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Showing posts with the label classroom Management

51 Ways to Say "Good Job"

  How often do we say, "good job" without an afterthought? Sometimes, we do not even directly acknowledge a person's achievements or what that person says. This happens a lot in our homes with our children. This is not intentional; of course. Your child comes up to you while you are in the middle of cooking dinner to show you a picture they drew. You're reading a Instagram post and your child tells you they got an "A" on their test. Your child cleaned up their room without a reminder. Or we simply just cannot think of a better word or phrase (with the thousands of other ideas competing for our attention.) Well, you get the idea. I did not realize how much I said," good job," until my toddler said, "Mommy I cleaned my mess. Didn't I do a good job?" It was at this point that I realized I needed to come up with different ways to show approval or I was going to raise a "Praise Junkie". I also wanted my son to know I care about t...

Preschool Transition Tips and Songs

  What is a transition? A transition is a period where you are moving from one activity to another. Transitions can be a trying time and the hardest part of your day. But it doesn’t have to be. Transitions need to be consistent (scheduled) and as short as possible. Children often act out when they are waiting too long for the next activity to start. Minimize your transitions so that your children are not waiting longer than 5 minutes. Fill the time with a song appropriate for the activity- sing a song about food during lunch time, sing a clean up song after center time, sing a goodbye song at dismissal. Planning your transitions in advance will make your life and your child’s life a lot easier. Choose a song or phrase for each activity so your child will know what to expect. Singing the same song or playing a song for a particular activity will provide your child with stability and a sense of control. There are so many things out of a child’s control that they often resist transit...