which may not only restrict the child, causing distress, but also create barriers to valuable learning opportunities that can help children master self-regulation and understand social expectations. Developing responsive and trusting relationships with the child and providing activities that will satisfy his/her temperamental inclinations in a safe environment is critical for the development of self-regulation.

Self-Regulation and Emotional Regulation The intensity of children’s emotional reactions is also determined by their temperament. Adults who model

the expression of emotions in acceptable ways within the cultural context help children develop awareness of different emotions. With this awareness, children eventually begin to identify and control their strong feelings themselves. When toddlers’ emotions become uninhibited and impulsive, adults can help young children gain control and develop emotional regulation by recognizing, labeling, and understanding their emotions.

One mid-morning in the toddler room, four children are finishing up

morning snack at the table with their caregiver, Natalie. Travis and

Elena are working on a puzzle separately when the other teacher,

Kelly, notices Travis walk up to the window. All of a sudden, Elena

starts screaming and crying because Travis is walking away with a

puzzle piece from Elena’s puzzle in his hand. Natalie asks Elena what

happened. Elena rolls on the floor and screams even louder. Natalie

holds Elena in her lap and asks, “Are you angry?” Elena responds with

a loud cry and extends an arm to reach for the puzzle piece. Natalie

asks, “Do you want Travis to give your puzzle piece back?” Elena stops

screaming and nods in between her sobs. Natalie suggests, “Then let’s

ask Travis to give your puzzle piece back.” Natalie turns to Travis, who

was watching from a corner of the room, and asks, “Will you please

give Elena’s puzzle piece back?” Travis walks over and hands Elena the

puzzle piece. Natalie says, “There you are.” Then she adds, “Next time

say, ‘Travis, give it back.’ “ Elena nods again, wiping the tears off her

face. Her meltdown is over as suddenly as it began.

Natalie’s calm approach with Elena, in which she recognized and labeled the toddler’s angry feelings, helped Elena not only recognize her own feelings, but also raised awareness of her emotional state. With Natalie’s guidance, Elena gained control of her emotions. It is important for adults to pay attention to internal and external triggers in order to help toddlers develop emotional regulation. A trigger is an object or an event that stimulates emotional arousal. An internal trigger can be feeling hungry or tired, and an external trigger may be being interrupted or teased. For Elena, Travis walking away with her puzzle piece was an external trigger. Mikayla’s grocery store meltdown was an internal trigger caused by Mikayla’s hunger and tiredness. Most children appear to be born with the ability to calm themselves in times of stress (e.g., sucking their thumbs or holding a security object). As children get older, their feelings and self-calming devices progress from thumb-sucking to labeling and expressing feelings. They gain

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this self-regulation through the support of sensitive and responsive relationships with adults.

How to Help Toddlers Develop Self-RegulationAdults play a critical role in modeling appropriate responses, setting reasonable expectations, and promoting children’s self-regulation. The following recommendations are ways in which adults can help toddlers learn emotional control and develop self-regulation.

•Spend time with individual children to understand their temperamental attributes. Close observation and personal attention will provide insight into the child’s temperament and provide clues to activities that will help children organize their emotions. For a highly active child, dancing to a record would be a suitable activity. If the child’s temperamental trait is low in activity, being held while watching the other children play and dance might be an appropriate strategy.

•Learn to read children’s external and internal triggers. Toddlers give many cues and clues about how they feel throughout the day. Observant adults label the toddlers’ emotions communicated through verbal and nonverbal cues. An adult might say, “Oh, my! Your fists are clenched—you look angry.” Or, “You have teary eyes, are you sad?” Reading children’s facial expressions and body language and then labeling the feeling will help toddlers recognize the emotion and learn to regulate their intense emotions.

•Respond to individual differences by providing a predictable environment. An established routine that is responsive to children’s temperamental traits will help them maintain smooth transitions, minimizing external triggers that may cause temper tantrums. Additionally, such environments will help toddlers understand the limits as well as expected behaviors. If a child screams in order to get attention, then a clear reminder will communicate the expected behavior to the toddler, such as, “Screaming hurts our ears and we do not like that. Please use your inside voice and tell us what you need.”

•Recognize that children’s needs are important. Show empathy to help children develop self-calming strategies. A caring adult might say, “I understand that you are angry because your floor puzzle that you worked so hard on got kicked and now the pieces are

all scattered. Would you like me or another friend to help you to put it together again?”

•Demonstrate emotional expression and self-regulation by reading books that contain emotional vocabulary and situations. Using exaggerated facial expressions and voices relevant to each type of emotion will help toddlers not only develop emotional vocabulary and learn to label their own emotions as well as emotional expressions. Eventually, children will begin to recognize and empathize with others’ feelings.

•Show children how to regain emotional stability by offering closeness and security. When children have difficulty expressing their feelings, adults may help by clarifying and/or elaborating on their intentions. Adults may help an upset toddler by saying, “I can see that you are frustrated. How can I help you?” or “Can you show me what you need?” or “I cannot understand you when you try to talk and cry at the same time. Take a deep breath. Now tell me what is upsetting you.” It will also help the child if the adult demonstrates how to take a deep breath and stays close to the child.

It is not always possible to stop a toddler’s temper tantrum. However, a sensitive and responsive approach to the situation will help toddlers understand, label, and express their emotions in a social and cultural context. When adults are tuned into children’s emotional cues and temperament, and provide consistency and predictability in the environment, they will promote emotional learning and self-regulation.

ResourcesBerk, L. (2012). Infants and children: Prenatal through middle childhood.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Chess, S. (1990). Temperament of infants and toddlers. In R. Lally

(Ed.), A guide to social-emotional growth and socialization (pp. 4-13).

Sacramento, CA: WestEd for the California Department of Education.

Katz, J. E. (2014). Guiding children’s social and emotional development: A

reflective approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Potegal, M., & Davidson, R. J. (2003). Temper tantrums in young

children: Behavioral composition. Developmental and Behavioral

Pediatrics, 24, 140-154. doi:0196-206x/00/2403-0140

Reinberger, S. (2008). Tempering tantrums. Scientific American Mind, 19,

72-77.

Thompson, R. A. (2009). Doing what doesn’t come naturally: The

development of self-regulation. Zero to Three, 30, 33-39.

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The Story of My FeelingsBy Laurie Berkner

My Many Colored Days By Dr. Seuss

When I Feel AngryBy Cornelia Maude Spelman

FeelingsBy Aliki

Lots of FeelingsBy Shelly Rotner

The Feelings BookBy Todd Parr

Suggested Books About Emotions for Infants & Toddlers

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Lies, BrianBATS IN THE BAND. ISBN 978-0-544-10569-0. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. 32 pp. $17.99. This delightful book combines engaging illustrations of bats with a rhyming text. As a fictional look at bats, it would be a good addition to a classroom library to complement informational texts. It could be an alternative to the usual Halloween books. The bats journey to an empty theater and play a concert using musical instruments, both typical ones (e.g., a guitar) and not so typical (e.g., a peanut violin). The bats in the audience enjoy the music and have opportunities to purchase concert posters and t-shirts. When the sun starts to rise, all the bats fly home to sleep until the next concert. Ages 4-8.

Drummond, Ree & deGroat, DianeCHARLIE AND THE NEW BABY. ISBN 978-0-06-229750-1. New York, NY: HarperCollins Press, 2014. 31 pp. $17.99. This is another installment in the life of Charlie, a beagle who is king of the ranch where he lives. Charlie enjoys a lot of attention until a baby calf is born. The baby calf needs help and suddenly Charlie’s family is paying attention to the calf, wrapping it in Charlie’s blanket, hand-feeding it, and giving it a bath. Charlie is jealous and howls to scare the calf. In the end, however, the calf goes outside and Charlie resumes his place as king. This book offers an entertaining lesson in sibling jealousy. Several pages without text give children opportunities to predict what will happen next in the story. Ages 4-8.

Adderson, Caroline & Leng, QinNORMAN SPEAK! ISBN 978-1-55498-322-3. Berkeley, CA: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, 2014. 32 pp. $17.95. Norman is a stray dog at the animal shelter. When a little boy and his family adopt him, Norman is

so happy he wags his entire body, not just his stumpy tail. The family soon discovers that Norman cannot obey commands and does not even know his name. They begin to wonder about how smart Norman might be. However, a chance encounter at the park with another dog owner demonstrates that Norman responds perfectly to commands in CHINESE! Norman’s new family learns enough Chinese words to give Norman commands and are grateful they have such a smart dog. This book will help both native and non-native English speakers recognize that language is not a barrier to being friends. Ages 4-7.

Arnold, TeddFIX THIS MESS! ISBN 978-0-8234-2942-4. New York, NY: Holiday House, 2014. 32 pp. $14.95. This “I Like to Read” book is perfect for beginning readers, with colorful illustrations and limited text. Jake, the owner of Robug, a robot bug, hopes his robot will clean up everything, but instead Robug makes matters worse. In the end, Jake is the one who cleans up his own mess. This is part of a series of “I Like to Read” books that will engage the most reluctant early reader. Ages 5-8.

Garland, MichaelTUGBOAT. 978-0-8234-2866-3. New York, NY: Holiday House, 2014. 32 pp. $16.95. This is another book by Michael Garland that builds vocabulary. The text is limited and simple so it could be used as an early reader. It is an informational text that uses authentic drawings to define and describe the work of the captain, crew, dockworkers, and eight different kinds of boats that are typically seen at a New York harbor. It also provides information about one of the bridges that crosses the Harlem River. This book would be a great addition to a classroom library in an urban setting. Ages 5-7.

Children’s BooksSusan Catapano, University of North Carolina-Wilmington

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Lee, H. Chuku & Cummings, PatBEAUTY AND THE BEAST (A RETELLING). ISBN 978-0-688-14819-5. New York, NY: Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2014. 32 pp. $17.99. This “Beauty and the Beast” retelling is set in West Africa. The illustrations are lush and the story is fast-paced. Beauty agrees to stay with the Beast to spare her father’s life. She returns home when her father is dying, promising the Beast that she will return. She breaks her promise at first, but then she returns only to find the Beast dying. As she declares her love for him, he turns into a handsome prince. This book would be a good source when comparing fairytales from across the world. Ages 4-8.

Hall, MichaelIT’S AN ORANGE AARDVARK! ISBN 978-0-06-225206-7. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2014. 40 pp. $17.99. Five little ants are hard at work, making holes in their stump, when one asks what they will do if an aardvark is outside with his long tongue ready to eat them. They start to see different colors through the holes they have cut and wonder what is outside. This concept book will reinforce color knowledge and help children to predict what comes next. The ants guess what each color they see might mean about what is outside; when they finally come out, they see a rainbow. The text is minimal and the illustrations are done in collage style. Ages 4-8.

Vernick, Audrey & Burris, PriscillaEDGAR’S SECOND WORD. ISBN 978-0-547-68462-8. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. 32 pp. $16.99. This is the story of Hazel, who is excited about the arrival of her new baby brother. She is disappointed, however, when she realizes he cannot talk. Finally, Edgar says his first word, “NO!” Then, he says it for everything. Hazel cannot wait until he has a second word. Finally, after screaming “NO!” for days, Edgar says his second word. After Hazel finishes reading him a story, he says, “Again.” This book would be appropriate for children who are welcoming a new sibling. It has minimal print and could be an early reader. Ages 4-8.

Amado, Elisa & Monroy, ManuelWHY ARE YOU DOING THAT? ISBN 978-1-55498-453-4. Berkeley, CA: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press,

2014. 28 pp. $16.95. Chepito is an inquisitive little boy who asks questions of everyone he meets. The story is set in a rural community and the characters are of Latino/a background. Most of the story is about the food that is grown, cooked, and eaten in Chepito’s community. This book would be a good addition to a library at a school where children come from diverse backgrounds. Ages 4-7.

Adler, David A. & Miller, EdwardMILLIONS, BILLIONS, & TRILLIONS: Understanding Big Numbers. ISBN 978-0-8234-2403-0. New York, NY: Holiday House, 2014. 32 pp. $17.95. This mathematics book discusses large numbers and provides the reader with practical applications to make abstract amounts more concrete. Simple experiments help the reader realize how many items are in such large quantities. The book also gives the reader mathematics problems to calculate in order to help them make sense of the large numbers. This book is a great way to introduce large quantities to small children, but it would be best used as a teacher-shared, rather than a read-aloud, book. Ages 8-12.

Laden, NinaDADDY WRONG LEGS. ISBN 978-1-4521-1528-3. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2014. 10 pp. $6.99. This funny board book has split pages so the daddies can have different legs. Matching the top of the book, which includes pictures of the faces and upper bodies of the daddies, with the lower part of the book, which has pictures the lower bodies and the legs, will give children an opportunity to practice matching and grasping concepts of part-to-whole. The book is sturdy and ideal for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Ages 0-5.

Guittet, MaryseA TREE FOR ALL SEASONS. ISBN 978-2-8480-1945-1. Paris, France: Twirl, 2014. 8 pp. $9.99. This board book is cut like a tree, with each page showing a separate season of the year in the life of the tree. The pages feature small pictures of things that are typically found in a tree, so it supports vocabulary development. A flap opens on each page as well, where a hidden animal can be found. This is another ideal book for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Ages 1-6.

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McPhail, DavidBROTHERS. ISBN 978-0-544-30200-6. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. 32 pp. $12.99. McPhail’s Brothers is the companion book to Sisters. This small book is the story of two brothers who get along, squabble, blame each other, and are alike, as well as different. No matter what, however, the two brothers stick together. This book is a great family book to share with children in preschool and primary grades. The brothers’ adventures will resonate with young children. Ages 4-8.

Brett, JeannieWILD ABOUT BEARS. ISBN 978-1-58089-418-0. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2014. 32 pp. $17.95. This informational text about the eight species of bears in the world covers polar bears to the North American brown bear. The book has beautifully drawn illustrations and provides factual information about the physical traits and behavior of all bears. Each species of bear is discussed in detail. A map shows where bears can be found around the world and a habitat guide describes their habitats. The book ends with a list of resources for further explorations. Ages 6-9.

Dean, JamesPETE THE CAT: Old MacDonald Had a Farm. 978-06-219873-0. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2014. 32 pp. $9.99. Dean’s new look at a well-loved nursery rhyme, Old MacDonald Had a Farm, features his popular character, Pete the Cat. Pete is dressed like a farmer and is shown all over the farm playing the guitar and singing the nursery rhyme. This version livens up the old story with a new twist by using Pete. Ages 4-8.

Lum, Kate & Hellard, SuePRINCESSES ARE NOT JUST PRETTY. 978-1-59990-778-9. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2014. 32 pp. $16.99. Three princesses, Allie, Libby, and Mellie, argue over who is the prettiest princess. They decide to hold a beauty contest to determine the prettiest princess. They each carefully prepare for the contest. As each is heading to the contest, however, they are challenged to help save a creature in distress. As a result of their selfless acts, the animals are saved and they arrive at the contest covered in dirt, goo, and stench. The story

focuses the reader’s attention on the fact that princesses are not just pretty; they also can be heroes. Ages 3-6.

Boyle, BobROSIE & REX: A Nose for Fun. 978-0-06-221131-6. New York: NY: HarperCollins, 2014. 40 pp. $15.99. Rosie and Rex are best friends until they cannot agree on what to play. Rex wants to play with robots and Rosie wants to play princess ballerina tea party. When a giant robot invites both Rosie and Rex to a princess ballerina tea party, Rosie thinks robots are fun and Rex agrees to play. Ages 4-8.

Lester, Helen & Munsinger, LynnTHE WIZARD, THE FAIRY, AND THE MAGIC CHICKEN. 978-0-544-22064-5. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. 32 pp. $8.99. This book is a story about teamwork. The three characters—the wizard, the fairy, and the magic chicken—compete about who has the best magic powers. They each create a more terrifying monster than the next until the monsters chase them. In the end, they combine their powers to protect each other from the monsters. Ages 4-8.

Dodd, EmmaFOXY IN LOVE. ISBN 978-06-201422-1. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2014. 40 pp. $17.99. Foxy has a magic tail he can swish to grant wishes. Emily, a little girl, names all the things she loves as she draws a Valentine’s Day card. With each thing she mentions, Foxy swishes his big tale and makes the item appear. He is hoping she will say she loves him, but she doesn’t mention him. Finally, at the end, Foxy asks Emily who she loves. Then, of course, she says she loves him. Ages 4-8.

Nelson, KadirBABY BEAR. ISBN 978-0-06-224172-6. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2014. 40 pp. $17.99. Another beautifully illustrated book by Kadir Nelson, Baby Bear follows the bear as he tries to find his way back home. He approaches a variety of animals to ask for directions. The pictures are luminous, capturing the baby bear’s fear as he struggles to find his way home. After an adventure through the forest and a swim across the river, baby bear climbs a tree and finds his way home. Ages 4-8.

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Ms. Priscilla checks her classroom before the children arrive this morning. She has taken great care in designing her classroom—she has enough materials, provides lots of choice throughout the school day, and the materials are well-organized and labeled so children know where things belong. She also has planned her schedule with great care, ensuring that she has enough time to attend to the chil-dren by listening and teaching appropriate social skills. Ms. Priscilla is expecting a new student, Johnny, today. She has prepared materials to share with Johnny’s mother that outline the positive guidance strategies she uses in the classroom. When Johnny arrives, she shows him to his cub-by and reviews the morning routine using a picture sched-ule. Ms. Priscilla takes Johnny by the hand and shows him the learning centers, introduces him to the other students, and explains the classroom rules. Ms. Priscilla reviews the classroom rules periodically during morning meeting to ensure that children know what to do. Because Johnny is new, she reviews her system for center time, explaining how children choose a center and what to do when chil-dren are finished playing with materials.

The highest quality early childhood programs and schools in the United States and abroad advocate

the use of positive guidance, which is based on the belief that any means of child guidance should focus on building a child’s self-control and self-esteem rath-er than using corporal punishment or unreasonable discipline. The purpose of this article is to examine and explain the use of seven guidance strategies, using ex-

amples in an early childhood setting, as illustrated in the beginning vignette. These guidance strategies include prevention, teaching the children appropriate behavior, changing the physical environment, ignoring inappro-priate behavior, redirection, active listening, and conflict resolution/problem solving.

The Role of the TeacherPositive guidance strategies begin with teachers. The purpose of positive guidance is to preserve the dignity of the child while guiding the child to the appropriate behavior. Teachers who set limits and communicate effectively, supporting children through verbal and non-verbal messages, can be most effective in using positive guidance. It is important to recognize our own belief system and culture. Each culture has a different set of beliefs and standards, so what may be acceptable to one person may not necessarily be acceptable to another. It is also important for teachers to recognize the signs of stress, anxiety, or strong emotions in young children. Some examples of stress and anxiety in a child may be: illness, withdrawal, acting out, and becoming disinter-ested in classroom activities. These signs may indicate an inappropriate use of positive guidance and discipline.

Positive Guidance Strategies Prevention. The first strategy for positive guidance in a school setting is prevention. To prevent problems, the teacher or parent must develop a set of limits or bound-aries for children in their environment, both at home, at school, and in public areas. These limits must be clear, concise, and meaningful for children. The limits should focus on very specific things. For example, asking chil-

Positive Guidance Strategiesby Michelle DeMeulenaere, Instruction Specialist, Catholic Schools Office

Focus on Pre-K and Keditors: Jennifer Baumgartner & Cynthia DiCarlo

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dren to wash their hands prior to eating and after toilet-ing is a very clear limit. Clear use of language includes substituting negative language with positive language. Limits tell the children what you want them to do, rather than what not to do. For example, say “Use walking feet indoors,” instead of, “Stop running.” Teachers should give short, clear, and reasonable limits. Adults and children may have different ideas about what particular terms mean; providing examples can prevent confusion. Post-ing pictorial details of the limits with the related words in the classroom will also help the children remember and visualize the limits and boundaries. Children also need time to process information about the limits. If a child is not following the classroom rules, don’t yell across the room. Instead, walk over to the child and gen-tly tell them what they need to do. Teach Appropriate Behavior. Children depend on their caregivers to model the language associated with the appropriate behavior. For example, if a child is hitting, the teacher may say, “Use your soft touches.” Positive relationships and high-quality supportive systems in which adults model social skills and emotional regula-tion teach children how to regulate their own behavior. Preschool children may need to have practice sessions with appropriate, positive verbal and physical behaviors. Teachers can give cues or signals, verbally or nonverbal-ly, when children need to change their behavior. Physical Environment. Offering the children choices will help them feel as though they have some control of the classroom, thus increasing the likelihood of desired behavior. Children may have behavior problems if there are not enough materials (leading to arguments about use) or too many materials (leading to overstimulation), or if they do not know how to self-soothe. Teachers can adapt and change schedules, materials, and supplies in order to prevent recurring problems. Adding materials to a discovery area may prevent arguments over materi-als, while removing some choices from a classroom can prevent the children from becoming overstimulated. Other classroom physical changes can involve room arrangement, management systems for the discovery areas, and a place for a child to get away from everyone and be alone. Children may benefit from instruction in taking a deep breath or taking some time in the quiet area before returning to the classroom activity. Ignore Inappropriate Behavior. Teachers must be careful not to reinforce negative behavior by acknowledging it.

For example, a student who is tapping his pencil in the classroom may be doing so to get the negative atten-tion from the teacher and other students. If the behavior is not acknowledged, the student will become tired and stop the behavior. Behaviors that are safe to ignore are whining, arguing, or a child’s effort to distract or make the teacher angry. Behaviors that are harmful to chil-dren or to their friends cannot be ignored and must be addressed immediately by the teacher. It is best for the teacher to call the child away from the other children in order discuss the behavior and what is appropriate. It is important for the teacher to stress to the student that these types of behaviors can be destructive, dangerous, and hurtful to others. The caregiver should also state the expected positive behavior that they wish to see from the child. Redirection. Redirection is a form of distraction in which the teacher distracts the child from an unaccept-able behavior by leading him to a more appropriate ac-tivity. Redirection can be a very effective tool in a school environment. For the more mature student, redirection may involve substituting one venue for another. For example, if a child wants to spit, the teacher should sug-gest an appropriate place to spit (e.g., the toilet). Active Listening. This strategy is the most difficult for the teacher and the student. In this strategy, the teacher will focus and listen intently to what the student says, not offering solutions, but rather listening for the child’s feelings. By listening to children’s thoughts and feelings, the teacher can help them solve their own problems. Teachers can also learn to repeat what a child states and how that child thinks the problem could be solved. This type of active listening can be very powerful in helping students solve their own problems. In an early childhood environment, younger children do not have the language skills or experience to state the behavior, how they feel, and solutions to the problem. It is very important for the teacher to restate the child’s utterance with a simple statement of how the child can correct the situation. Conflict Resolution/Problem Solving. Teachers should intervene with children who are having problems with one another and teach them how to resolve those prob-lems by discussing their thoughts and feelings about the issue. Each child has an opportunity to state the problem from their perspective and to suggest what they should do to correct the problem. The problem

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then becomes a shared issue that the two children, with a caregiver’s intervention, can solve. This strategy can be difficult for younger children as they may lack the logic necessary to infer cause and effect. It is not until the age of 4 or 5 that a child has the ability to distinguish cause and effect. With younger children and children with language deficiencies, the teacher may need to help the child with the language to state the problem and pro-vide solutions.

ConclusionTeachers play a critical role in guiding children’s behav-ior; they should strive to support children in finding positive ways to express their wants, needs, views, and feelings. It is very important to look beyond a child’s in-appropriate behavior. Children present challenging be-haviors when they are having difficulty expressing their wants and needs, and experience a range of emotions when they are not getting the attention they need from the adults in their lives. Teachers may respond positively by using and practicing positive guidance, teaching the children appropriate behavior, changing the physical environment, ignoring the behavior, redirecting, prac-ticing active listening, and offering conflict resolution/

problem solving. Teachers must be compassionate and caring, and preserve the dignity of the child. Teachers who model and use positive guidance strategies help children learn appropriate language and socially ac-ceptable ways of interacting with others. Students learn self-control and how to manage their own behavior. Through these positive guidance strategies, children will learn valuable social and emotional skills for working with others without damaging their self-esteem.

ResourcesBurton, R., Jacobvitz, D., Piazza, L., Saunders, R., & Swann,

N. (2013). Maternal knowledge and behaviors regard-ing discipline: The effectiveness of a hands-on educa-tion program in positive guidance. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 22, 322-334.

Carter, D., Norman, R., & Tredwell, C. (2011). Pro-gram-wide positive behavior support in preschool: Lessons for getting started. Early Childhood Education, 38, 349-355.

Kuo, C. (2011). A study on organizational innovations’s positive effects on the cultivation of young children’s reasoning abilities. International Journal of Organiza-tional Innovation, 3(3), 119-142.

Measuring Learning:A Catalog and Comparison of Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS)Child Trends, along with other partners, has recently created the QRIS Compendium, which catalogues and compares different systems used across the United States to rate early care and education programs and strategies to elevate the quality of care to support and improve children’s development. It is a resource designed to inform administrators, poli-cymakers, researchers, and others about ratings systems, use of observational tools, and more. The Compendium also includes 50 “State Profiles” with information on quality ratings systems in each U.S. state. http://qriscompendium.org/

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Safe and secure places for living and learning, with access to health care, clothing, shelter, and nutritious food

Strong families and loving, consistent caregivers

Social interactions and friendships

Creative play and physical activity

Appreciation and stewardship of the natural environment

Creative expression through music, dance, drama, and the other arts

Education that develops the full capacities of the child—cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and ethical

Supportive, nurturing, child-friendly communities

Growing independence and decision making

Children and youth participating in community life.

Every child in every nation deserves a childhood

full of hope, joy, freedom, and promise for the future. The

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Early Years Bulletin, ISSN 2333-6226, is published quarterly by the Association for Childhood Education International, 1101 16th St., N.W., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036.

Articles published in Early Years Bulletin represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions taken by the Associ-ation for Childhood Education International.

Copyright © 2014 by the Association for Childhood Education International. No permission is needed to reproduce materials for education purposes.

ACEI HEADQUARTERS STAFF:Diane P. Whitehead, Executive DirectorMichelle Allen, Director of OperationsAnne Watson Bauer, Editor/Director of PublicationsBanhi Bhattacharya, Director of Professional Development Emebet G/Micheal, Accounting ManagerOlivia Kent, Communications ManagerDeborah Jordan Kravitz, Production EditorSheri Levin, Member Relations ManagerYvette Murphy, Director of Advocacy and OutreachNana Oppong, Director of DevelopmentDione Walters, Membership AssistantAlyson Zimbler, Development Coordinator

Documents

Early Years Bulletin, Winter 2014