Guiding children's behavior and moral development

Week 1
Chapter 1: A Teacher's Role in Guiding Children

There are so many important influences in a child’s early learning journey.

Parents, carers, family members, friends, peers and teachers. In fact, studies show that outside of
family, educators are the second most influential factor in a child’s learning outcomes and future
overall wellbeing. And the effects go far beyond a child’s ability to read and write. It is during
the first five years of a child’s life where the crucial building blocks for their emotional, social,
and cognitive skills are put in place. So, the important role of educators during this time cannot
be overstated. The important role of early education is so fundamental to a child’s prospects –
and that of the community in which they live – even the United Nations Educational, Scientific,
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) places significant focus on early literacy and
learning. According to UNESCO, “Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) aims to
develop a child’s emotional, social, physical, and cognitive needs to build a strong foundation for
well-being and learning throughout the days of their life. Through ECCE, it is possible to nurture
capable, caring, and responsible citizens in society.” So, why are early childhood educators so
significant? What are the early lessons taught and supported by these individuals that
have such an impact on the lives of our children?
Let’s take a look at just a handful of reasons why educators are such significant role
models for our children.

1.Educators encourage your child to develop confidence, resilience and self-

esteem

Children are strong, unique and resilient individuals, capable of complex thinking and their own
perspectives. Great teachers and educators know this and will reinforce this through every
learning opportunity. This shows children that they are capable individuals in their own
right, with unique personalities, skills and the ability to contribute. As a consequence, a
child’s confidence, resilience and self-esteem grows.
This means children are equipped with:

 the skills to make friends

 the confidence to try new things and follow their interests
 resilience to keep trying
 a willingness to respect others
 the ability to operate in an increasingly independent manner.

These are all skills that will see them enter the real world equipped to deal with the success and
failure that comes their way.
2. Educators teach your child in a holistic way

Learning is not just about the academics. Great educators know how to inspire children and
ignite their curiosity about the world around them. It’s about developing the skills children will
need to be successful both inside and outside a classroom in a rapidly-changing world. Through
real-world scenarios, educators are able to support, encourage and enable children to want to
learn by:

 Sparking a child’s natural curiosity

 Inspiring them to ask questions
 Building their confidence
 Showing them that knowledge can be gained in all sorts of amazing ways.

By nurturing every part of a child, great educators help to build a strong foundation for
emotional, mental, and physical development, which are the building blocks for life.

3. Educators role model social interaction for your child

Relationships are a key factor in driving positive learning outcomes for children. It’s important
for a child to form relationships and socialise with people other than their
parents and close family members. When children develop friendships they learn valuable
lessons about trust, teamwork, collaboration and compromise.
These are all important skills that help them throughout their lives, and skills which they learn
from both friendships with their peers and by observing influential role models in their lives,
such as their educators.

4. Educators encourage your child to cooperate and work as part of a team

Childcare settings with a focus on high-quality education provide your child with the opportunity
to learn about and practice cooperation, sharing with others, and waiting their turn. In an
environment with other children – and being gently guided by their educators
about appropriate behaviour in different situations – your child will soon pick up these
important life skills. Learning to operate as part of a team and to be responsible for your
individual actions are skills that are learnt from a very young age. Great educators know how to
guide children on this path to teamwork and collaboration.

5. Educators inspire your child to develop a lifetime love of learning

Learning through play is a practice employed by many early childhood educators to naturally
engage children in learning opportunities. In its simplest form, learning through play encourages
children to build their knowledge, develop confidence and embrace curiosity. Along the way
they naturally refine practical life, social and motor skills as they explore, experiment, discover
and solve problems.
Here at Guardian, children are guided by their natural interests and curiosities, while being
supported to make meaningful connections to the real-world. Our
Guardian educators help prepare your child for formal schooling and beyond – because we
believe that learning is a journey that never ends.

Week 2
Chapter 2: Theoretical Foundations of Child Guidance
 Theoretical Foundations of Child
Guidance and Behavior
Development
Child guidance and behavior development are complex fields that draw from various
theoretical foundations. Here are some of the key theories:

1. Psychoanalytic Theory
This theory was proposed by Sigmund Freud and later developed by his followers. It
suggests that a child's behavior and personality are shaped by unconscious drives and
conflicts. Key concepts include:
 Id, Ego, and Superego: These are the three components of personality. The Id is the source of
basic drives, the Ego is the rational part that balances the demands of the Id and the Superego,
and the Superego is the moral conscience.
 Psychosexual Stages: Freud proposed that children pass through five stages (Oral, Anal,
Phallic, Latency, and Genital) where different areas of the body become the focus of sexual
pleasure.
2. Behaviorist Theory
Behaviorists, like B.F. Skinner and John Watson, believe that behavior is learned and
can be altered through conditioning. Key concepts include:
 Operant Conditioning: This involves learning through the consequences of behavior. Rewards
(reinforcements) increase the likelihood of a behavior, while punishments decrease it.
 Classical Conditioning: This involves learning through association. A neutral stimulus is paired
with a stimulus that naturally produces a response. Over time, the neutral stimulus alone can
trigger the response.
3. Social Learning Theory
Albert Bandura proposed this theory, suggesting that children learn by observing others.
Key concepts include:
 Observational Learning: Children learn behaviors by watching others and imitating them.
 Self-Efficacy: This is the belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations. It influences the
behaviors children choose to imitate.
4. Cognitive-Developmental Theory
Jean Piaget proposed this theory, suggesting that children actively construct their
understanding of the world as they grow. Key concepts include:
 Stages of Cognitive Development: Piaget proposed four stages (Sensorimotor,
Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational) that children pass through as
they develop cognitively.
 Schemas: These are mental frameworks that help children organize and interpret information.
 5. Ecological Systems Theory
Urie Bronfenbrenner proposed this theory, suggesting that a child's development is
influenced by the different systems of their environment. Key concepts include:
 Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem, and Chronosystem: These are the
five environmental systems that influence a child's development.
These theories provide a framework for understanding child guidance and behavior
development. They help educators and parents understand why children behave the
way they do and how to guide them effectively.
Learner Outcomes focused on in this chapter: After completing this chapter, students
should be able to:

 Explain what a theory about child development is, and what it is not.
 Describe theories focusing on the systems (settings) in which children develop, and
explain how they help teachers guide children.
 Describe theories focusing on how children build or construct knowledge, and explain
how they help teachers guide children.
 Describe theories focusing on psychological, emotional, and social learning needs,
and explain how they help teachers guide children.

Canvas Assignments:
o Review PowerPoint
o Complete Discussion Question
o Complete Chapter Reflection

Week 3
Chapter 3: Understand Child Development: A Key to Guiding Children
Effectively

Learner Outcomes focused on in this chapter: After completing this chapter, students
should be able to:

 Identify the major elements of social emotional learning and development (SEL)
teachers might expect in young children.
 Summarize the development of perception and memory during early childhood.
 Contrast how 3- to 8-year-olds and older children differ in how they think about the
behavior and motives of others.
 Identify the major elements of self-control and prosocial behavior (kindness,
cooperation) which teachers might expect in young children.

Canvas Assignments:
o Review PowerPoint
o Complete Discussion Question
o Complete Chapter Reflection

Week 4
Chapter 4: Supportive Physical Environments: Indirect Guidance
Learner Outcomes focused on in this chapter: After completing this chapter, students
should be able to:

 Explain how early childhood theory helps teachers arrange classrooms to support
children’s development and behavior.
 Defend the idea that effective teaching, room design and sensory stimulation are
essential
in guiding infants and toddlers.
 Explain how a developmentally appropriate physical environment in guiding 3- to 8-
year old children is an indirect form of guidance.
 Summarize the guidelines for developmentally appropriate room design for 3- to 8-
year old children.
 Explain how a time schedule, curriculum, activities and materials are indirect
guidance for 3 to 8 year old children.

Canvas Assignments:
o Review PowerPoint
o Complete Discussion Question
o Complete Chapter Reflection

Week 5
Chapter 5: Positive Guidance and Discipline Strategies: Direct Guidance

Learner Outcomes focused on in this chapter: After completing this chapter, students
should be able to:

 Explain the concept of guidance and discipline.

 Explain the nature of guidance for infants and toddlers.
 Explain the nature of guidance for 3- through 8-year-old children.
 Summarize major positive guidance strategies.
 Predict the likely effect of a teacher’s beliefs about discipline on the guidance
strategies she/he uses.

Canvas Assignments:
o Review PowerPoint
o Complete Discussion Question
o Complete Chapter Reflection

Week 6
 Chapter 6: Using Observation in Guiding Children

The importance of observation in

early childhood education

Observations are part of the day-to-day life of an early childhood educator. Most
childcare providers understand the role of observation but do they understand why it’s
important? Early childhood education is not just about educating children. It’s about
exploration, learning, and observing play. Educators play an important role in helping
children meet developmental milestones and observation is how educators learn more
about each and every child they work with.

Observation is often seen as one of the most simple, yet effective methods of assessing
young children as they develop. For an early childhood educator, observing a child
begins by noting how each child behaves, learns, reacts to new situations, and interacts
with others. An educator then takes this information and creates activities to promote
growth in skills, document the success of those skills, and then reflect and assess.
What is observation in early childhood education? 🤔
Observation is the process of tracking children’s behavior over a period of time.
Through meaningful and detailed documentation, educators are able to see patterns
and plan age-appropriate activities, gain insight into how a child thinks about the world,
and provide opportunities to change the learning environment to promote growth and
development. The history of early childhood education explains many of the influences
that have shaped the field of early childhood education into what it is today.
Why do we observe children’s development? 🧐
When an educator sits back and observes a child within their care, they can then better
understand the children’s strengths or weaknesses. Through observations, educators’
programming can help make improvements to the environment and facilitate learning.

Observation of a child’s behavior can:

 Help an educator better understand why a child might be having challenging behavior
 Identify special needs
 Better understand the child
 Allows for documentation of skills
 Shows the child’s communication style
 See what their interactions with their peers are like
Observation focuses on how: how did the child get there vs. the product the child used.
The observation process is very straightforward: observe and reflect, document and
gather evidence, plan and act, and finally, assess. Try using this free template! You only
assess over long periods of time. Typically once every six months depending on
the type of assessment you are using.

What are the types of documentation? 📋

Having evidence of skill growth helps gain better insight into where a child is at. Having
meaningful interactions when a child is playing can allow for the project to continue over
long periods of time and keep the child’s interest up.

 Written observations with language samples. Example: Bobby is building with the blocks. He
is stacking all the square blocks and then topping them off with a triangular block. When I asked
Bobby what he was creating his response was “This is my house, because it has a point at the
top”.
 Drawings or attempts of writing – Grab that picture before it ends up in the recycling!
 Pictures of creations – Take a moment to capture that masterpiece before tidy-up time!
 Videos – Videos can be so powerful and if you are using digital documentation it’s much easier
to catch those moments!
 Learning stories with direct links to skills – Typically add a picture and tag with a skill from
your framework.
Observations also help build progress reports (try using this free template!). Typically,
centers will have ongoing tracking of each child’s skills and development and report
these back to families. This is the initial step before going into an assessment.
What do educators track?
Educators look to help grow the child as a whole and want to encourage growth and
development of skills in all areas. The primary areas of focus are:
  Cognitive development
 Physical development
 Social development
 Emotional development
 Language and literacy development

Depending on the style of teaching or curriculum there may be other areas of focus but
these will always be the key ones. Each of these areas of development impact one
another.

Observations and assessments📓

You’ve been gathering observations, changing the environment around, and providing
meaningful activities to promote growth, now what? Well, as children learn more skills
and adapt to different situations, you have evidence gathered to prove this. Through
pictures and written observations that you have gathered, it’s now time to reflect on all
this hard work and assess. Assessments can’t be done without evidence and
observations are a huge piece of evidence. There are many different types of
assessments you can choose to do, but first, make sure you have been trained on how
to assess properly. Some assessments are as simple as a checklist and some require
certification. Also, make sure the assessment you use is approved in your area and ties
to the values and teaching style of your center.
Connect with parents👨‍👨‍👧
The final piece to observations is bringing this information back to parents and working
with them directly to make sure the child is supported both at home and in the
classroom. Have meetings with parents to not only discuss any ongoing issues or
problems but also to plan what the goals are for their child. With a good working
relationship with parents, a child can be very successful.

Tying these all together is no easy task and for many educators, it is very time-
consuming, but it is very important. Many centers have made the switch to HiMama
because of this. Within the app, teachers can tag skills, observe, reflect, and then
assess using work sampling or ounce. All the while sharing updates with families! Today
with COVID-19 on the doorstep, having open communication with parents is very
important as many can not come in the center to observe how the classroom is growing.
Learner Outcomes focused on in this chapter: After completing this chapter, students
should be able to:

 Explain the reason for assessing children’s development and the nature of authentic
assessment in early childhood education.
 Recall reasons for observing children’s behavior.
 Identify methods for recording observations objectively and to avoid bias or
subjectivity.
 Explain the major practical and effective methods that teachers use in observing
children’s development and behavior.
 Defend the utility of portfolios in observation and assessment.

Canvas Assignments:
o Review PowerPoint
o Complete Discussion Question
o Complete Chapter Reflection

Week 7
Test: Chapters 1-6

Week 8

Chapter 7: Self-Esteem and the Moral Self

Learner Outcomes focused on in this chapter: After completing this chapter, students
should be able to:

 Explain how each of the four separate parts of the self is different from the other
parts.
 Explain each of the three building blocks of self-esteem.
 Analyze the effect of a child’s social setting on the development of her self-esteem.
 Explain the meaning and development of the moral self.
 Explain how teachers can help children develop authentic self-esteem.

Canvas Assignments:
o Review PowerPoint
o Complete Discussion Question
 o Complete Chapter Reflection

Week 9
Chapter 8: Feelings and Friends: Emotional and Social Competence

Learner Outcomes focused on in this chapter: After completing this chapter, students
should be able to:

 Explain the nature and development of emotional competence during early childhood.
 Explain the nature and development of social competence during early childhood.
 Summarize specific strategies early childhood teachers use to help young children
develop Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
 Summarize information on essential topics in SEL.
 Explain how to use large group time and opportunities throughout the day to help
children learn how to deal with disappointment and anger and to learn friendship
skills.

Canvas Assignments:
o Review PowerPoint
o Complete Discussion Question
o Complete Chapter Reflection

Week 10
 Chapter 7: Resilience and Stress in Childhood

Resilience in Children: Strategies to

Strengthen Your Kids
Help your child build resilience in the face of obstacles including
bullying, moving, divorce, and anxiety with these tips from an expert.

All children are capable of working through challenges and coping with
stress. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from stress, adversity,
failure, challenges, or even trauma. It’s not something that kids either
have or don’t have; it’s a skill that kids develop as they grow.
Resilient kids are more likely to take healthy risks because they don’t
fear falling short of expectations. They are curious, brave, and trusting
of their instincts. They know their limits and they push themselves to
step outside of their comfort zones. This helps them reach for their long-
term goals and it helps them solve problems independently.

Stress and Resilience

All kids encounter stress of varying degrees as they grow. Despite

their best efforts, parents can’t protect kids from obstacles. Kids get
sick, move to new neighborhoods, encounter bullies and
cyberbullies, take tests, cope with grief, lose friends, and deal with
divorce, to name a few. These obstacles might seem small in the eyes
of an adult, but they feel large and all-consuming to kids. Resilience
helps kids navigate these stressful situations. When kids have
the skills and the confidence to confront and work through their
problems, they learn that they have what it takes to confront
difficult issues. The more they bounce back on their own, the
more they internalize the message that they are strong and
capable.
Strategies to Build Resilience

Parents can help kids build resilience and confront uncertainty by

teaching them to solve problems independently. While the gut reaction
of the parent might be to jump in and help so that the child avoids
dealing with discomfort, this actually weakens resilience. Kids need to
experience discomfort so that they can learn to work through it and
develop their own problem-solving skills. Without this skill-set in place,
kids will experience anxiety and shut down in the face of adversity.

1. Build a Strong Emotional Connection

Spend one-on-one time with your kids: Kids develop coping skills within
the context of caring relationships, so it’s important to spend one-on-
one time with them. This means you need to put down the smart phone
and focus on your child. When kids know they have the unconditional
support of a parent, family member, or even a teacher, they feel
empowered to seek guidance and make attempts to work through
difficult situations. Positive connections allow adults to model coping
and problem-solving skills to children.

2. Promote Healthy Risk-Taking

In a world where playgrounds are made “safe” with bouncy floor

materials and helicopter parenting, it’s important to encourage kids to
take healthy risks. What’s a healthy risk? Something that pushes a child
to go outside of their comfort zone, but results in very little harm if they
are unsuccessful. Examples include trying a new sport, participating in
the school play, or striking up a conversation with a shy peer. When kids
avoid risk, they internalize the message that they aren’t strong enough
to handle challenges. When kids embrace risks, they learn to push
themselves.

3. Resist the Urge to Fix It and Ask Questions Instead

When kids come to parents to solve their problems, the natural response
is to lecture or explain. A better strategy is to ask questions. By
bouncing the problem back to the child with questions, the parent helps
the child think through the issue and come up with solutions.

4. Teach Problem-Solving Skills

The goal is not to promote rugged self-reliance. We all need help

sometimes, and it’s important for kids to know they have help. By
brainstorming solutions with kids, parents engage in the process of
solving problems. Encourage kids to come up with a list of ideas and
weigh the pros and cons of each one.

5. Label Emotions

When stress kicks in, emotions run hot. Teach your kids that all feelings
are important and that labeling their feelings can help them make sense
of what they’re experiencing. Tell them it’s okay to feel anxious, sad,
jealous, etc. and reassure them that bad feelings usually pass.

6. Demonstrate Coping Skills

Deep breathing exercises help kids relax and calm themselves when
they experience stress or frustration. This enables them to remain calm
and process the situation clearly.

7. Embrace Mistakes—Theirs and Yours

Failure avoiders lack resilience. In fact, failure avoiders tend to be

highly anxious kids. When parents focus on end results, kids get caught
up in the pass/fail cycle. They either succeed or they don’t. This causes
risk avoidance. Embracing mistakes (your own included) helps promote
a growth mindset and gives kids the message that mistakes help them
learn. It can be helpful to talk about a mistake you made and how you
recovered from it.
 8. Promote the Bright Side—Every Experience Has One

Optimism and resiliency go hand in hand. Some kids may appear more
naturally optimistic than others, but optimism can be nurtured. If you
have a mini pessimist on your hands, acknowledge the feelings that lead
to pessimistic thinking and teach your child to reframe his thoughts to
find the positive.

9. Model Resiliency

The best way to teach resilience is to model it. We all encounter

stressful situations. Use coping and calming strategies. Deep breathing
can be an effective way to work through stress. Always label your
emotions and talk through your problem-solving process.

10. Go Outside

Exercise helps strengthen the brain and make it more resilient to stress
and adversity. While team sports are the most popular method of
consistent exercise for kids, all kids really need is time spent outdoors
engaging in a physical activity. If team sports don’t appeal to your child,
encourage them or introduce them to bicycling, playing tag, or even just
swinging at the playground. These are all great ways for kids to engage
in free play that also builds resilience.

Resilience helps kids navigate the obstacles they encounter as they

grow. It’s not possible to avoid stress, but being resilient is one of the
best ways to cope with it.
Learner Outcomes focused on in this chapter: After completing this chapter, students
should be able to:
 Explain how children develop resilience.
 Summarize information on stress in young children—types and sources and how
stress affects young children.
 Explain the stages in responding to and how children cope with stress.
 Explain strategies that teachers can use to help children cope effectively with stress.

Canvas Assignments:
o Review PowerPoint
o Complete Discussion Question
o Complete Chapter Reflection

Week 11
 Chapter 8: Aggression and Bullying in Young Children

Bullying has three elements:

it is an act is aggressive and intended to do harm; these are

repeated over time; and, they occurs within the context of power
imbalance. In other words, it is a series of acts intended to hurt
another child, committed by a child to gain or to assert greater power
over another child. The definition is important because it distinguishes
bullying from rough and tumble play and other aspects of young
children’s developing social skills. This article explores the difference
between rough and tumble play and fighting, for example. Bullying
can be physically aggressive, but can also be verbal (name calling),
or social (social exclusion) in nature.

Bullying can emerge in children as young as three and we’re likely to see bullying to
occur in preschools, kindergartens, playgroups, childcare, and any other social context
where children interact (such as home, extended family gatherings etc.).

Aggression versus bullying

Unlike bullying, aggression can be fairly typical and at times, developmentally appropriate
during early childhood. As children develop their language, social, and self-regulatory skills,
aggression typically decreases and is replaced with more appropriate behaviours. Aggression and
bullying are overlapping but distinctive behaviours. All bullying behaviour is aggression but
not all aggression is bullying. To be defined as bullying, aggressive behaviour needs to be mean
and harmful, repeated, intentional, and there must be an imbalance of power.

Activity: If you’ve observed bullying in your early childhood setting, write down the
scenario. Does the behaviour described in your scenario include the four bullying
characteristics? Have your perceptions of bullying and aggression changed?
 The purpose of this activity is to get you thinking about whether the behaviours you’ve
been labelling as bullying are indeed bullying, or are they more reflective of aggression?
Incorrectly labelling behaviours as bullying (and children as bullies) can lead to serious
and inaccurate . Similarly, dismissing bullying behaviours as typical development can
contribute to children’s ongoing use of these behaviours.

Young children don’t just develop bullying behaviours. There are several situations and contexts
where young children can learn bullying behaviours. For example, they may observe or be the
target of bullying at home between siblings, from other family members, or from within the
neighbourhood; they may watch television shows, movies, or video games that have a high level
of aggression and bullying; or they may see other peers use bullying behaviours to get what they
want. These experiences and observations can prepare young children to be more or less likely to
use bullying behaviours.

Young children’s bullying behaviours can be reinforced by the reaction of others. Consider
this scenario: a child is playing with a toy and another child comes over and demands to play
with the toy. The targeted child sits crying and reluctantly hands over the toy to the child. The
aggressive child is likely to target the same child again in the future and the bullying behaviour
may continue and escalate. The submission of the target child has reinforced the aggressive
child’s behaviour because the child has achieved their goal of playing with the toy. If this
behaviour is allowed to continue, the aggressive child’s behaviour will continue to be reinforced
and the behaviour may become more hurtful and deliberate.

During early childhood, modelling is an incredibly powerful way young children learn
positive and negative behaviours, including bullying. When children observe their peers
participating in bullying behaviours, they may try out similar tactics. They may target the same
child who had been victimised, perceiving them as an ‘easy target’ to get what they want.
Without intervention, this early engagement in bullying can escalate and several months later
there may well established power hierarchies and dominant children who continue to regularly
bully their peers.

How can teachers spot bullying?

What is bullying? described some examples of bullying behaviours that children and adults use.
This includes physical, verbal, relational, and cyber bullying. During early childhood, physical
aggression (such as hitting, kicking, pinching, or throwing objects) is the most common
aggressive behaviour children use. Physical aggression usually peaks at approximately 4 years of
age and slowly declines as young children develop language, social, and self-regulation skills.
Relational aggression, such as excluding a peer from play by saying ‘you can’t play’ with the
intention to exclude, and ignoring or whispering about another peer, are also common examples
of aggression that could lead to bullying. As children get older and their language develops, they
are also likely to use verbal forms of aggression such as threatening to hurt other children,
yelling and swearing at others.

Activity: Write a list of behaviours that you would classify as bullying behaviours.
 The purpose of this activity is for you to consider the different types of bullying behaviours that young children
use. Are there behaviours that are more common than others? Do you consider each of the behaviours to be
equally serious? Share your list with your colleagues to see whether there are similarities and differences in
your perceptions.

Young children can use each of these forms of aggression, and each has the potential to escalate
into bullying. By being aware of these behaviours, teachers can more effectively prevent and
stop the behaviours from occurring and escalating. Remember that one child can use all forms of
aggression: physical aggression isn’t exclusively a boy behaviour and relational aggression isn’t
exclusively a girl behaviour. All children can learn how to use all forms of aggression and
bullying.

Who is involved in bullying behaviours?

Usually, our attention is immediately drawn to the child who has engaged in the bullying
behaviour, but the victim and the bystanders also play an important role in a bullying situation.
The actions of the bully, victim, and bystander(s) can either stop or escalate the bullying
behaviours.

The bully is the child who targets another child and instigates the bullying behaviour.

The victim is the child who is the receiver of the bullying behaviour.

The bystander is the adult, child or children who watch the bullying behaviour occur.

All children can be a bully, a victim, or a bystander and they can move between these roles.

How can we prevent bullying?

Bullying is completely preventable and the great news is that preventing bullying during early
childhood is a lot easier compared with middle childhood and adolescence because children are
still learning about what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Young children are likely to
try out new behaviours, wait to see how their peers and teachers react, and then decide whether
the behaviour is acceptable or unacceptable. This allows teachers to intervene before aggressive
behaviours escalate into bullying. It is better to intervene too early than too late. The following
considerations will help early childhood leaders and teachers to develop a consistent approach to
preventing bullying:

1. Recognise that young children can engage in bullying behaviours. These may start as aggression and
escalate to behaviours that are repetitive and where the bully is more powerful than the victim.
2. Become familiar with the different forms of aggression and bullying that young children use during
early childhood. All of these forms of aggression and bullying are harmful.
3. Understand why some children may engage in bullying behaviours and where they have learnt these
behaviours. All behaviour is communication and serves some function.
4. Remember that bullies, victims, and bystanders are all important to the prevention and intervention of
bullying behaviours.
5. Talk to children and parents/whānau about bullying. Young children don’t always understand that
their bullying behaviours hurt and children don’t always know what to do when they see bullying
behaviour happen. Talking about aggression and bullying openly with children and parents/whānau
will help establish expectations of behaviour and let them know that bullying will be taken seriously.
6. Look for teachable moments to teach children how to recognise and respond to bullying behaviours.
This will help establish a culture in your centre that says ‘NO!’ to bullying.
7. Teach and model the skills children need to engage in prosocial, cooperative, and supportive
interactions. Teachers are in a privileged position to guide children to become kind and sociable
individuals.
8. Prevention is a collective commitment to all children’s safety and sense of belonging. It is important
that all teachers and parents/whānau are aware of the centre’s philosophy and approach to preventing
bullying. It’s best that everyone is consistent in responding and intervening in all bullying behaviours.
How to prevent aggression and bullying
Below is a list of practical strategies, activities, and resources that you might find useful to teach
these skills as one way to help prevent bullying and aggression.

Teach children to become kind and sociable individuals. During the early years, young
children are great at modelling behaviours they see others using. Teacher’s modelling of
appropriate social skills such as sharing, speaking kindly to others, using manners, listening and
cooperating are opportunities to teach young children the behaviours you want them to use.

Activity: Write a list of common behaviours you use in your daily interactions with children. What might these
be modelling to children?
Write down a list of opportunities in your day to day practice that you can use to model appropriate social skills
for children in your centre (such as kai, free play).

Catch them being good. Prevention is better than intervention. Look for opportunities to catch
children being good and praise them for using cooperative and kind social skills and behaviours.
Research demonstrates the powerful association between teacher praise and children’s positive
behaviours. The more teachers use behaviour specific praise to acknowledge children’s positive
behaviours, the fewer challenging behaviours they are likely to engage in. Similarly, the more
positive prosocial cooperative play children engage in, the fewer reasons they will have to
engage in aggression or bullying behaviours. Young children often look to impress adults, so
when teachers pay more attention to children’s positive behaviours through praise and
reinforcement, children are more likely to use these behaviours.

Really listen and understand their feelings. Look for teachable moments to teach children
empathy. Young children who can empathise with others are less likely to use aggression and
bullying behaviours because they know that these behaviours might hurt their peer. For young
children to develop empathy, they need to understand feelings and emotions. Teaching about and
labelling feelings and emotions is an excellent strategy that can be embedded in your day to day
practices. You might like to use storybooks such as:

 The Feelings Book by Todd Parr

 The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
 My Many Coloured Days by Dr Seuss
Asking children questions like ‘how do you think (child) feels when you won’t be their friend?’,
‘how would you feel if you weren’t allowed to play with (child)?’, or ‘how do you know when
someone else is feeling left out?’ can help give children the language they need to describe the
feelings of a bully, victim or bystander. Teaching young children strategies to self-regulate can
also prevent aggression and bullying behaviours from escalating. Some examples of simple
strategies to teach children include:

 Walking away and telling an adult

 Saying ‘STOP! I don’t like it’ and, if the behaviour continues, finding an adult who can help
 Closing your eyes and taking deep breaths (rocket breathing)
When teachers, parents/whānau and children practise acts of kindness, it makes the giver and
receiver feel good about themselves. Encouraging children to look for opportunities to display
kindness can promote their prosocial skills and awareness of others.

Activity: Reflect on the types of games and activities that you encourage children to participate in at your
centre. Do these activities encourage cooperation or competition?
Find ways for all children to experience success that doesn’t involve dominating their peers. For example, you
might choose activities that require cooperation such as dancing over competitive games such as musical chairs.

Use a variety of resources to model appropriate social skills and behaviours to children. You
can get creative and use puppets, storybooks and role-play to teach children about how to be kind
and sociable individuals. Whatever strategy you choose, make it a fun, mana-enhancing
experience for teacher and children.

Intervening in aggression and bullying

Recent research shows that teachers and parents respond to physical aggression differently
compared to relational aggression. When teachers and parents see young children excluding
others (in other words, relational aggression), they’re more likely to do nothing or take a lot
longer to intervene than they would if they saw a child hit a peer.

Activity: Would you intervene to the same extent in relational and physical aggression?
If not, why not? If your response to different forms of aggression varies, what do you think this might
communicate to young children?
When we differ in our intervention responses to young children’s aggression and bullying, we
might be communicating that some behaviours are more worthy of attention and intervention
than others. For instance, when adults intervene in physical aggression immediately, they are
saying to children that these behaviours are unacceptable and are worthy of immediate attention.
On the other hand, when adults don’t intervene in aggression or bullying, young children might
think that these behaviours aren’t serious and that they can get away with these behaviours. If
teachers and parents don’t work towards intervening and stopping bullying, it can grow and
escalate. Below are some tips on how to effectively intervene in aggression and bullying.

Clear and consistent expectations. Effective intervention also requires consistency and follow-
through. A great first step is to consider the centre philosophy, rules, and expectations. Involving
children and their parents/whānau in these discussions will help promote a collaborative,
supportive environment that is focused on providing a safe environment for children, free of
bullying. Coming up with a list of strength-based, mana-enhancing responses to children’s
aggressive and bullying behaviours will help with consistency and follow-through. These could
be displayed in a central location within the classroom.

The teacher’s behaviour. Remember that a teacher’s intervention response is powerful in

modelling expectations, so intervening in aggression and bullying using a calm and firm
approach reminds young children that the teacher is in control and will keep them safe. When
responding to aggression or bullying, it is important to describe the behaviour that was not
acceptable. This communicates to children the specific behaviour you observed and why it is not
acceptable. The timing of teacher intervention is also critical to ensure the bullying behaviour
doesn’t escalate. The best time to intervene is when the child has calmed down and can process
the impact of their behaviour.

Remember, intervention communicates to children that bullying behaviours are not acceptable
and will not be allowed. This in turn helps children feel safe because they know the teacher is in
control of the situation. Children who are targets of bullying, feel cared for and supported when
they can rely on their teacher to protect them and intervene to stop the bullying behaviour.
Teachers’ intervention approaches can be used as a teachable moment to teach children strategies
that lead to greater kindness and cooperation. Intervention is important because it creates an
atmosphere that communicates to children that bullying behaviours are unacceptable.
Learner Outcomes focused on in this chapter: After completing this chapter, students
should be able to:

 Explain the nature and different forms of aggression.

 Summarize the purposes of aggression.
 Explain the nature and different forms of bullying, a form of aggression.
 Discuss the process of learning to be aggressive, specifically how children acquire
scripts
that tell them how to be aggressive.

Canvas Assignments:
o Review PowerPoint
o Complete Discussion Question
o Complete Chapter Reflection
 Week 12

Chapter 11: Minimizing Challenging Behavior

Learner Outcomes focused on in this chapter: After completing this chapter, students
should be able to:

 Explain the nature of challenging behavior.

 Apply knowledge of the roots of challenging behavior to chapter-opening case
studies.
 Explain the role of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) in supporting positive
behavior in young children.
 Explain how FBA is used in supporting children with specific challenging behavior.
 Summarize the major approach to working with infants and toddlers with challenging
behaviors.

Canvas Assignments:
o Review PowerPoint
o Complete Discussion Question
o Complete Chapter Reflection

Week 13
Chapter 12: Apply Your Knowledge: Guiding Children during Routines and
Transitions

Learner Outcomes focused on in this chapter: After completing this chapter, students
should be able to:

 Explain how teachers use direct and indirect guidance to meet children’s needs during
arrival at and departure from school or childcare.
 Explain how teachers use direct and indirect guidance to meet children’s needs during
large group times.
 Explain how teachers use direct and indirect guidance to meet children’s needs during
small groups.
 Explain how teachers use direct and indirect guidance to meet children’s needs during
transitions.
 Explain how visual supports assist children in understanding transitions and routines.

Canvas Assignments:
o Review PowerPoint
o Complete Discussion Question
o Complete Chapter Reflection

Week 14
Chapter 13: Apply Your Knowledge: Use the Decision-Making Model of Child
Guidance
Learner Outcomes focused on in this chapter: After completing this chapter, students
should be able to:

 Explain the major features of the decision-making model of child guidance.

 Use the decision-making model in everyday discipline encounters and with
challenging
behavior.
 Use the decision-making model to make contextual changes and to change an adult’s
practices.

Canvas Assignments:
o Review PowerPoint for Chapters 12 and 13
o Complete Discussion Questions for Chapters 12 and 13
o Complete Chapter Reflections for Chapters 12 and 13

Week 15
Behavior Management Plan due