Category Archives: Behaviour Guidance

Shifting Perspectives….

The child care community is currently in the process of change and educators/home child care providers are continuously making efforts to create engaging environments and experiences to foster children’s learning and development. They are deeply engaged in recognizing and adapting their own personal perspectives to support children’s well-being and their sense of belonging.

We as educators/home child care providers and parents/guardians all have our own personal perspectives, values and belief systems, and it can feel unnatural to change or adapt how we express ourselves. Recognizing and being more conscious of the statements we use with children helps shift the focus to a more positive approach that can lead to a decrease in the intensity and frequency of challenging behaviours. Continue reading →

Behaviour Guidance Tip – Preparing Children for Transitions

Did you know that preparing children for upcoming transitions saves time, energy and reduces challenging behaviours from occurring?

Examples of transitions include:

  • Getting ready to leave home to go to child care or child care to go home.
  • Leaving play for lunch.
  • From outdoor play to indoors.
  • Getting ready for sleep time including nap and night.

By planning and organizing your transitions, it creates a plan that can be implemented by anyone. Continue reading →

Behaviour Guidance Tip – “Sorry Doesn’t Fix it”

Did you know that when you ask a child to say sorry following a situation, you are teaching them an automatic response. Often that response reinforces the behaviour and does not teach them how to rectify the situation.

Although it is important to model and teach manners, a child needs to experience a true sense of empathy in order to be compassionate to others. Continue reading →

Inclusion Ideas Corner – Setting Up Great Physical Spaces for School Age Children

Below are 2 pictures from a school age program that runs out of a gym. They have 5 minutes to set up, and aim to have a quiet area, table top activities and a help yourself bin with a variety of activities that is easy for the children to access. Staff regularly rotate items to keep the children’s interests.
Note: some tables, mats, as well as the small bench as used as a divider. Creative thinking!

1
Floor Toys Continue reading →

Behaviour Guidance Tip – Pairing Positive Reinforcement with a Child’s Name

Did you know the impact of pairing positive reinforcement with a child’s name can;

  • Provide positive attention
  • Enhance self-esteem
  • Build self-confidence
  • Establish a sense of belonging

Toddler Scenario:
The whole family is sitting at the table for dinner.  Charlie is looking at his plate and notices a new food. He pushes his plate away and says; “I don’t want that”. The parent says, “They’re peas, they taste good”. The parent refrains from using Charlie’s name. After Charlie eats the preferred food on his plate, he decides to take a small bite of peas. The parent waits until Charlie tries again and then says with a big smile; “Charlie, you tasted your peas”. Charlie smiles. Continue reading →

Fostering Connectedness in your Centre

The Children’s Village at Bridlewood is one of four licensed school age programs operated by the long standing and respected Children’s Village of Ottawa-Carleton. I am the program supervisor and I get to experience the best of both worlds by splitting my time in both the office and on the floor as a team teacher. Our agency takes pride in its programs, the fostering of connectedness between staff, parents, colleagues and most importantly the children. We also value the overall impact of connectedness on learning and behaviour.

A colleague of mine recently brought to my attention a discussion she had with one of our children, a seven year old boy. He had counted the hours he was at school in a day and compared it to how many hours he spent at home with his family. “Miss, did you know I’m at school for ten hours? That is more time than I am with my family and more time than I am asleep”. Educators and operators of before and after-school programs know this realization all too well. For me, working under the motto “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child” means we aren’t just educators, we are a family away from home to these children.

The Children’s Village at Bridlewood 2014-2015

The Children’s Village at Bridlewood 2014-2015

Continue reading →

It All Starts with Strong Relationships

Scenario 1 – Steven arrives with his grandfather and they are warmly greeted by an Educator. Steven joins the children playing Octopus. He often needs help remembering to follow the rules and routines and has a really hard time being “out”. When he gets “out”, he becomes really upset. When this happens, the Educator calls him over and gives him a strong hug to activate his listening ability. Without the hug, he cannot hear what is being said to him. His feelings are acknowledged by saying, ” You didn’t want to be out. It’s hard to be out. A new game will start soon. Do you want to wait here or with the other children who are out?” Steven moves to join the other children. A simple hug and an acknowledgement of his feelings really helps him turn things around. Continue reading →