Dealing With a Child’s Behavior While in Day Care
December 28, 2009
Safe and caring environment in a pre-school can assist in children’s needs by developing the necessary skills to develop their social and behavioral milestones. Attitudes like T\taking turns, politeness, sharing and making choices are the necessary preschool activities that should be provided as it is an opportunity for the proper development of the children. Here are some methods for promoting self-discipline in children.
• Instead of praising the child, praise his behavior.
• Encourage and build the child’s self esteem.
• When setting limitations, take into consideration the child’s age and stage of development.
• To help the child learn and understand boundaries, set games with rules to be followed
• Lead a good example as children will imitate adult behavior.
• Avoid isolating and humiliating the child.
• Be consistent when you say “No.”
• Clarify expectations and rules for behavior.
• Always give reward or merit for a good behavior.
Day care workers should use these positive approaches when you want to discipline the children. This will in turn encourage self-control, self-direction, self-esteem and cooperation with others. But there are certain things that should be avoided when dealing with children such as hitting, shaking, biting or any other physical restraint or assault; humiliating, threatening, or isolating a child which endures emotional punishment; and depriving the child of meals or snacks.
Effective, tried and tested methods are present for unacceptable behaviours like bullying and temper tantrums. This includes removing the child from the situation or using distraction techniques, explaining why his behavior is not acceptable, and offering the child an opportunity to become calm and to regain self-control.
Biting others falls under the category of difficult behavior and your scope of approaches for dealing with the said behavior would apply to this unpleasant activity. With the involvement of parents and carers, they should have a work plan developed exclusively for the children who exhibit challenging behavior. Parents should be included, informed and supported to follow work plans for children, if and when necessary. Sometimes it is necessary to seek for additional support in the form of outside specialists, where necessary additional support may be sought by referral to other professionals. This is not a negative thing, rather, should be supported by parents and care providers in a positive way forward.
The day care worker should be supported to work on a one to one basis with a child who may be biting or displaying other challenging behavior over a specific period of time. The aim is that the caregiver will try to extend the child’s interests by specifically engaging them in activities, thus avoiding difficult behaviors. Difficult and challenging behaviours in children respond positively when provided with calm, constructive, consistent actions. These actions are basically the most effective method of counteracting difficult behavior. As a day care owner and worker, you have to be patient, vigilant, and can stick to your plans, and you will notice that eventually you’ll be out of the situation.
Loren Yadeski, author of this article is also interested in day care and recommends you to please check out own a day care if you liked reading this information.
