Thursday Thoughts
This is where we will collaborate on classroom issues.
“I’m doing a presentation about the connection between classroom engagement and behavior management when dealing with my students here in China (age 1-6). What are some strategies or resources you would recommend?” -Tre T. (Shenzhen, China)
Obviously I will be attacking this from an American cultural perspective since I am an American living in the states. That being said there are many developmental factors that are relatively stable. The next tough thing to tackle in your question is the age range. Whew! Ages 1 to 6 really encompasses a huge developmental range so we will break it up as we look at engagement and behavior management.
Infants and Toddlers
When it comes to this age group I always get a mental image of herding cats. Ever tried to do that? It is tough! You want them to have the freedom to leave the activity when their attention wanders. They have extremely short attention spans so traditional lessons do not work well. Keep in mind that these itty bits are still in the sensorimotor stage according to Piaget so they need LOTS of movement and LOTS of sensory experiences. Have a basket close or sensory table by with items they can explore if they are no longer interested in the activity you prepared.
Late Twos, Threes, and Fours
The attention span gets longer and longer during this time frame, but unless the activity is extremely engaging you won’t get more than 20 minutes in the best scenario. Small groups still work best here. You can be more proactive in management when there are fewer children because you can see what each of them are doing and respond to their cues faster.
I would also go into lessons (all really, not just this age) with several back up plans in mind so that if they become uninterested you can change directions. The more input that the children have on the topic the more interested and therefore cooperative they will be. How cooperative are you when you sit in a mandatory work meeting? What about when you take a class for fun?
This age group will still need to know what the boundaries are and have constant feedback on how they are meeting these expectations. If you tell them that you expect no one to touch the book then you will need to tell the kids as you turn the page that you are proud of them for looking with their eyes and not their hands. (I hope you are using big books whenever possible for group time!)
Many of them will still need sensory input. Rethink the idea of sitting so nicely in chairs or on spots on the rug. Allow them to move and hold things during the day. I will touch on specifics of circle time in an upcoming series.
Fives and Sixes
This is the traditional age for kindergarteners in the United States. There has been a push to bring more structured versions of classroom systems, essentially pushing material downwards. While I feel that each individual child should be challenged to meet their own “best work”, it is important to note that not every child will be ready for a structured setting at this age. If they begin to lose focus or drift in attention you can allow them to stand, pace, sit on a balance disc, or to hold something with an interesting texture. All of these provide the extra stimuli that they may need to focus. You can also observe to see if the environment is too stimulating. I’ve had some groups that could not work with music playing. They were completely overstimulated by it.
Take away points-
- Observe your children to know their needs.
- Be flexible enough to change the environment, routine, or activity if interest level is low.
- Provide extra sensory stimulation as needed.
- Set clear expectations and provide regular feedback to the children.
Have your own question? Let me know and we can synergize on solutions.
