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Reach for the Stars

• On a sticky, jot down the challenging behavior that pushes your “HOT BUTTON”.

• Think about a child who exhibits this behavior

• How do you feel when around this child?

• We have trouble separating the child from the behavior. We see the child as the challenge.

Individual-small group activity…

• Reframe it! When we reframe our thoughts, we feel differently about the child.

• Instead of: “This child is a monster! I hope he moves far away!”

• Tell yourself: “He is testing me to see where the limits are. My job is to stay calm and help him learn better ways to behave.”

• Instead of: “Wonder if Sheetz is hiring?”• Tell yourself: “I feel undervalued right now. I

need to talk to my supervisor and get support.”

Large group activity…

Challenging behaviors

• Interfere with children’s learning, development and/or play

• Are harmful to the child or others around them

• Put the child at risk for future social and school challenges

Challenging behaviors

• Can be either direct or indirect– Direct:• Hitting, pushing, pinching, spitting, etc.

– Indirect:• Bullying, teasing, ignoring rules, refusing to

share, excluding others, etc.

• Pregnancy and birth complications• Prenatal exposure to toxic substances• Developmental delays• Improper nourishment• Attention issues• Temperament• Gender• Poverty and social conditions surrounding it• Exposure to violence• Parenting style, family factors• Low quality child care

Sources of challenging behaviors:

• Confidence• Ability to develop positive and healthy

relationships with peers and adults• Concentration and persistence on

challenging tasks• Ability to effectively communicate

emotions• Ability to listen to instructions and be

attentive• Ability to solve social problems

Skills children need to succeed

• Challenging behavior usually has a message (I am bored, I am sad, you hurt my feelings, I need some attention)

• Children often use challenging behavior when they don’t have the social or communication skills they need to engage in more appropriate interactions

• Behavior that persists over time is usually working for the child

• We need to focus on teaching children what to do in place of the challenging behavior

What we know…

Promoting children’s success

• Create an environment where EVERY child feels good about coming to school

• Design an environment that promotes child engagement

• Focus on teaching children what to do!– Teach expectations and routines– Teach skills that children can use in

place of challenging behaviors

Designing Supportive Environments

Social Emotional Teaching

Strategies

Individualized Intensive

Interventions

Building Positive Relationships

Center on the Social Emotional Foundations of Early Learning

Only 3-10% of children will

have persistent challengesIntentional

teaching of social skills and emotional regulation

High quality ECE programs

should naturally

support this!

Major Messages

• The 1st and most important thing we can do is build positive relationships

• Focus on prevention and teaching appropriate skills.

• Promoting social emotional development is not easy. There are no quick fixes to challenging behavior.

• It requires a comprehensive approach that includes building relationships, evaluating our own classrooms and behaviors, and TEACHING.

Building Positive Relationships

• Helps children feel accepted in the group• Assists children and learning to

communicate get along with others• Encourages feelings of empathy and

mutual respect among children and adults• Provides a supportive environment in

which children can learn practice appropriate and acceptable behaviors as individuals and as a group

Building relationships

“Every child needs one person who is crazy about

him.”~Uri Bronfrenbrenner

Food for thought…

Play

Time &

Attention

Home

visits

Share

Empathy Notes

home

Happy

Grams

First National Bank of Relationship

Ideas for making deposits

• Greet each child by name as they arrive• Post children’s work around the room• Have a “star” of the week• Allow children to bring in items from home

and share during circle time• Call it the child’s parent in front of them to

say what a great day they are having• Call a child after a difficult day and say, “I’m

sorry we had a tough day today. I know tomorrow will be better”

Ideas for making deposits

• Give hugs, high-fives and thumbs up for accomplishing tasks• When they are absent, tell them how much

you missed them• Write on a T-shirt all the special things

about a given child and let them wear it• Find out a child’s favorite book and read it

to the whole class• Play with children, following their lead• Have children create an “All About Me”

book and share them at circle time

The bank deposit…

• Child level• Taps into interests• Knows about their ‘world’• Facial expressions, excitement• Shares personal experiences• Engaged in play• Joke and laugh

Designing Supportive Environments

Traffic patterns:• Minimize large open spaces• Minimize obstacles and other hazards• Consider the needs of children with

physical and sensory disabilities

Question… how does the following picture address physical and sensory issues?

Classroom arrangement and design

Learning Centers: Physical Design• Clear boundaries• Visibility• Visual prompts when centers are not an

option• Adequate number of centers• Size and location of centers• Number of children in centers• Organization of materials• Preparation of centers

Classroom arrangement and design

Learning Centers:• Create meaningful and engaging

learning centers that: – Are relevant to children’s needs,

interests and lives– Are highly engaging and interesting– Provide a variety of materials in each

center– Are changed and rotated on a regular

basis

Classroom arrangement and design

• Is there a clear entry to each center?• Is each center inviting?• Are there enough materials? (3 units of play

per child in center)• Is there a system for entering and exiting

centers?• Are centers and materials/shelves labeled?• Is there a rotation of materials?• Are materials highly engaging?• Are the activities relevant to children’s

needs, interests and lives?

Stand in the center of the room…

Activity…

With a group of 3-4, discuss these two writing centers.

What strengths do they have? What are your concerns?

Activity… This is your circle time area. Put your class in it. What would happen?

Now… Redesign it!

Schedules and routines

Develop a schedule that promotes child engagement and success. To do this:

• Balance activities– Active and quiet– Small group and large group– Teacher directed and child directed

• Teach children the schedule• Establish a routine and follow it consistently

– When changes are necessary, prepare children ahead of time

Visual schedules

Change Diaper Wash Breakfast Music

Use real objects.

Visual schedules

Visual schedules

Visual schedules

1. Turn on water. 2. Wet hands.

3. Get soap. 4. Rinse hands.

5. Turn off water.

7. Throw away towel.

6. Dry hands.

8. Go play.

Activity Turn-Taking Cue

• You scheduled water play outside for today. Everyone is excited. Now there is a tornado warning and it’s raining.– What do you do?

Large group activity…

Plan for transitions• Minimize the number of transitions that children

have during the day.• Minimize the length of time children spend

waiting with nothing to do.• Prepare children for transitions by providing a

warning.• Structure the transitions so that children have

something to do while they wait.• Teach children the expectations related to

transitions.• Individualize supports and cues.

Transitions

The transition train…

• What did you see happen?

The transition train…

• What did you see happen?

• Timer transition

Transitions

• With a visual

Transitions

• With a choice

Transitions

Individual Schedule

First Then

• Make sure you have the children’s attention before you give the direction

• Minimize the number directions given• Individualize the way directions are

given• Give clear directions

Giving directions

Giving directions

• Give directions that are positive• Give children the opportunity to

respond to a direction• When appropriate, give the child

choices and options for following directions

• Follow through with positive acknowledgment of children’s behavior

• Few and simple• Involve the children in developing• Post visually• Teach them systematically• They generally address:– Noise level– Movement inside– Interactions with property– Interactions with adults– Interactions with peers

General guidelines for rules

• Rules Bingo• Make a big book about school rules• Playing “rule charades”

Fun ways to reinforce rules

Circle time rules

Rules…

• What did you see happen?

Rules…

• What did you see happen?

• Give children attention when they’re engaging inappropriate behaviors

• Monitor our behavior to ensure that we’re spending more time using positive, productive language and less time giving directions or correcting inappropriate behavior

Ongoing monitoring and positive attention

Positive Feedback and Encouragement

1. Contingent on appropriate behavior2. Descriptive3. Conveyed with enthusiasm4. Contingent on effort

Using positive feedback and encouragement

• Use both verbal and nonverbal forms • Individualized use based on child’s

needs and preferences• Encourage other adults and peers to

use positive feedback and encouragement

• Count the number of positive comments the teacher makes (and positive non-verbals)

• What types of comments and nonverbal behaviors did the teacher demonstrate?

Large group activity…

Positive attention…

• What did you see happen?

• Select one of the following scenarios and brainstorm ways you could encourage that child– Gabe hangs his coat up in his cubby– Cecilia sits down and draws a picture– Nolan washes his hands before lunch– Fatima keeps her hands to herself during

circle time– Zoe says, “Teacher… Look at me!” after

she built the tower of blocks

Small group activity…

Teaching Social Emotional Skills

• Why?• When?• What?

• We don’t ask why we teach letters and numbers. They need these skills to be successful in life

• Circle time, small group time, teachable moments, times of crisis

• How to be a good friend, sharing, listening, helping others, etc.

Identifying Teachable Moments

Stages of Learning

• Acquisition – new skill or concept• Fluency – the ability to immediately

use the skill or concept without a prompt

• Maintenance – continuing to use the skill or concept over time

• Generalization – applying the skill or concept to new situations, people, activities, ideas, and settings

Friendship Skills

• Think about children who are well liked and friendly…

• What do you notice about their behavior that makes it easier for them to make friends?

Friendship Skills

• Gives suggestions (play organizers)• Shares toys and other materials• Takes turns (reciprocity) • Is helpful• Gives compliments• Understands how and when to give

an apology• Begins to empathize

Play Organizers

• Describe skill– Get a friend’s attention– Give a friend a toy– Offer suggestions of what to do with

toys/materials• Demonstrate skill• Practice• Promote

Sharing

• Describe skill– Child has materials– Offers or responds to request from peer

for materials• Demonstrate skill• Practice• Promote

Being Helpful – Team Player

• Describe skill– Children might assist each other– Tell or show a friend how to do

something– Assist a friend in distress

• Demonstrate skill• Practice• Promote

Taking Turns

• Describe skill– “You take a turn, I take a turn”– Might ask for a turn with a toy– Might initiate turn taking games

• Demonstrate skill• Practice• Promote

Giving Compliments

• Describe skill– Verbal – say things like: “Good job _____!

or I like the way you _____!”– Physical – Do things like: Hug, pat on the

shoulder, high five• Demonstrate skill• Practice• Promote

Knowing How & When to Apologize

• Describe skill– Children might say, “I’m sorry I hit you

when you took my ball.”– “I didn’t mean to push you.”

• Demonstrate skill• Practice• Promote

Setting the Stage for Friendship

• Inclusive setting• Cooperative use toys• Embed opportunities• Social interaction goals and

objectives• Atmosphere of friendship

Strategies for Developing Friendship Skills

• Modeling • Preparing peer partners• Buddy system• Reinforcement

Activities to Support Friendship Skill Development

• Friendship Can• Planting Seeds of Friendship• Friendship Tree/Compliment Tree• Books about Friendships• Friendship Quilt• Friendship Journal• Music/Songs