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Art of Redirection
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Every now and then a cold comes in clinging on to his/her parent. From crying, whimpering to just not wanting to let go, I’ve found and do this a lot. I would go and turn some music up, get the rest of the kids into a dancing, singing, interactive frenzy and eventually the once clinging child is now a part of our interactive session.. with big smiles, playing laughing and interacting with everyone else they seem to almost all the time forget or overlook how they were feeling. I say almost because some kids just don’t want to lose sight of their parents that even with the excitement all around them, they just can’t shake the feeling and that’s when I would then give them my whole attention and do everything I can to make them feel loved(from hugs, to having a cup of water, coloring to having a snack),Eventually they all build the trust and we all have a great time.
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When a conflict over toys began, I redirected one child to another activity and validated their feelings. This helped to deescalate the situation. I also promote communication by modeling phrases like “can I have a turn” and “help please,” and I use timers and other turn taking strategies trying to recognize that sharing is still not fully developed and understood in young children.
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Two kids wanted to play different games at the playground but needed the other to play with them to have enough participants. I suggested they go play on the swing set instead. They played for a while, but then returned to their original argument in a calmer manner. I then suggested that they combine the two games. Success!
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Sometimes during lunch, one child will randomly start to yell to get attention. I then pay no attention directly to that child but start singing a gentle song. When a child then starts singing with me I praise their gentle singing voice.
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The other day a four year old boy started to climb up the slide. He knows the rule is that we only go down the slide – and we do it feet first while sitting on our bottom. As he put one onto the bottom of the slide I said, “Whoops! Stop and think! How do we use the slide?” He said, “Go down on my bottom.” I replied, “Yep! I knew you were smart enough to know that is the safe way, because someone coming down the slide might get hurt!” Then I asked him to show me the safe way to slide and he did. I gave him a big high five!Re: sharing – If a child snatches a toy, I will say something like – “I see you would like to use the shovel – but your friend is using it right now. Would you like to wait for your turn with the shovel, or would you rather use another toy in the sandbox? If they choose the shovel – I tell them I will put a timer on and explain to them and other friend that we are going to share.
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I have two kids in the classroom who love to fight for my attention. One day both kids were just not wanting me to spend time with anyone and started to cry so I asked them if they wanted to help me build a train track, and they agreed. Midway through building they were having so much fun they didn’t even notice me leave the area to help others.
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A moment that stands out for me involves a 3 year old who was on the verge of a meltdown because another child was playing with a block they wanted to play with. I knelt beside them and said “you really wanted that block. Your idea was important. Let’s build something even bigger over here”
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One of our kids really loves to be helpful to me and the other teachers, but can be pretty stubborn if he doesn’t get his way. When he gets stuck in a rather negative behavior, I usually try to get him to help me out with some busy work I have until he calms down and then we have a discussion about his behavior.
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Recently, I was taking my youngest to school. At home, he can become violent; his meltdowns can last anywhere from 5 minutes to 3 hours. At school, he is a star student. He masks quite a bit to avoid disapproval from the teachers, while at home, he is free to be himself without judgment. So, even while we are waiting in the drop-off line, he can have some major behavior concerns. He realized he had not brought any of his toys with him that morning. He began to cross his arms and start to make the noises he makes before he screams bloody murder. I quickly and positively said, “I spy with my little eye…” and he tried to stop me, saying he didn’t want to play. I then continued, “Something yellow!”. He then began guessing and got it on his second try. He was elated with this, and we then played a few rounds. Before he knew it, he didn’t even remember being mad. This distraction is a rarity to work. But, it is something that I can do or do similar things to help avoid behaviors.
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I currently have a child enrolled at my center who is going through a lot of transitions at home. He is struggling with controlling his at home, so he is very angry and wanting to control situations here. He has a lot of anger at the moment so he is a child whom I have to keep an eagle eye on at all times. His solution to any incident is to hit. If you keep an eye on him, you can catch it and remind him to use his words and he always does. Yesterday, he got upset a child took a car he was playing with and he raised his hand to hit. I shouted to get his attention and he turned around. I said “You are a big boy and have big boy words.” To which he said “That was my turn.”. I told the other child he had to wait his turn and any potential crisis was averted.
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While at work, I noticed a kid getting upset because one of his friends was playing with the toy that he wanted and was just about to grab. I redirected him and showed him to another toy that looked alike to the one his friend had which helped him calm down and recollect himself.
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One time, two preschool children were arguing over the same toy truck and were beginning to get upset. Instead of focusing on the conflict, I redirected them by inviting one child to help me build a road with blocks while the other continued playing with the truck. After a few minutes, the child with the truck became interested in the road and naturally joined the activity. The conflict was avoided, and both children were able to play cooperatively.To teach effective communication, I used simple phrases such as “Can I have a turn when you’re done?” or “I don’t like that.” Since sharing is still a developing skill for young children, I focus on teaching turn-taking rather than expecting immediate sharing. I also use visual timers, role-playing, and storybooks to help children understand waiting, taking turns, and expressing their feelings with words.
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One time I had a 4 year old who began grabbing toys out of other children’s hand. We talked about using our words to ask for a turn. When waiting seemed difficult. I redirected him to the science area where we played together with the animals until a car was available.
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When 2 children fought over a toy, I redirected their attention by introducing another activity instead of focusing on the argument. I also modeled simple phrases to help them use their words instead of actions.
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If I find two children fighting for a toy, he gave first to the one who had the toy and to the other I tell him that when he wants a toy that his partner had he has to ask first and I tell the other that when his partner asks him for something he must know how to share and so they can both play, I am teaching them to know how to share and play together so they will both have more fun playing.Irene
