Today I took out a different ” toy” and added some new colored sand,
Obviously , when anything new comes out it becomes the favorite activity of the day. The way we manage that chaos integrates literacy and teaches patience . We develop a sign in sheet and children sign in and wait their turn.
Sometimes waiting is hard.
The most awesome thing happened today. One of our friends was very upset and ask for another friend to come help. Without hesitation Scarlett left what she was doing and came to help her friend.
Scarlett asked her if she wanted to try a calm down technique and she did not. I explained that sometimes when using conscious discipline our friends are not ready to use the technique and they just need us to sit quietly and breathe with them. As adults that is what we do when we are trying to calm a child. When they are in the middle of their upset it is not the time to ask them to do anything. You wait until they calm down and then try. Conscious discipline tells us that when a child is in a state of survival ( meltdown ) they do not hear anything we say so it is better to just sit and breathe with them and wait. Scarlett did that like a pro. Not long after were smiles and the laughter .
Before long it was Scarlett’s turn in the sand. She spent very few minutes and returned to Savanna. She smiled and said ” I wanted to be with Savannah. ” I think she felt that feeling you get when you help someone. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
That folks – is a wonderful preschool goal. Being able to manage your own emotions and help your friends manages theirs is amazing. This is a skill some adults don’t have. I’m so proud of Scarlett.