Preschool
What We Saw: During lunchtime
one teacher exclaimed, "I like vegetables". A child joined
in saying; "I like barbecue sauce". Another child chimed
in and said, "I like anchovy pizza". A teacher said to
the children at her table, "I'm going to describe a food
I like and you try to guess it. It's long and white and
you can put sauce on it". After a few guesses, one child
guessed that it was spaghetti. Then a child said, "I like
something light yellow that's a circle and has a top on
it". With a few more clues someone guessed an onion. Another
child said, "I like something that is brown and grows
in my garden and there's a rainbow inside". The teacher
asked for more clues. No one could guess this so the child
said proudly, "It's rainbow cabbage!"
What It Means: Turn taking and waiting
patiently to talk are long term goals that teachers plan
for to help children to learn self control. To
become turn takers, children need modeling and guidance.
What conscientious teachers do, how they do it, and how
they speak to children serve as models for ways to interact
with other people. Playing guessing games with children
is a fun way to encourage listening skills in children
because they truly want to help solve the "riddle". When
the guessing game is relevant to the activity that the
children are engaged in, the learning becomes very meaningful.
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Self-Control Promising Practices
