​There are times when teachers are implementing positive guidance techniques in the classroom and challenging behaviors still occur.  In these situations, it becomes essential for the teachers to become skilled observers in the classroom.  The same way that an investigative reporter tries to find out the answer to a mystery, a teacher must investigate what happens in the classroom. 
 

• The Before – When a child continues to display challenging behaviors, the teacher needs to investigate what happens before and after the behavior.  There could be a trigger that occurs right before the behavior each time.  For example, if a toddler is consistently biting other children in the classroom, the trigger could be when another child gets too close and makes the child feel threatened.  If there is a consistent pattern that shows a trigger and then the behavior, then the teacher’s primary task is to eliminate the trigger to reduce the behavior.  For the biting toddler, the teacher may encourage the toddler to tell other children to “stop” when they get too close in order to prevent the child from biting.

 

• The After -  In other cases, a child may be demonstrating a challenging behavior because of a desired consequence.  For example, a child who desperately wants attention may hit his classmates just to receive additional attention from his teachers.  In this type of situation, the teacher may need to remove the desired consequence from the child to reduce the negative behavior.  Instead of offering negative attention to the child who hits his friend, the teacher may need to offer all of her attention to the child who was hurt.  Then the teacher needs to find ways to offer the child positive attention when he is following the classroom rules.

 

• Finding Support – Even the most skilled teachers sometimes need an outside perspective to take a look at the classroom to investigate and see patterns.  When a teacher is with the children each and every day, it can be hard to step back and offer an unbiased opinion.  A new set of eyes can see the classroom with a fresh perspective and observe triggers and consequences that the classroom teacher may not see.  It is also extremely important for the teachers to partner with the child’s family to receive the family perspective on how to help the child.  The family knows what motivates the child, what the child is afraid of, and how to calm him down when he is upset.  This is information can be the key to solving a complicated mystery.

 
The reason that teachers want to solve these mysteries is to help the children in their care.  Teachers want to help their students learn to be a part of the classroom community and work together with others.  In order to do this, early childhood educators must work hard to be problem-solvers.

​Once the foundations of classroom guidance are established, it is important to establish a positive classroom in order to guide the children’s behavior.  Early childhood educators can establish positive behaviors in several ways:
 

• Using positive words – No child wants to be in a classroom where he is constantly being told “no” or “stop”.   Not only does this establish a negative relationship between the child and the educator, but telling a child to “stop running” does not give him directions on what he should be doing.  Instead, teachers need to rephrase their statements so that they give children instructions instead of reprimands.  Instead of saying “stop hitting”, the teacher can rephrase the sentence to say “use gentle hands with your friends.”  This type of statement gives the child guidance and prevents the teacher from constantly saying negative phrases to the child.

 

• Noticing the positive – When the teacher sees children in the classroom modeling the appropriate classroom behavior, it is essential for the teacher to praise them!  This helps the children know that they are doing what they are supposed to do and it helps them feel proud of making positive decisions.  Other children may also hear your comments when you praise a child for doing what she is supposed to do, and they may model her behavior to receive your praise as well.  Receiving compliments from a teacher can be a powerful motivation for young children.

 

• Rewards instead of punishment – In the past, early childhood classrooms would try to eliminate negative behaviors with punishments like sitting a child in timeout or depriving a child of a classroom treat (like group play or playground time).  This approach often backfired on the teachers because taking away a child’s opportunity to move and run on the playground will frequently make the child feel more rambunctious. Timeouts are not a successful tool because young children do not usually associate the negative action with sitting in timeout.  Instead of taking away things from children, early childhood educators need to focus on finding out what motivates young children.  When a child is fascinated by science activities, then the teacher can often deter negative behavior by providing new and intriguing activities in the science center.  If a child enjoys feeling independent, the teacher may be able to motivate positive behavior by providing opportunities for the child to be a classroom helper, like passing out napkins at snack time or helping the teacher clean up.  The teacher must get to know each child to determine what they are motivated by, but this investment can be a must more effective tool than a disciplinary action.

 
Creating a positive classroom environment makes the children feel safe and loved during the day, but a positive environment also allows the classroom teacher to enjoy the environment as well.

Early childhood educators get the wonderful privilege of spending their days with active, imaginative young children.  The work day can be exciting; however, it can be overwhelming for preschool teachers to interact with twenty preschoolers in the early childhood classroom at one time.  Even with the energy and movement in a room full of preschoolers, a talented early childhood educator can use a selection of strategies to guide the behavior of the children in order to have a productive day of learning.
 
Before the teacher ever addresses the behavior of an individual child, he or she should have several foundational principles established in the classroom.
 

• Each classroom needs to have an established schedule.  The schedule is an outline of the events that will happen throughout the day in order.  Sometimes the time period of each event may slightly change, but the order of the events should remain consistent.  These predictable events are meaningful to the young children.  They help put children at ease and allow them to self-soothe, all while meeting the child’s basic needs.  Daily routines create  predictable and less stressful environments for children and improve behavior during classroom hours.

 

• All preschool classrooms need to have duplicates of the most popular toys and materials in order to reduce the amount of fighting over toys throughout the day.  When there are enough materials for every child in the classroom, and each child has an opportunity to play with the favorite classroom toy during the course of the day, the classroom teacher can significantly reduce unnecessary fighting.

 

• Teachers need to make an effort to provide new classroom materials throughout the school year.  Since classroom materials can be so costly, this usually means that teachers must rotate toys off the shelf throughout the school year and bring them back to the classroom after short breaks.  When children do not see classroom materials for a while, they often become interested in the activity again like it was brand new.   When children have access to the same materials every day without change, they frequently become bored.  When children are bored with the classroom toys, they look for other ways to entertain themselves.  Children that are interested in the activities that are available are usually too busy to exhibit negative behaviors.

 

• It is essential that the classroom teachers plan the classroom environment based on the interests of the children.  We typically call this “following the child”.  When children become extremely interested in a certain topic, the teacher should help the children learn more about it.  This devotion to the children’s learning helps the teacher and children develop a stronger relationship, as well as keep the interests of the children focused on the classroom learning.

 
These four strategies are a great starting place for each preschool teacher to guide the behavior of the children in the classroom.
 

         Young children learn about math and science each day during typical conversations.  They see shapes in their natural environment like the stop signs on the street.  They decide if they want more or less.  These normal conversations introduce new vocabulary and concepts before children enter kindergarten.  With an increased emphasis on STEM skills (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in elementary and secondary education, the caregivers of preschoolers are extremely interested on how math and science concepts can be implemented in the preschool classroom.  Early childhood mathematics should not look like children memorizing numbers or answering simple equations; however, there are key pre-math skills that all children should learn to be ready for school.
 

• Counting – Children do need to learn to count in order, which is called rote counting, but it is best learned during typical conversations.  Ask children to count how many blocks are in the tower or how many crackers they are eating at snack time.  It is also important for children to recognize the numeral symbols.  They should see numerals in their normal, daily environment like on the calendar, the page numbers in a book, or magnetic numbers on the refrigerator door.
• Sorting and Classification – An essential mathematical skills for children is learning to group items by similar characteristics (color, shape, or other properties).  In the preschool classroom, this may look like sorting pom pom balls into cups by color or placing blocks by on the shelf according to their shapes.
• Comparing – An important pre-math skill is for children to learn to compare items.  They usually start with comparisons like big/little and short/tall.  This is also when children begin to compare more and less.  This is a key math skill that they will use in the future for both simple and complex equations.  Children learn to compare in the classroom by using informal comparisons.  They may learn to measure with wooden blocks, and document that they are 4 or 5 blocks tall.  They also begin to notice comparisons like “She got more snack than I did.”
• Ordering – Learning about ordering is frequently called seriation.  Children learn to organize objects by big to little, heavy to light, cold to hot, and short to long.  Sequencing helps children to learn the order of events and cause and effect.  This is a higher form of comparison since children must distinguish many levels of comparison.
• Shape and Form – Pre-mathematics includes learning shapes and directions (ex. under, over, beside).  These skills are frequently learned in the block area when children have to learn spacial relations to create the tower that they desire.  Learning these early shape patterns not only increases vocabulary but establishes a foundation of geometry skills in higher grade levels.

 
     Children learn mathematical skills in the classroom by play and exploration.  This means that one of the most important jobs of the early childhood educator is to make sure that there are a variety of math materials for the children to use during play time.  Children also learn math concepts through conversation and song.  Teachers need to dedicate time each day to having conversations with the children while they play.  During play time, the educator can include simple math questions into the conversation like “How many bears are sitting on the block?”  Teachers can also use simple songs to include math concepts in daily conversations. 

Starting at a very young age, children need to understand that all people are different and our differences make us unique.  To help children understand cultural differences, classroom teachers can do several things:
 

• Start by creating a classroom community.  Teachers need to find a way to establish a daily gathering time so that all of the children can greet one another.  This can take place during circle time by allowing the children to take time to say hello to each child in attendance.  Family style meals also help to create community by allowing children to have daily conversations. 
• Utilize books, posters, and classroom materials.  The classroom books need to show a variety of cultures demonstrating different races, religions, cultures, and ability levels.  The teacher should display posters throughout the classroom that show a variety of children and families.  The classroom materials (for example, the baby dolls in the dramatic play area) should match the cultural diversity of the classroom.
• Teachers should avoid teaching a two to three week unit on multiculturalism.  Instead, it is important to talk about cultural differences throughout the entire school year. 
• Instead of celebrating just one type of holiday, early childhood classrooms should celebrate holidays from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
• Even the early childhood classroom can begin to incorporate geography into the curriculum.   Many classrooms begin by doing activities about land, air, and water.  Classrooms can then progress to talking about maps.  Maps can be as simple as diagrams of the classroom or neighborhood and expand to the whole world.  Once the children begin to understand the concept of the larger world, then teachers can introduce topics like animals that live all around the world and different habitats throughout the world.
• It is important to supply the art area with different skin tones of paint, markers and construction paper so that students can create a wide variety of faces in their pictures and paintings.

 
Whichever of these suggestions the classroom uses, it is important to remember that the underlying classroom theme is to be kind to one another despite our differences.  It is essential to respect one another’s differences, and it is just as crucial to appreciate the ways that we are all the same.

​The block center is an essential area for the early childhood classroom.  The block area includes soft blocks and Duplos in the toddler classroom or wooden blocks, Lincoln Logs, and Legos in the preschool classroom.  The block center is often one of the busiest centers in the early childhood classroom.  Children love to come to the block center to build towers and then watch what happens as each block falls to the ground.  In the midst of all the activity, children are learning more than you can imagine.
 

• Social & Emotional Skills – The block center encourages children to play together.  By building together and acting out the same stories, children are learning to share and take turn with materials.  They also have to learn to cooperate during their pretend play and negotiate how to create their block towers together.  This is a great area of the classroom to see new friendships emerge.
• Creativity & Imagination – Building with blocks allows children to use their imagination to create something new.  This could mean building a community out of blocks or acting out a story.  Blocks allow children to begin with real objects in their hands but eventually make abstract thoughts.
• Mathematics – There are so many mathematics skills taught by working with blocks.  When children play with different types of blocks they can compare the lengths, sizes, and shapes of the blocks.  These comparisons allow children to learn the concepts of same and different.  Children frequently use blocks to create simple patterns.  They also use blocks to make symmetrical and asymmetrical structures.  Blocks can be used for skills like simple counting also.
• Problem Solving & Scientific Thought – When children are building with blocks, they frequently must solve problems.  “Why did my tall tower fall down?  How can I make my tower better this time?”  Creating new things with blocks can allow children to make predictions.  “Which block house will make the loudest sound when it falls down?”  Then, children get the opportunity to test their hypothesis.  The block area is a great place in the classroom for children to analyze how things work.  “I wonder what would happen if . . . . “

 
When early childhood educators design their classroom environment, the block area should provide enough space for several children to play together and offer multiple types of blocks with which children can interact.

The sand table and water table can be two of the most popular areas of the classroom for the children, but it is important to remember that these areas are essential to the classroom for higher-level learning.  Even when teachers are frustrated because of the mess that these areas create (and when parents are frustrated that children come home with sand in their shoes), it is important to remember all of the benefits:
 

• Sensory Exploration – Both of these centers allow children to learn with hands-on materials and take in new information through their senses.  These sensory experiences can assist some children with calming down their bodies.  Other children become engaged with the environment when they learn through touching, smelling, hearing, tasting, and seeing unique materials.
• Mathematical Learning – The sand and water centers are introductions to higher level thinking concepts like volume.  When children empty two pails of sand into one larger pail, they begin to learn about which pail has more and which pail has less.  They have the opportunity to see how many cups it takes to fill the largest bucket.  They can also see how one tall pail of sand also equals a short, large bucket.  Children can use the sand to create shapes and structures.
• Scientific Concepts – The water table introduces children to early physics concepts like motion and flowing water.  Children have the opportunity to make predictions about what objects will sink in the water and which items will float.  Sand and water areas introduce discussions about living and non-living items.  Children can learn about what animals live in sand and water habitats. 
• Language Development – The sand and water areas of the classroom are wonderful environments to create conversations.  Young children typically play together in this area, develop intricate pretend play ideas, and ask one another questions.  These areas also give the teachers plenty of opportunities to talk to students about their creations and pretend play.  Teachers can get children to respond with the most creative responses by starting their conversations with statements like “I wonder what would happen if . . .” and “Tell me about . . . .”.
• Social Skills – Since so many children want to play in these areas of the classroom, children must learn how to take turns and share the classroom materials.  Children must work together to create a castle in the sand, and young children play together to make their sea animals talk to each other in the water table.
• Creativity – These centers are classic examples of open-ended materials that do not have one specific purpose.  Children focus on the process of playing with the sand and water instead of trying to create an end product.  These types of open-ended materials are the foundation of the early childhood classroom.

 
How do teachers encourage sand and water play in the classroom?
 

• Sand or water must be available to the children in the classroom each day.  This allows children to have creative learning experiences, but it also helps to establish the classroom rules for playing in these centers.
• Teachers need to model the behavior they expect in the sand and water areas.
• Teachers need to provide a large amount of free play each day during the classroom children so that children can explore without feeling rushed.
• Teachers need to encourage conversation in these centers by allowing children to talk or by modeling conversations with the children.
• Teachers need to set-up the environment to provide the children with an optimum learning experience.  Teachers can include access to materials like measuring cups, basters, ladles, funnels, sifters, colanders, or small manipulatives like plastic animals.
• Teachers need to monitor these areas closely (especially with very young children) to maintain safety at all times.

The term self-regulation is receiving a lot of attention from the educational community.  Self-regulation is the ability for children to calm their emotions once they become angry, aggressive, sad, or overly excited.  As many preschool programs focus more on academic skills, more children seem to be struggling with the ability to calm down after experiencing intense emotional experiences.  When  children are asked to sit still and focus longer than is developmentally appropriate, teachers can see a strong social/emotional response.  Self-regulation is an essential skill for school readiness.  If children are able to exhibit self-control and regulate their own emotions, then they will be more prepared to pay attention to academic curriculum.  Students who come to kindergarten without control of their emotions will have more difficulty learning reading and math curriculum.  They may lose valuable classroom time trying to identify their feelings and calm down after becoming emotional.  These children will also struggle with their own confidence, self-control, and emotional stability.
 
Teachers and parents can easily identify children lacking these skills.  Some of the most common signs include:
 

• Children who are constantly active in the classroom
• Children whose responses do not match the situation (ex. extremely emotional when the situation does not seem to warrant it)
• Children who respond without thinking about possible consequences
• Children who do not know how to handle being frustrated
• Children who appear to become angry or begin crying without an obvious trigger
• Children who can not seem to take turns or wait on others without a strong emotional response

 
Early childhood educators can help children learn to regulate their emotions.  This will help children be more prepared for Kindergarten, and it will also help children feel more confident and secure.  Here are some strategies that can help children develop self-control over their emotions:
 

• Set-up an early childhood classroom that allows children to independently choose an activity and complete the activity independently.   This will allow children to  feel confident and successful.
• Compliment children for attempting new things, even when they are unsuccessful.  Children feel proud to participate in a process, instead of focusing on the end product.
• Give children classroom responsibilities (like the attendance assistant or the classroom botanist) so that they can show pride in their abilities and receive positive attention.  When a child can complete a job independently, he or she can receive intrinsic (internal) motivation.
• Encourage all children in the classroom to play in the dramatic play center.  By acting out pretend situations, children have a safe play to model many different emotions.  Also, cooperative play activities will allow children to learn to negotiate with other children about what should happen next in their pretend story.  Children can learn to take turns and share with one another.
• As a teacher, always model self-control.  Even when you get frustrated, make sure to use a calm voice and to use planned responses, instead of showing an impulsive reaction.
• Find ways to include calming activities in the classroom.  Many preschool classrooms are including yoga into the gross motor curriculum to help children slow down their bodies.  Activities like play dough or the sensory table can help children make repetitive movements and learn to focus on one activity to calm their responses.

 
All early childhood educators need to help young children develop control over their emotions so that they are emotionally prepared for continuing their education.  Social and emotional development is a foundation of the early childhood classroom and should be a top priority for educators as they plan their classroom goals!

Young children learn through play.  They explore and experiment in play.  They act out situations they see in daily life, and they problem solve in play.  Although most play occurs indoors, it is essential for young children to have outdoor play as well.  There are significant benefits for each young child.
 

• Outdoor play time improves overall health.  A child’s immune system is strengthened by some exposure to dirt and bacteria.  Also, children receive additional Vitamin D from outdoor play time which improves bone and dental health.
• Outdoor play time allows children to exercise.  Children who play outdoors more frequently have lower rates of Type 1 Diabetes and childhood obesity.  They develop endurance for longer amounts of active play and lead more active lifestyles.
• Outdoor play improves social and emotional development.  Children engage in group play and simple games when they are playing outdoors.  They must learn to share materials with one another and negotiate when there is a disagreement.
• Outdoor play improves gross motor and fine motor skills.  Because large muscles in the body develop before small muscles, a child must learn to run and climb before doing more refined tasks.  Outdoor play allows children to climb, swing, and run.  Children develop balance, strength, coordination, and speed.  Once a child has mastered these large muscle skills, then he or she will be more capable to hold a crayon or zip a zipper.
• Unstructured outdoor play promotes problem-solving and creative activities.  When children play outdoors they engage in pretend play adventures with intricate plots.  They create games and problem-solve ways to incorporate all of their peers.  The playground allows for a world of imagination.
• Outdoor play improves a child’s concentration and focus.  When children are indoors and required to sit still for extended periods of time, they lose the ability to concentrate.  When children have the opportunity to run and enjoy the outdoors, they frequently return to the classroom with a renewed ability to focus and complete a task.
• Children who are allowed to explore the outdoor environment develop a stronger love of nature.  These children frequently grow up learning to respect the environment and be good stewards of our natural resources.
• Outdoor play also improves children’s mental health.  Outdoor play can improve a child’s mood and reduce stress levels.  Outdoor play also improves energy levels.   

 
Unfortunately, children are often prevented from playing outdoors due to unsafe neighborhoods, television, video games, or busy family life with multiple appointments.  Young children in quality childcare programs should have daily opportunities each to play outdoors, but  these opportunities may be taken away because of rigorous academic requirements.  Sometimes the early childhood educators do not take the children outside due to their own lack of energy or because they are not properly dressed for the weather.  These obstacles do not benefit the children, and it is essential for all early childhood professionals to advocate for outdoor playtime!  Since children often become restless and unfocused without outdoor play time, it benefits the teachers and the students to utilize the outdoor environment each day.

​Many families are interested in teaching their children skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  This new focus on STEM education in our schools  begins as young as preschool and continues through higher education.  At the secondary education level, the desire is to educate and train children to obtain jobs  in prestigious and high-earning career fields.  Early childhood educators begin this process with young children by helping them learn to think scientifically.  Teachers must help children learn how to problem-solve.  Early childhood educators can not help children develop problem-solving skills by continuously giving them directions and having them follow step-by-step procedures.  Parents and educators must find ways to encourage children to ask questions and to predict answers in order to create scientific thinkers.   Parents and teachers can encourage preschoolers to use higher order thinking skills we these simple strategies:

• Hands-On Exploration – Instead of sitting back and waiting for information to come to them (like watching television or playing a video game), children need to explore and seek out new information.  That means that their classrooms and their homes need to be set-up to encourage exploration.  If a child can use their senses to touch, listen, hear, and manipulate their toys, then the can attempt to figure out how they work.  This process begins at a young age when an infant begins to explore a rattle by putting it in his mouth.  As preschoolers, children should be able to manipulate blocks, Playdoh, sand in the sensory table, and musical instruments.

• Use Open-Ended Questions - A close-ended question requires a one-word answer, often yes or no.  In contrast, an open-ended question has no specific answer and allows the child’s imagination to wander.  If you ask a child what color your shirt is, there is only one correct answer.  The child can tell you the color, and that is the end of the conversation.  If you ask a child what that color reminds her of, then she can elaborate and give you a detailed description of what she is thinking.  Asking open-ended questions is a skill that most adults have to practice.  Most parents and teachers have conversations with children each day, but those questions usually begin with what or where.  What did you do today?  Where is your favorite place to go?  These are questions that usually have one specific answer.  Instead of using what and where, try to use how and why questions.  How did you build that tall tower?  Why did the blocks fall down?  How do the leaves change colors?  Why do the leaves fall to the ground?  All of these questions require the children to brainstorm for a possible answer.  You can also use open-ended statements like “I wander why . . .” or “Tell me about . . .”.  At first it may seem awkward to ask children open-ended questions frequently.  Just like many skills, this gets easier with practice!

• Make Predictions – Another way to encourage children to think scientifically is to have them predict what will happen.  Predictions allow children to use their prior knowledge and personal experiences to relate to a new situation.  Adults can model how to make a prediction for young children.  It is very easy to model this behavior when reading a story.  The reader can make predictions by saying “I think this will happen next .”  The second step is to ask the students what they think will happen before the reader moves on to the next page.   Predictions can occur during play as well.  What do you think will happen if we put the big block on top of the tower?  What do you think the snow will feel like when you put your hands in it?  Once a child has made a prediction, it is important to compare the prediction to the actual outcome so they child can evaluate if the prediction was correct.

 
These three strategies can make a huge impact on a child’s ability to problem-solve.  Every preschool classroom should have a variety of science materials available to the children, but if the children are not trained to problem-solve, the scientific materials will not make a huge impact.  Teaching a child to imagine, explore, and predict will have the greatest impact on creating future scientists!