Visuals and behavior

- Post 1 of 3 on preschool classroom management strategies

     I ran across this ecard as I was browsing Pinterest.  It seemed fitting since I will be talking about behavior over the next few posts.  Some days feel a little like a battle of the wills with preschoolers.  Young children are still learning the rules, at home and at school. (and sometimes a sitter and grandparents too)  As such, kids end up having a variety of expectations to remember.  In the classroom, visuals can be really helpful in reminding children of the classroom expectations.  Rather than discuss the visuals in depth, I will provide some examples and non examples of helpful visuals.

Let's get started . . .

     In almost every preschool and toddler classroom I visit, I see the rules posted.  This is wonderful and it is something I recommend every teacher do.  However, what I frequently see is this . . .

For the most part, this is only in writing.  There are a few pictures around the outside that loosely relate to the rules, but may not be clear to preschool aged children.

When you make a chart of rules for a preschool aged children, it is best if the words are clearly connected to the pictures.  You will also want the picture of the rule to be obvious.  For example, if the rule is walk in the the classroom, you would want a photo of the children in your classroom walking.   Here is a good example.

     For young children I like to use real photographs; however, you can also you cartoon pictures if the picture demonstrates the rule in action.  Here is another example that is specific to the playground.

     This is a nice example of using area specific rules.  I might have chosen different pictures for a few of the rules, but it shows you how you can consider what your expectations are in specific learning areas are and create visuals.  It is not necessary to create a set of expectations for each area.  Generally, it's best to create a set of classroom expectations and, if you have a specific problem area(s), create more visuals as needed.

Creating the rules . . .

    Photo from: http://www2.teachingstrategies.com/blog/  (You can find more great information about this topic and other early childhood education topics on their blog)

      Children typically have good ideas about what the rules should be in the classroom.  A circle time discussion can be the perfect time to lead the children in a discussion about classroom rules.  You can talk about what the rules should be, vote on them as a class, take pictures of the kids following the rules, and then have the kids help you post the rules where everyone can see them.  Kids are far more likely to follow rules that they helped create and are vested in.  When you have spent that much time creating and posting the rules as a community,  the kids also tend to start reminding each other.



Next post . . . more about visuals, the environment, and behavior