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(Unit 3) Topic 2: Interactions and Guidance

2 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

What happens when mistaken/misbehavior occurs?

Topic 2 Page 16

Even in the best classrooms with experienced teachers, behavior problems are going to happen. Some inappropriate behavior is normal in an early childhood program. Children do not follow class rules, a new child has a tantrum, a toddler bites another child, and one child hits another child on the playground. What are the steps to take to determine the reasons for the misbehavior? What positive guidance techniques are most effective?

Children will make mistakes and engage in inappropriate behaviors as they are part of the learning process. Teachers have the opportunity to teach children the appropriate behaviors and pro-social skills. The following sequence of steps provides a process for understanding misbehavior and guiding children in developing appropriate behavior.

Determine why the child is misbehaving and what he/she is trying to accomplish. Children engage in inappropriate behavior for a variety of reasons. Understanding the reason for the child’s mistaken behavior is the first step in teaching the child appropriate behavior. Observe when the problem occurs, who is involved, and what the child gains from the behavior.

The following are some of the reasons for inappropriate behavior:

The child does not recognize the behavior as inappropriate.
The child is engaged in a power struggle with an adult.
The child wants attention and may engage in inappropriate behavior to gain attention.
The child is frustrated by the inability to accomplish, participate, or complete a task and does not have the skills or requires adult support.
The child wants to control a situation.
The child is not feeling well, is tired, or hungry.
The child may be doing what is developmentally appropriate (ex. Toddlers continually dumping toys.)
The child is upset, anxious, or disappointed and does not have the communication skills to explain his/her feelings.

Respond to the situation.
Once you understand the problem determine the guidance strategy for the specific situation and the child. In cases of safety or health, you may need to respond immediately to the behavior by removing the child or taking other appropriate actions. Help the child determine a better way to meet his/her goals.

Establish the consequences.
This technique is most effective with children over the age of 3 who have the cognitive abilities to understand consequences. When young children react it is typically a reflex and not a thought process. Engage preschool and school age children in problem solving and creating a plan to avoid the behavior in the future. In some cases you may want to talk with the child about the behavior.

The following steps provide some suggestions on conducting the discussion:

The child should have time to calm down before talking about the problem.
Talk to the child in a quiet and private place.
Discuss the problem in a respectful, calm, and problem-solving manner.
Outline the problem by asking the child to describe what occurred.
Older children can identify the problem and possible solutions.
Point out the reactions of others involved in the situation and help the child to recognize the way their behavior affected others.
Remind the child of the behavior expectation or rule that was violated.
Reinforce the consequences of the behavior and the plan to change the behavior going forward.

Caution about Using Rewards and Stickers
Behavior modification techniques are tempting to use because they are so effective when used correctly, at least initially. Children will work for the physical evidence of their good or poor behavior. But, behavior modification techniques do not emphasize the social and interpersonal reasons for cooperating.