Toddler Talk: Accentuate the Positive

Sometimes when trying to mold young minds into productive members of society, I find myself giving many directions. Many, many directions.

I get tired of hearing my own voice say the same thing over and over...and I can imagine that my little toddler friends may sometimes feel the same way.

Because it is indeed my job to persevere thru the negative and find creative ways to mold said minds, I (and my awesome teaching team) have worked hard to make a point to give directions to kids in the positive rather than from the mouth of Negative Nancy (NN).

For example, a kid keeps climbing onto the toy shelf (like a lot of times...). My internal NN voice wants to exclaim, "Get off the shelf...stop, don't do that, we don't climb there". But, with a deep breath and gathered thoughts, I can maybe say, "I see that you want to climb! Can I help you find something that is safe to climb on over here? Look at this big stool!"...and maybe later encourage that same kid when I see them choosing a safe climbing option on their own later in the day.

We have had a little issue with friends pushing/hitting each other with their hands lately. We wanted to find a way to talk about this issue in a positive tone with our dear little loves, so what else could I do but make some PICTURE CARDS! A teachers best friend...especially when I get to use the laminator, I love laminating stuff.

We implemented the positive plan and used our picture cards all week to talk about what 'Hands CAN do'. It ended up being an effective tool for discussing the underlying issue of hurtful behavior....in a fun way that didn't make me feel cranky from saying 'NO' and 'STOP' at every infraction.

Now, I understand that sometimes it is necessary to get serious and stern. I am all about consistency and rule following...and saying 'STOP' to serious situations is still a daily part of my teacher vocabulary. But I am working hard to reserve the NN voice for times when someone is in danger of injuring themselves or others. And I am finding that my heart feels more happy as my mouth accentuates the positive!