In the Cert 3 Unit Support Behaviour of Children and Young People, there is an expectation that educators will establish expectations for children's behaviour with their supervisor and negotiate solutions with children in a clear and appropriate manner.
When supporting children's behaviour, it is important to keep our language positive and try to help the child understand why their behaviour might mot be a good choice.
Educators must also know how to redirect behaviour and diffuse situations but still acknowledge the child's reason for the behaviour. For example, the child might be being disruptive because they are having a traumatic time at home. Please see the post on disruptive vs concerning behaviour for more information on this.
Kate had some practice with supporting behaviour when Ned told her to "Go away!" on a few occasions, which upset Kate very much. Kate did well to report the issue to both Lynda and Angela.
We explained to Kate that Ned had the right to not want Kate to play with him but that he might need some help to express himself in a kind way.
It is important to not tell children off when they behave in a hurtful way. So instead of saying "that's not nice" or "that's not how you talk to your teacher" which doesn't mean much to the child, Kate learnt some more positive ways of negotiating a solution with Ned. For example:
"Ned, that hurts my feelings when you tell me to go away".
"Why do you want me to go away?"
"How could you tell me that in a kinder way?"
"Maybe you could say, 'Kate, I would like to play by myself', then I will understand".
This way, Kate models the better behaviour to Ned whilst also letting Ned know her feelings are hurt. Everyone's feelings are then acknowledged.
In the end, after Kate explained to Ned and Ned's dad had a chat to him too, Ned apologised to Kate and gave her a hug and now they are good friends.
These are good strategies to know for when Kate might need to intervene in an argument between two children or if a child is saying hurtful things to another child.
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