Empathy Provides Caring Connection
The 2 year old girl fell flat and began screaming. The 3 year old boy ran over to her, concerned and wanted to help. He gently demonstrated how to take slow deep breaths to feel better. The little girl stopped crying and just stared at him. He called back to me, “Grandma Boom, it really works to take deep breaths and get calm when you get hurt!” He was overjoyed with his ability to help her. Empathy brings connection. My grandson connected with the little girl and with her p
Challenging Behaviors: What's the harm?
In the first article of this series on challenging behaviors, I quoted a former professor of mine who said that when examining behavior and corrective action, it is first wise to ask yourself, “What’s the harm?” In this month’s article, I’ll dive a bit deeper into that question and how it can affect discipline and the use of consequences. In one of my first teaching positions, I worked at a facility where time outs were not only encouraged—they were mandated. The consequence
Meaningful Animal Encounters in Preschool
In over a year of monthly blog posts about bringing nature to preschoolers, we have yet to discuss animals. Whether they are classroom pets or encountered in the wild, animals bring a new, welcome layer to children’s education. In their World of Wonder conference workshop, Jill Canelli and Rina Zampieron from the Massachusetts Audubon Society presented a number of different ways for teachers to foster those experiences for young children. Caring for animals, whether as classr
Giving Preschoolers Opportunities to Choose
The way we view children determines how we treat them. For ethical and intentional teachers, it is important to examine this part of ourselves in order to see our students for the people they are and can become. Because my belief is that preschool aged children are capable and independent, I give them opportunities to practice their skills and demonstrate their autonomy in the classroom. This way of thinking is echoed throughout many early childhood environments, set up to al
