Help! For Teachers of Young Children: 88 Tips to Develop Children's Social Skills and Create Positive Teacher-Family Relationships

by Gwendolyn (Gwen) S. (Snyder) Kaltman

Overview

This entertaining and informative resource offers tips on teaching communication and cooperation skills, instilling a positive self-concept in children,and creating effective team relationships with families.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412924429
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	10/19/2005
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Gwen Snyder Kaltman has spent more than 25 years working with young children, their parents, and teachers. She is the author of Help! For Teachers of Young Children: 88 Tips to Develop Children's Social Skills and Create Positive Teacher-Family Relationships and More Help! For Teachers of Young Children: 99 Tips to Promote Intellectual Development and Creativity. She has been a preschool teacher, director, college instructor, and educational trainer in various parts of the country andhas also been a validator for the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, the accreditation division of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Kaltman has worked with young children in Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Tennessee, and Virginia. She has trained teachers working in Head Start programs in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and rural Georgia and in child care centers and preschools in the suburbs of New York City and Washington, DC. She has observed preschool classes in such diverse places as China, Easter Island, Greenland, India, Malta, Mongolia, Tibet, Tanzania, Venezuela, and native villages above the Arctic Circle and along the Amazon and Sepik rivers.

She earned her BS and MEd in early childhood education from the University of Maryland.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Part I. Developing Children's Social Skills
1. Yada, Yada, Yada: Communicating Effectively With the Young Child
1. Use nonverbal communication.
2. Talk frequently to infants and toddlers.
3. Get down to the child’s eye level.
4. Use positive language.
5. Be more responsive to what a child does than to what he says.
6. Offer limited choices.
7. Be a language role model.
8. Use language to influence a child’s response to negative events.
9. Use specific language.
10. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
11. Engage children in conversation.
12. Use props to stimulate conversation.
13. Ask developmentally appropriate questions.
14. Help children tell the truth.
15. Be honest and trustworthy.
16. Understand what the child is asking before answering the question.
TRY THIS
2. "Why Can't You Behave?" Understanding the Difference Between Discipline and Punishment
17. Control your emotions.
18. Have a consistent approach.
19. Give children positive attention.
20. Use tangible rewards sparingly.
21. Avoid power struggles.
22. Quiet a group of screaming children by joining them.
23. Redirect negative play.
24. Help children learn to take turns.
25. Don’t overreact when children test your limits.
26. Have developmentally appropriate expectations.
27. Limit class rules.
28. Help children deal with insults from other children.
29. Stop physical bullying as soon as you see it.
30. Don’t assume the younger/smaller child is an innocent victim.
31. Recognize tricks children use to gain favor.
32. Be sure you have a child’s undivided attention.
33. Help children learn to express themselves with words.
34. Guide children through the problem solving process.
TRY THIS
3. "Will You Be My Friend?" Helping Children Develop a Positive Self-Image and Master the Art of Getting Along with Others
35. Help children be independent to foster a positive self-image.
36. Caution parents about the dangers of being too indulgent.
37. Find something good to say about each child.
38. Provide activities that involve cooperation.
39. Encourage the children to interact with and be accepting of all their classmates.
40. Arrange opportunities for children to help one another.
41. When developmentally appropriate, provide an atmosphere that encourages sharing.
42. Be a positive role model.
43. Give children the opportunity to resolve disagreements by themselves.
44. Provide materials that encourage positive social interaction on the playground.
45. Stimulate, but do not dominate, dramatic play.
46. Give children the privacy and freedom they need for dramatic play.
TRY THIS
Part II. Creating Positive Teacher/Family Relationships
4. "Mommy, Please Don't Leave Me!" Preparing Parents and Children for School
47. Offer parents specific and concrete advice on how to minimize separation problems before the child enters school.
48. Try to meet and form bonds with parents before school starts.
49. Establish good lines of communication with parents.
50. Help parents develop an exit strategy.
51. Encourage parents to stay nearby.
52. Gradually increase the time a child stays at school.
53. Give all the children extra attention.
54. Accept a child’s honest feelings.
55. Develop plans to comfort unhappy children.
56. Set up the easel to create a safe observation post.
57. Help children understand the daily schedule.
58. Use your name and the children’s names often.
59. Wear pins or other accessories that appeal to children.
60. Dress colorfully for working with young children.
61. Count heads frequently during the day.
TRY THIS
5. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Creating a Team Relationship With Parents
62. Help parents work through the natural tendency to be jealous.
63. Put your personal feelings aside.
64. Make it easy for parents to confide in you.
65. Learn about the culture and customs of the children’s families.
66. Keep parents informed by posting lesson plans.
67. Write meaningful newsletters.
68. Educate the parents as well as the children.
69. Find ways to communicate with parents.
70. Do your best to calm an angry parent.
71. Involve parents in the school experience.
72. Perform little kindnesses that are not in your job description.
73. Show your appreciation to parents.
74. Accept that you may not be able to help every parent.
TRY THIS
6. "Can We Talk?" Making the Most of Parent/Teacher Conferences
75. Control your conference schedule.
76. Involve everyone who comes to a conference.
77. Collect your thoughts before responding to questions.
78. Have a plan for each child.
79. Ask open-ended questions to get parents to talk about issues.
80. Facilitate communication by relating specific observations.
81. Provide examples of a child’s work.
82. Ask parents what their child does when not in school.
83. Know what you want to say before contacting a parent to schedule an extra conference.
84. Take more than enough time before expressing concerns about a child’s development.
85. When necessary encourage parents to request testing or see a specialist.
86. Avoid using labels.
87. Prepare yourself for negative reactions.
88. Have a game plan for conferences.
TRY THIS
Afterword
Resources
Suggested Readings

Editorial Reviews

"Addresses many typical trouble spots that teachers in early grades frequently encounter—problems with sharing, negative attention seeking, bullying, and expressing anger. The interventions Kaltman recommends are succinct, clear, and easy to administer. Teachers and other school professionals are likely to find many tips to assist them in day-to-day activities. "

Psyc CRITIQUES: Contemporary Psychology

"Teachers and parents will recognize (and chuckle over) many of the situations described in the stories, and will find the strategies useful in meeting the social, emotional, and intellectual needs of young children."

Joan Franklin Smutny

"Easy to read and comprehend. The author knows her field and conveys that knowledge in unassuming ways."

Catheryn Weitman

"Even though strong parent-teacher partnerships benefit children, very little attention is usually given to training teachers to tap into this powerful resource. Kaltman's practical tips would be a very valuable resouce for preservice and inservice teachers alike."

Ruth R. Kennedy

"The author has a marvelous gift of sharing personal experiences with teachers in meaningful and practical ways."

Susan Miller

"A delightful book. It is readable, convincing, and useful for communicating with children and engaging them in fruitful conversations. I would recommend this book to anyone who has the good fortune to be working with young children."

Marilyn Segal

"Refreshing and consistent with most current thinking about effective learning. Teachers and school professionals will find many tips that will assist them in day-to-day activities."

George M. Kapalka

"Addresses many typical trouble spots that teachers in early grades frequently encounter—problems with sharing, negative attention seeking, bullying, and expressing anger. The interventions Kaltman recommends are succinct, clear, and easy to administer. Teachers and other school professionals are likely to find many tips to assist them in day-to-day activities."

Psyc CRITIQUES

"Addresses many typical trouble spots that teachers in early grades frequently encounter—problems with sharing, negative attention seeking, bullying, and expressing anger. The interventions Kaltman recommends are succinct, clear, and easy to administer. Teachers and other school professionals are likely to find many tips to assist them in day-to-day activities."

PsycCRITIQUES