Many early childhood teachers feel like a broken record. They’re always saying “no” and “no hitting” and “use your words,” etc…

If you’ve been teaching preschool for a while, then you know that every day can be like a battlefield (full of cute children, yes, but a battlefield nonetheless). 

Our job consists of putting out a hundred fires at once while teaching children skills they will need in life and making sure they’re in one piece at the end of the day.

This is exactly why we need to learn how to redirect behaviors. Because it’s not always enough to say “no” or “don’t do that,” most of the time, you have to present children with another option.

How does that work?

To discuss this, I have over the brilliant Dr. Carolyn Bobb-Green for a third episode of my Behavior Bites series

Curious about what she has to say?

Tune in now!

What Is Redirection?

[Image quote: “Another word for “redirection” is “guidance.” - Dr. Carolyn Bobb-Green]

Another word for “redirection” is “guidance.” And that means that redirection is all about showing a child the way they should go instead of the way they want to go. 

To redirect a child means to deter them from making a decision that can lead them to getting hurt or getting in trouble. It’s all about guiding them towards the decision that’s going to be in their best interest.

So, when we talk about redirecting preschoolers, we’re talking about guiding them in the direction that they are supposed to be going as opposed to the one that they are opting to take.

How to Redirect Preschoolers During Circle Time

Circle time is one of those scenarios that many early childhood teachers have issues with. Why? Simply because they struggle to grab their students’ attention, captivate them, or involve them during circle time.

So, what can you do when that happens? Well, you can… you’ve guessed it, redirect!

Instead of stopping circle time to address unwanted behavior from a student, try to redirect them instead. And that means doing things such as including the child in circle time by giving them a specific task.

For example, if you’re reading a book, you can offer them to use the pointer to point the words. You can also ask the child to be your little helper with the activity you’re doing in circle time, etc… 

The idea here is to incorporate the student into your circle time. And you do so by redirecting their focus and guiding them to what they’re supposed to be doing, as opposed to focusing on the negative behavior and making that child want to act out and stand out even more.

The Power of Redirection in the Preschool Classroom

[Image quote: “The power in redirection is an explanation. Because when you give [children] an explanation as to why they're supposed to be doing this and guiding them and helping them understand the behavior that you want them to display, self-regulation comes in.” - Dr. Carolyn Bobb-Green]

The power of redirection is in how you can guide your students towards the behaviors you want to see instead of the behaviors that they are displaying.

Back when redirection became a big thing in the early childhood education field, a lot of professionals didn’t think much of it. To them, it was just another way to say “no” without saying “no” simply because children (and parents and principals) didn’t want to hear that word.

But redirection is about more than that. Redirection is a subtle way to get your students to change their behavior without having to tell them what to do or force them to do things they don’t want to.

To redirect your students is to give them an explanation. Because when you give young children an explanation of why they’re supposed to be doing something, when you guide them and help them understand the behavior that you want them to display, self regulation comes in.

And the next time they’ll want to display the unwanted behavior, they will hear your voice inside their head explaining to them all the things that could happen to them if they make that poor decision. And so, they simply won’t make that decision.

All in all, the power and redirection is not just letting kids do whatever they want to. Instead, it’s guiding them and helping them understand why they should make a decision and choose one behavior over another. And that, my friend, goes a long way with preschool children.

Carolyn and I discuss this in more depth in the episode above, so, if you want to learn more about how to redirect children in the preschool classroom, make sure to tune in!

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Check out Training U To Succeed

Follow Training U To Succeed on Instagram

Find Training U To Succeed on Facebook

Learn more about Teach Smarter, a book by Vanessa Levin





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