Toddler
What We Saw: The teacher sits
in front of the cupboard doors (to the diaper changing
table) to keep a child from opening them. She sees a boy
and a girl climb up on the table and removes them, saying
"no, down". She pulls the chairs away from the table.
She sits them down on a chair and says, "play choo-choo?"
She begins to sing "The Wheels on the Bus." The girl smiles
and joins in with the actions. Another toddler walks over
and joins them, but the boy wanders off. A bit later,
he again tries to climb on the table. The teacher holds
him back, and points to the climber. She tells him, "Go
climb on the climber...go up, up, up the steps...go climb".
He looks, but then joins some children playing in a box.
Soon, he again tries to get on the table. She pulls him
down, saying, "feet on the floor". She touches his foot
and pats the floor, repeating, "Feet on the floor...feet...floor.
Stamp your feet." She slaps the floor. Another child comes
and stomps his feet.
What It Means: The teacher tries
a variety of techniques to redirect the toddlers
from the undesirable table-climbing activity. She uses
words and actions to clearly state the limit. She
offers a substitute activity, moving the action
away from the table. A favorite action song is a good
choice for an alternate activity, as it involves movement
and the singing draws the children's attention. The boy
is persistent, so the teacher uses a consistent response,
again reinforcing her words by physically removing
him from the table. She offers him an alternate location
for his climbing, encouraging him to use the climber in
the room. Finally, she again restates the limit, telling
him specifically what he should do with his feet.
The boy exhibits the temperament trait of persistence.
He is a child who needs much repetition and redirection
away from inappropriate behaviors. Psychologists tell
us that it is very difficult to stop a behavior unless
you replace it with another behavior. That is why redirection
is so effective. Saying "don't" is less effective than
saying "Do this instead."
