skills4teaching

When you tell a child “Stop” or “Don’t do that,” there reaction will most likely be to keep doing it. What you have to do is redirect their behavior. You could do this by calling their attention to something else. Give the child something else to do, give them another challenge, but one that is safe. Don’t shout out their name and point somewhere else for them to go. Simply go up to them and tell them what they can do in an enthusiastic voice, make that other challenge seem more fun, interesting and challenging. Look out for unsafe conditions, rearrange the enviroment to avoid any accidents, and be alert and aware to prevent any you can.  

Children imitate everything you do. So, be sure to model safe behavior, demonstrate safe behavior. Children will be more likely to copy your safe behavior, than doing it because you told them to.

At lunch time, when your cutting chicken, for example, you can say “See, when I cut your chicken, I point the knife away from me, so I don’t get cut.” Identify what your doing and explain you are doing it to be safe.

Teach children how to use the scissors, model to them how you hold them at the bottom. When you see them holding them the right way, say “(child’s name) I like how you are being safe with the scissors, good job!”

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