If you’re exhausted at the end of the day because you’ve spent most of your time managing behavior problems in your preschool classroom instead of actually TEACHING… then you’re doing something wrong. The great news is, it’s not your fault… because you probably didn’t know there are 2 simple tricks you can implement to STOP behavior problems BEFORE they even start.
Today I am joined by my good friend and childhood education expert Deborah J. Stewart. She will share and explain in detail the two key strategies she uses in her classroom to deal with the behavior issues.
Now, it’s always been my dream to interview Deborah… She was my mentor back in the day and she has an incredible track record.
Deborah has over 30 years of experience in the early childhood education space, along with her Master’s degree in early childhood education. Her preschool Children’s Studio has been widely successful, she runs a great blog, and she started her virtual preschool program not too long ago.
So, if you want to learn from an expert, tune in right now!
Your Job Is Not to Fix the Child
As preschool teachers, we often have that one child, Johnny let’s call him, who might have a behavior problem. We then look for ways to fix that issue. But when I talked to Deborah, she told me she didn’t have any behavior problems in her classroom! That fact alone makes her super qualified to talk about behavior… Because what Deborah does is set up a foundation that prevents behavior issues before they even start.
When I asked her for advice on fixing these issues, she told me that the first thing to do is to shift the mindset around the problem. Every preschool teacher needs to understand that it’s not our job to fix the children. We always want to fix things, fix the problem, fix the toy, fix the child.
But, our job isn’t to fix, it’s to reach the child and then teach them.
It’s all about that mental shift and asking questions like:
- How do I reach that kid?
- Do I need to be more playful?
- Do I need to be more creative?
- Is my classroom fun and engaging?
- Are there things that this kid likes here?
Before we go around fixing the kid, we need to do everything that’s up to us. Whether that’s making the classroom more fun or changing your approach, you’re the one who needs to find a way in so the child can start trusting you.
How to Set up Your Classroom and Activity Centers
If your classroom is carefully designed to foster meaningful activity, the kids will be too busy playing to stir up trouble. Deborah’s secret to a successful classroom comes down to less is more.
Whether you’re setting up your math, science, or art center, you don’t want to put out hundreds of manipulatives, games, or puzzles. With that many things out, kids get overwhelmed and everything ends up dumped on the ground.
Deborah’s approach is to put out maybe one set of dice, one game, and a few manipulatives. She puts these in the center and keeps them there for a week. Then she lets the kids learn the game, play, practice over and over. You would show them how to play during the first two days, but then the kids would explore the game by themselves.
When they start losing interest in it, it will be easier to set up a new game, because the kids will be eager to learn something else. You would then put the old game on the shelf, add a new one, and take the kids through different games, one by one.
The trick is to build over time and then switch around, rather than have a hundred games out at one time.
Instead of a lot of stuff, use something intentional. Find your thing, find those key elements for kids to play with, and then build their skills by letting them have more time for practice.
We get in a big hurry to add too much and change too much. This is how we end up with behavior issues because suddenly we have to micromanage the way kids are using the hundreds of different things we have laying around.
Don’t wear yourself out on discipline, wear yourself out on trying to make your classroom amazing. Then, discipline will become the last thing you’re thinking about.
Figuring Out What the Child Is Interested in
If you want to reach the kid, you need to offer them something that’s interesting to them. You can ask the parents what they have at home, but Deborah’s idea is to offer something completely different at the preschool.
She lets the kids enjoy activities they can’t enjoy at home. Be that digging up worms in a garden or painting and being messy, these are activities that parents appreciate having delegated. It’s a partnership between teachers and parents that allows kids to get a wide range of fun things to do.
Still, the most important thing is to just observe at first. You’ll learn what they like through trial and error and lots of patience.
HOT TIP: When a kid walks into a classroom for the first time, they’re either going to be overwhelmed or overly excited. You need to give them a few days and trust in your set up. Introduce the games, model the activities, and see what happens.
Add, take away, or modify over time by observing and listening. Your goal is to meet the kids in the middle. The kids are not in charge of your classroom, but it is up to you to inspire them and capture their interests.
Build Trusting and Loving Relationships
If you do not build a relationship with the child, they will never listen to you. Kids need to know that you like them, care about them, and respect them. They need to see that you can roll with the punches every once in a while. They want to see you take a joke or laugh at something they did.
When you find that place and build a quality relationship with the child, they are going to give you a lot of freedom to boss them around!
But if they think you don’t like them, all you’re going to be doing is pushing them around. They’re not going to listen to you, it’s going to become a tug of war. And you’re going to lose because the whole everything becomes a battle.
What you want to do is not only create an engaging and fun environment but also build a loving community that they feel they’re a part of.
ONE FINAL TIP: Let go of control if your control is getting in the way of you building a relationship.
If you’re too busy policing everything that’s going on, your focus is in the wrong place. The control should not be the main point of the relationship, but it should come as a natural result of the bond you and the child have.
Your students should want to do what you desire so they can make you happy. That only happens if you invest in a relationship first. Kids communicate in any number of ways and it’s your job to figure out what they need to learn from you. They need to feel the love, care, and understanding. Once they do, they will open up to you and you will have earned the right to discipline them!
Additional Resources:
To hear the full interview and all the fun and practical examples Deborah shared, head over to Apple Podcasts to get the episode.
And if you enjoy listening to the Preschool All Stars Podcast, please leave us a rating and a review! (We hope we’ve earned your 5 stars!)
If you want to learn more about childhood education from Deborah, head over to her blog Teach Preschool. And if you’re interested in her virtual preschool program, make sure to get on the waitlist at Kindy Ready!
- Check out our $50K+ preschool giveaway here
- Get my FREE book Start Your Preschool (+ $7.95 s&h)
- To start Joy’s “7 Students in 7 Days” Challenge and to download today’s show notes, please go to joyanderson.com
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