positive behaviors
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Building a Positive Mindset
I consider myself a naturally positive person, but the classroom can be a hard place to keep that going. Someone is always upset with someone else, there is always a mess somewhere, and I’m constantly having to change my plans. It takes a toll! When positivity doesn’t come naturally, there are some things that help me keep that positive mindset in the classroom. First and foremost, when I recognize that I’m struggling I make a conscious effort to find something (anything) positive that I can acknowledge. Sometimes this is as small as a child nicely walking across the classroom, or offering to share with another child. I’ll spend the next…
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REALLY Changing Challenging Behaviors
A couple of weeks ago I shared a free sample of a behavior tracking system that can be used to identify patterns related to challenging behaviors. Now, I want to dig into what happens after you’ve identified those patterns. Let’s reflect so that you can really starting changing challenging behaviors in the classroom. Part of this system is a reflection sheet: This reflection starts by exploring what is working WELL for this child already – what parts of the day are they successfully able to manage their behavior? For some children, this will be easily evident, and for others you might have to continue observing to get an even better…
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Managing Challenging Behaviors
I promised you some real solutions to the tough stuff that you have to deal with everyday, and the number one thing on that list is challenging behaviors. These are the kinds of things that can derail the entire class and make you feel like nothing you do will make a difference – I’ve been there. I’ve put together a resource that will help you understand, manage, and change these difficult preschool behaviors step by step. I’m also giving you a FREEBIE so you can try it out right away! Behaviors are so tough because we aren’t always able to understand exactly where there coming from, and even if we…
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Finding Joy
I’ve been sharing my experience with burnout, and today I wanted to revisit a product that I created while feeling ALL of these feelings. A common suggestion for staying present and building a little more positivity is to practice finding something to be grateful for each day. If this works for adults, then it can certainly work for kids too – and it’s never too early to teach these kinds of coping skills. That’s where “Joy in Everyday: Building Positive Thinking” comes from. In practicing identifying those things each day that brought me more joy, I realized that I needed a way to keep all of these thoughts organized so…
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Friday Freebie – Positive Behaviors
I have found the cutest freebie ever! I can’t even wait to share these with you – these are Beehavior Beads (they all have a bee theme). The idea is that you print a bunch of them, laminate them, and punch a hole in the corner of each one, then each child gets a necklace (a ribbon, lanyard, or piece of yarn) and they can collect them as you catch them “bee-ing” helpful. Such a great idea! Go download your set from Double Trouble.
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Tried & True Teaching Tips
I’m linking up with the Teaching Tribune today for their summer blogging series. Today’s theme is tried and true teaching tips and strategies. When I thought about teaching strategies that I can count on to work, the one that came to mind was the way that I reward positive behaviors. When my students are having a really great day, I like to recognize it. It lets them know that I see how hard they are working, and how cooperative they are being, and I really appreciate it. I rarely recognize great days the same way – but my favorite way to show my students that I think they are awesome…
