It is important for young children to learn to take responsibility for their own health and their own belongings. It is part of them learning to be more independent.
Kate wanted to know how to help Kelly pack her bag at pick up time, without doing it for her. Kate used to do things for the children rather than encourage them, so this was a perfect chance to show Kate about scaffolding which is where we can use words or actions to help a child do something new. It is often best achieved through verbal instruction.
Kate came up with the following things on her whiteboard that she could say to Kelly to encourage her to pack her bag herself.
Kate was also curious to know how to get children to listen to her so together we came up with 4 simple rules for what Kate needs to do when asking a child to do something:
1. Get down to their level
2. Make eye contact
3. Speak in a louder, firm but respectful tone
4. SMILE
Task: Do a role play with your coach helping a child to pack their bag and put on their shoes without you bending down and touching their bag or their shoes. Hint - you will have to use your communication skills to do this.
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