“I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized.”
Dr. Haim Ginott Continue reading →
The first day my mom dropped me off at preschool, I screamed and clung to her like cheap spandex. I remember begging and pleading for her not to leave me, but she simply gave me a reassuring hug, scraped me off her leg and headed out the door. After my mom left, the teacher put her hand on her hip, looked down at me and said, “Girl, shut yo mouth before I give you somthin’ to cry about.” Talk about trauma. Continue reading →
You might be thinking, “Find my inner calm – yeah, right! Where’s the inner calm amongst toddlers fighting over toys, refusing to eat or nap and parents showing up late to pick up their little angels? Whoever made those “Calgon Take Me Away” commercials didn’t know a thing about my life – I’d have to clean the darn tub before I could even think about getting in it! Continue reading →
Time management is a process that must be engaged every day to be effective. In the interest of keeping it simple, these tips could set you on the way to getting serious about time management as you see the value unfold:
It’s easy to stay on track with time management once you commit to changing your daily habits. Just put the above tips into action and you should see more free time throughout your day.
Poor impulse control and lack of verbal skills can cause toddlers to hit, kick, bite, spit, and throw things at others. Unfortunately, some degree of aggressiveness is a normal part of toddler development; it is often how they deal with stress and anger that can stem from feelings of frustration, fear, disappointment, jealousy, low self-esteem, and sadness.
These types of feeling can be triggered by the loss of a loved one, divorce, a new baby in the house, or a recent move. Toddlers may also exhibit aggressive behavior when they are hungry, tired, crowded, or exposed to violent environments. Aggressive behavior has to be dealt with immediately; otherwise, it can signal to children that hurting others is acceptable. Here are some steps you can take in your childcare classroom to manage aggressive behavior in toddlers.
Stay Calm
Young children learn from observing and mimicking adult behavior. So when a toddler in your class whacks his friend with a toy, don’t lose your cool. Screaming and yelling will only make the situation worse, and set a bad example for the child to follow in the future.
Set Clear Limits and Be Consistent
When a toddler hurts another child, immediately remove him from the situation. Make eye contact with the child, and explain briefly that it’s alright for him to feel angry, but hurting others is not an acceptable way to deal with it. Help the offending toddler learn to use his words to express how he feels. Even if the child doesn’t understand immediately, be consistent. Eventually he’ll be ready to communicate with language instead of his fists.
Reinforce Positive Behavior
Let children know you notice and appreciate their good behavior. For example, if one of the kids in your class helps a child up when he falls, you can say, “Sally, it was kind of you to help John off the ground when he fell.” The more positive reinforcement you offer, the more likely kids are to continue desirable behaviors.
Provide Appropriate Alternatives to Aggression
If kids are really having a hard time dealing with their angry feelings, offer them appropriate alternatives to aggression such as kneading play dough, punching a pillow, jumping up and down, tossing beanbags in a safe direction, playing with puppets, or doing sensory activities such as water play.
Use Books to Help Toddlers Understand Anger
Reading books is an ideal way to help children understand that anger is a normal emotion because storybook characters are often relatable to children. Some great books about anger include It’s Mine!<%
You know what needs to be done. It’s obvious when you look at yourself or what lies around you. The work has been assigned, whether by your superior or yourself, and you must get started – but somehow, you lack the motivation to get off square one. Continue reading →
You may love children and you’re sure to love being your own boss – but everyone has mornings they dread to get up and face a job – no matter how rewarding it can be. The childcare business is no different, and in the hectic day-to-day activities that it takes to make the business successful, you may lose yourself and your focus on what’s really important. Those are times that your childcare business is running you.
Understanding What Works
What makes parents want to volunteer to help in their child’s childcare? A small percentage of parents will volunteer without any effort on the provider’s part to enlist them. I call these parents the “hyper-engaged”. Another small percentage will not participate no matter what you do. These are the “disengaged”. But the majority of non-participating parents either are not aware that they have the ability to make a significant contribution to their child’s growth and success in the childcare system, or they see themselves as not having enough time to get involved. Either way, for this third group, there are definitely actions you can take to motivate and inspire parents to be involved. Continue reading →
The childcare business is much like other businesses in that there are sure to be good days – and down ones. The difference is that you may not be able to go into your office, shut the door and cheer yourself up sending emails and playing games on the computer. And, you can’t decide to just go back to bed and forget about going to work. Parents and kids depend on you to be there – and you don’t get paid if you’re not there.
So, how do you stay up when you’re having a down day in the childcare business? Continue reading →
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