Adapted from Marisa Cohen and Ilisa Cohen; Parent Magazine, Nov.2004 and Sept. 2007
Best preschool teachers share classroom tested tips and can be used by parents at home to solve common behavior issues like getting preschool children to share, listen, clean up, and more. Preschool teachers are often fabulous at nurturing independence, cooperation, patience, and self-control in young kids. They’ve developed ways of dealing with kids of every personality; and they don’t get bogged down with mommy guilt!
Reading at The Toddler Club!
Wait!! Before reading on…please watch this great video “Why Preschool Matters” from Parenting.com click here or simply view below!
My son has a tantrum whenever one of his friends starts to play with his toys
Let him hide his favorites Meltdowns happen when a child feels he has no control over a situation. Before a get-together, let him choose a few toys to stash away.
Lead by example. When two children fight over a toy, our best preschool teachers share classroom tips and tell the students, “Actually, that’s mine, and I’m letting you have a turn because it makes me happy.” At home parents should buy a toy like a truck or doll that is given to mommy. Lead by example by sharing the toy with your child or his friend.
Create a sharing story Staple several pieces of construction paper together, and make a picture book. On the first page, show your child refusing to share and his friend frowning. Then show him pondering the options, such as offering a different toy or taking turns. The final entry should be a picture of the children playing together nicely.
My daughter gets distracted and seems to have no attention span for books
Timing is everything Try not to read with your child right after school – instead allow your child rest, unwind and have a snack first. She will then be in a calm mood and reading time will increase.
Make it interesting Best preschool teachers share classroom ideas and suggest that children become excited when a story book is brought to life for them. Try making paper-bag puppets and acting out the story, or use different voices for each character. VPK at The Toddler Club
Choose the right titles Make sure the books aren’t too old or too young for your child. Look for ones with fun illustrations, bright colors, and interesting story lines.
My son wants everything ‘now’ and has no patience
Distract him.Preschool teachers say that there is a small window when it comes to the attention span of a 2 year old child. Parents should use his short attention span to their advantage by diverting a young toddler with his favorite song, toy, or snack.
Help him understand time.If your 3 or 4 year old child has to wait for an exciting activity, and he’s getting impatient – the best way to do this is by breaking down the time into understandable units he can relate to, such as how long he would usually spend at the playground.
Make him deal with delays.It’s important for your child to learn he can’t get everything the moment he asks for it. Constant reinforcement of “I’m sorry, honey, but you’ll just have to wait until tomorrow for your presents” will help him to begin accepting it. When the much-anticipated moment finally arrives, be sure to reward him with praise by saying, “Wow, you did such a wonderful job of being patient.”
My daughter always clings to me at parties and playgroups
Be the early bird.Best preschool teachers share classroom ideas and suggest that parents of a child who is shy should arrive a little earlier than the other student so that she can get comfortable and perhaps even connect with another child before the classroom fills up. The same strategy should work just as well for social events outside of the classroom.
Ease her into things. Best preschool teachers share classroom tips with parents and agree that if your child refuses to let you go, slowly walk her toward a building-block set, a playground sandbox, or something else she enjoys, and begin to play with the toy. She will probably want to join in when you’re playing and then you can step back slowly.
Don’t push it.Be respectful of your child’s reserved personality. Forcing her to jump in when she’s uncomfortable may cause her to retreat further. By accepting that your child might be excited but needs time to observe the other children at play that is ok.
My son won’t put his toys away when I ask
Give him an incentive.Make a colorful chart listing tasks for your child to complete each day. As soon as he finishes an assignment, give him a sticker and show him where toSharing at The Toddler Club! put it. Then he’ll be more willing to move on to the next chore.
Storage Advice. Purchase inexpensive containers, and have him draw pictures of the specific items (;like books, stuffed animals, and puzzles) on label stickers. Allowing your son to choose which storage container he thinks will best correspond to the a labeled sticker will empower him. Best preschool teachers share classroom ideas that will hopefully lead to his desire to be in charge of cleaning up his space in the future.
My daughter can’t handle transitions
Give warnings.Since it’s difficult for preschoolers to switch gears, use a countdown clock as a visual aid. A countdown clock is used all the time in the school setting and another tip that best preschool teachers share classroom tips to help a child make her transitions easier. Creating one with your child will make the transition more successful.
Have a competition.If you know that your child enjoys competition and isn’t anxious you can challenge her to move from one activity to the next as quickly as possible. Parents can do at home what preschool teachers do in school. For example, parents might say, “Let’s see if you can put all your cars away and come to dinner before I count to 20″.
To read the original article by Marisa Cohen and Ilisa Cohen in Parent Magazine, Nov. 2004 & Sept. 2007; that includes a video, please click here