Category Archives: Behaviour Guidance

Dinner at my Mom’s – Learning about the “You” Statement

I teach a small group of diverse students with various needs. None of the children have formal diagnoses but some of the students are being supported with an Individual Education Plan to work towards specific behavioural goals.

I have recently tried a new key strategy that my Mom shared with me, over dinner, in the classroom; the “you” statements. This strategy has revolutionized the way I think about behaviour management and the needs, wants and feelings of young children in an integrated early learning classroom. I ask myself the following questions regarding the child. Why are they doing what they are doing? What is their motivation? What are they trying to tell me? The “you” statement acknowledges what they are doing or saying as positively as possible. Continue reading →

Behaviour Guidance Tip – The “You” Statement

Did you know that by using a “You” statement it:
Validates the child’s needs, wants, and feelings by focusing instantly on them.

A child is crying during drop off time, the educator approaches the child and validates her feelings by saying; “You are sad. You miss your mom”. Most often the child will seek comfort and regain control over their emotions because the child feels understood.

Did you know that by using a “You” statement it:
Can help a child deal with not having immediate access to a preferred item. Continue reading →

Positive Transition to Preschool

September is always an exciting time for children and parents starting preschool. Along with all the fun associated with new surroundings, new friends, new adults in the child’s life, comes the anxiety about parent and child separating from one another. It’s a very emotional time for parents to leave their child but can be equally scary for some children. This is especially true for children whose first language is not English or for a child with special needs who has not been separated from their parents before. Here are some strategies that we have used to ease the transitions for children, parents and educators.

1. Prior to starting in the program, hold an open house for children enrolled in the group and their parents so that they may meet the other children, parents and educators. Plan your open house so it happens when your centre is in operation. This will provide an opportunity for everyone to experience a preschool day. Continue reading →

Preparing for Separation Anxiety

September is a very busy time of year especially for educators and providers as they prepare to receive many children. Some will be returning but many will be new. This means many children along with their parents/guardians will experience Separation Anxiety. Here are some considerations to help with this short lived anxiety.

Create a small booklet with pictures of your centre or home child care setting that you can give to parents/guardians so they can read it with their children.
Post and use a visual schedule not only in each classroom or playroom in a provider’s home but also next to the schedule posted for parents/guardians. Continue reading →

Mindfulness: What’s the Buzz?

MindfulnessJust about everywhere you turn these days, mindfulness has become the new hot item. In fact, mindfulness has become so popular that sometimes it seems as though it is ubiquitously applied to just about everything – physicians can use it to improve patient care, athletes to improve their game, and yes, parents to reduce distress and prevent burnout. But how does mindfulness work? Is it really effective? Or is it just a trend?

Despite its newfound popularity, mindfulness is an ancient practice that combines awareness of the current moment with a nonjudgmental attitude. Mindfulness is based on Buddhist insight meditation but there is nothing inherently religious about it and people of any faith can practice it. Practitioners concentrate their awareness on a single-pointed focus and accept the reality of the situation as it unfolds, moment-by-moment. This is a concept that is better experienced than described. That is, understanding mindfulness requires going beyond reading about it – you need to practice it firsthand. Continue reading →

Inclusion Ideas Corner – Job Chart, Greeting/Goodbye Apron and Classroom Accountability System

Job Chart

At Gardenway School Age Program, we have been implementing many aspects of Conscious Discipline©. This is a comprehensive self regulation program that integrates social-emotional learning and discipline.

Job ChartOne of the tools we have successfully implemented is a Job Chart for the children. It is important for these jobs to be meaningful. Every child has their picture on the job board. Each job has a corresponding picture. At the beginning of the week, we ask the children which job they might like to do. Once the job is chosen, we take it and Velcro it to their picture on the board. Some jobs are composter, pet care-taker, room and cubby checker, book tidy-er, door-holder, line-leader and caboose, tidy-up, snack announcer and helper, first-aid, and the ‘We Care’ helper. The children are always thrilled and excited to pick and carry out their new jobs. Continue reading →

Paws for Philip

Phil and Etta

Almost 4 years have passed since Etta, our son Philip’s Autism Assistance Dog Guide, became part of our family. Hardly a day goes by without one of us saying “how did we ever live without Etta”. Etta is a beautiful, 5-year old female brindle Lab. She has a very patient and gentle personality, a perfect complement to our son.

Philip, who is now 13, is on the severe end of the Autism Spectrum. He is non-verbal and has been known as a runner and climber, along with other behaviours. We first heard about Autism Assistance Dog Guides in 2007 through information on the internet and elsewhere and decided that this could be of real benefit for Philip’s safety. Continue reading →

Achieve Positive Results…

by Improving the Environment of Early Learning and Care Programs!

Each day children of preschool age or younger are enrolled in an early learning and care program in their community, where they are challenged to develop their abilities and adhere to established rules and expectations. It is quite a challenge for these young children as the development of skills is the main goal for any child regardless of having special needs or not.

Children’s Integration Support Services’ (CISS) mandate is to support and assist children with special needs, their families and educators. Their Resource Consultants and Behaviour Consultants focus on what is positive, constructive and durable by concentrating on the transfer of knowledge and by offering a delivery model based on inclusion practices, skills development, team collaboration and prevention. Another innovative CISS program is the Positive Outcomes Program (POP), which supports children with behavioural challenges who are not identified as having special needs. Continue reading →

Inclusion Ideas Corner – Kindergarten Quiet Corner

Quiet CornerMorning drop off and daily transitions can be stressful for children.  In our Kindergarten program we realize that when a child leaves one environment and enters another or separates from their parents they may experience a variety of emotions. We have created a quiet corner to help children collect themselves, regroup and manage their emotions. This space accommodates one child at a time and encourages them to make use of the many quiet and calming activities. Continue reading →

Reflection of a Lifelong Learner

When I first started my career as a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE), I had the good fortune to work in a fabulous toddler program with some very experienced, generous, loving and compassionate colleagues. In this program, we had the usual mix of busy, exploring toddlers and one little girl who was particularly spirited and strong willed. On most days, it took at least one educator of our threesome to shadow this energetic child and redirect her, help her manage her emotions, negotiate with her little peers, and adapt to our program schedule.  Continue reading →