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(Unit 3) Topic 3: Reinforcement and Redirection:
A Positive Approach

2 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

What is Redirection?

Topic 3 Page 10

Positive reinforcement works great, but what if a child is already exhibiting problem behavior or having a tantrum?

In the case of a child that is already exhibiting a problem behavior, using positive reinforcement at this time is not going to be an effective option. Turning to redirection in this scenario will help to bring the child away from the cause of their problem behavior.

Redirection is taking negative behaviors and emotions and trying to turn them into a positive situation. The goal is to redirect an upset child’s attention onto something that is not upsetting to them in order to calm them down. Using redirection will avoid giving into what the child wants or rewarding undesirable behavior, and instead bring their attention to another activity or item. In order to successfully redirect it is important to use a game, activity, toy, or video that the child will find engaging and enjoy. Be sure to take into account each child’s different interests when redirecting.

Redirection works well when the new activity, game, or toy is similar to the one that caused the initial frustration. This way the child can learn a more productive way to interact with their environment and has the opportunity to still feel successful.

Redirection can take many forms, and there are multiple ways to calm a child down when they are escalating. Other ways of calming a child include having them talk about their anger, teaching breathing techniques, or any other useful techniques you have pre-practiced in the classroom.