What am I Supposed to Do?

In some places, it’s easy to know what to do. One example is at the airport, where you are guided from the moment you walk in the door. Signs point the way to security and ropes define the lines for regular travelers and those with TSA passes. Signs continue to guide you through the process by indicating what goes into bins, where to stand for x-rays, how to proceed through the machine and where to stand when coming out. Then there are more visual cues that direct you to your gate and give important information about flights.

Even with language differences, it’s relatively easy to know what to do.

Early childhood teachers use the same techniques. In your classroom, behavior is shaped by the way you arrange the room, use pictures to direct children through the daily schedule, communicate class rules and how to put toys away for cleanup. This form of indirect guidance helps children know what to do.  It encourages them to think in new ways and directs behavior.  It helps them become independent and not reliant on someone to give verbal directions all the time – because with observation and patience, they can figure it out on their own.

Related: Giving Students Effective Praise

Try this… pretend you are a new child in your class.  Walk through the door, get on your knees and look at the room from a child’s perspective.  Is it clear where you should put your backpack?  Are there well-defined centers with toys and activities you can get yourself?  Are there pictures next to words on charts so you can begin to make sense of all those letters?

Is it relatively easy to know what you’re supposed to do? 

Putting yourself in the place of another really gives a different perspective.  And taking the perspective of a child is an important way to support and help them blossom.

And speaking of blossoming… click here for a printable for your classroom " 13 Ways To Affirm A Child." Try them out with your kids and let us know what happened in the comments below!

Learn more about ways to guide children’s behavior in our course: Positive Guidance