Learner Alexis
LearnerForum Replies Created
-
One way to help children regulate their emotions is by asking them how they are feeling. You can talk to them about the emotions they are feeling and work with them to figure out strategies to help them. Many kids may not know or won’t want to talk about their emotions in which case you can observe them and approach them that way. If you notice a child who seems angry or sad you can something like I noticed that you are yelling do you want to talk? We can also offer activities that they enjoy. After figuring out their emotion you can help them go to an appropriate area and do an activity. Many of my children like to be comforted and sit in a lap or hug and then we do an activity that helps them. Many of my kids have different things that comfort them like drawing or reading. With older kids I teach them deep breathing. Sometimes they don’t understand so I do it with them. We sit together and I tell them to hug themselves when breathing in and let go when releasing their breath. This provides a visual example of what this looks like.
-
Communication is key Make sure to have good relationships and open communication with your coworkers and director. They will support you if you become overwhelmed. Also sit for a few minutes and try to clear your mind and calm down. Practice mindfulness and make sure that you aren’t allowing stress to interfere with interactions with children. They can detect your stress it will rub off on them. Ask for advice from your coworkers because it is very likely that they have experienced similar situations.
-
Helping children through positive and negative exchanges helps develop trusting caring relationships. Babies and young children model behaviors of their family members and care providers. This is why we need to have good behavior and have compassion with children. When we are stressed, it can affect children which is why we should practice coping exercises. When we are able to manage stress, we can interact better and handle challenges effectively. We can also teach children some coping exercises for stress like deep breathing. Attending to children when they need help or when they are upset is one of the best things that shows them that they can trust you. Acknowledging them and using good body language like making eye contact when talking is an indicator that we can practice to let kids know that we are willing to listen. Also providing comfort when they are upset can let them know that this is a safe person to come to with challenging emotions, we can trust them.
-
Attend to the children. When they are playing join them and interact. Instead of watching and observing get in there and play and talk with the kids. Get down with them and start playing with them or ask them questions about what they are doing. They will likely respond. Also practice serve and return. When a child points to something attend by saying the name of the object. When our kids are thirsty they say water or sign water and we respond by saying water? And pointing to their cups. They will respond by saying yes or making a gesture. Also just getting down and starting to play can encourage kids to start playing. If there are kids who don’t seem interested in playing or interacting pick two activities or objects and present them with an option. This way they don’t feel like they are required to do something uninteresting, and this way it is teaching them that they can make their own decisions. When a child is upset or experiencing emotions help them with kind words and asking them if they would like to be touched for example if they want a hug or a high five. Often having one on one time with an adult can comfort children. Having one on one or group activities can also help them feel supported and help them gain new interests. We have a soft corner when I notice that a child needs space or needs to release emotions I help them to the soft corner to calm down. We normally end up reading books and later they come to this area on their own when displaying emotions. Another suggestion if you are working with younger kids like toddlers if you sit down in a certain area they will often join you with whatever you are doing.
-
We can create activities and read about healthy habits. We can also play with things like kitchen sets that include healthy foods. We can also engage the children with physical activities like dances, or other fun movement activities. Playing outside with climbing equipment and bikes.
-
When families enter the building I will point out the precaussions that we have taken to ensure that our children are safe. This includes having furniture that limits dangerous activity, our staff to child ratio, as well as where we keep the emergency contact information and any medicine or first aid equipment. I will also show them our outside area including the gates, and fall zones.
-
If I noticed signs of abuse with a child that I work with I would talk with my lead teacher and the director. If there are concerns of abuse we should contact administration so that they can contact Child Protective Services.
-
One worry that I have about keeping kids safe and healthy is for someone to get hurt while attending to another student. Even when we have safe and developmentally appropriate environments it is still possible for kids to get hurt. I feel bad when kids get hurt, but I will focus on practicing empathy. I will also make sure that I have the proper ratio
I also worry about whether children have a good home environment. When children experience high levels of stress it can impact their learning and interactions and behaviors towards others. Things like neglect and abuse make me worry. These cause stress for children and are traumatizing. I try my best to make sure that they are all healthy and safe, but this worries me.
-
There are different ways to help children get engaged in their environment. One way that can help children engage in the learning environment is by having materials at their level for easy access. This helps them see what is available and might interest them. Something else that can help children become interested is by asking them questions. If a child is looking at a toy or playing with something asking questions can help them become more interested and encouraging play. From my own experience something that often helps engage children is allowing you to help with picking out toys and activities for the day.
-
Learning environments must be safe engaging spaces for children to learn an interact with. Good learning environments are nurturing. This means that they have a variety of tools, and equipment that children can use to learn. These areas of the center or classroom should allow development and growth of the domains including physical, cognitive, emotional, and social. This could include having a soft cozy corner for children who want space, books, and spaces where children can interact with others. Also having developmentally appropriate set up allows children to be safe and encourages independence.
-
Approaching families about the development of their child can be challenging. In order to prepare for these types of discussions it could be helpful to practice figuring out what to say with your director or possible coworkers who are aware of the situation. If a teacher doesn’t know what to say preparingThis will be difficult news for families so providing resources can help with finding extra support with learning how to their child. Providing observations of the child may support the teacher’s discussion with families. They share what they notiIt is important to be understanding and show empathy because this can be challenging for the family to hear. Providing support and understanding may be the best way to approach these situations in order to comfort the families.
-
Observing children and their activities can help early learning providers see where each child is at in their development. Watching the children participate in play can help teachers identify certain sets of skills that each child has as well as areas wear each child needs assistance. If a child is deficient in certain areas teachers can document this information and plan lessons and activities based on each child’s progress and Observing and documenting development helps the provider get to know each child as well as where they are in their development. By getting to know the children and identifying where they are on their journey teachers can plan and implement an appropriate lessons for each child.
-
What is one activity where serve and return can be used?
In my work we use serve and return with sign language. For many of our nonverbal children this helps us communicate their needs. They use signs such as water, more, and all done to communicate with us. We also do this a lot with books. Often one of our kids will point to the books when I pick one out they smile or make an approving noise
-
Does the guardian have conditions that prevent her from picking up on time? Or is she taking her time getting to the center?
If the parent is continually late I would explain the severity involved with all parties. Their child is probably sad to be the last to leave and is very excited when seeing their parent at the end of the day. This also affects the child care workers by having to stay late when they also have things going on after work. I would probably ask to talk with her and state that pick up time was 20 minutes ago and ask if she has responsibilities causing her to be late. I might make a suggestion like leaving 20 minutes early so that she can get there in time. I would want to get my point across without being over powering so I think that I would let the parent talk then give my suggestions.
-
1. Which WACs address diversity and collaboration with families?
2. What big messages do the WACs give regarding diversity and collaboration?
1 WAC 110-300-0160 addresses discusses promoting acceptance of diversity. This explains how the teacher should provide materials that represent different types of racial, ethnic backgrounds and reduce behaviors that show biased behavior or disrespect.
2 The WACs provide the message that classrooms are welcoming environments for everyone. The teacher set rules that allows everyone to be involved and be heard and discourages any behavior that discriminates against children and their families. Diverse classrooms provide students, families, and staff to share differences and learn from them in positive ways.
