Avoiding Chaos (as presented by Pam Clarke 6-07)
1. Eliminate background noise
2. Expect small attention spans
3. Engage children in activities. (Solo and Group)
4. Help children choose an activity, use an activity, clean up.
5. Play with your children (Don’t ask them to go play).
6. As they become age appropriate, challenge their waiting skills to enhance them.
7. Prep Ahead.
8. PREP AHEAD - You cant supervise, engage, and problem solve if you are distracted. So get a system. Cook, cut up, paste, package, whatever, but free up your time to BE with them.
9. Keep a schedule - Flexible but predictable.
10. Set Limits and Expectations and stick to them. It's exhausting but once new children get used to them and existing children master them your day will be easier.
Coming Back From Chaos
1. Try a Freeze or Sit Request:
A sign, a noise, 123 look at me, snap, click, whistle, song, etc. One thing that means stop and look at me.
2. Try some exercise - Sing - (you cant cry or whine while singing)
3. Try some meditation
4. Give them a task. Each one a job.
5. Bring them to the table.
6. Lacing, color, playdough, puzzles, felt boards, à At the table
7. Turn off all noise ---à Whisper
Prep Ahead
1. Pack a picnic
2. Prep tomorrows lunch while they're eating dinner.
3. Lay out tomorrows craft or table play on trays.
4. Cut paste prep crafts in advance.
5. Stream line mealtime.
6. Develop a Routine. Expect everyone (age appropriate) to participate. Send time developing and teaching your expectations. Kids love habit and routine once they master it. They live it. They teach it to others. They are proud of it. example: Before every snack and meal we "Clean up, wash up, eat up, clean up, wash up" (our play area, our hands, our food, our place setting, our tables).
This takes up a lot of time in the day because we do it B.S.L.S.D - 5x a day.
They all help and are proud of themselves. Anyone who is disruptive to the routine is given a task to contribute. We all try to stay on task, then move on to something else and regroup. Know what task you're going to move on to.
Ending Chaos (Presented by Sheril Vinaja)
Everyone has chaos from time to time, even well seasoned providers. Like Colleen said we should just video her child care last week to show everyone what not to do. But with experience can learn to reduce the amount of chaos and in general maintain control in our day.
Times when Chaos reigns
* Too many kids have immediate need at the same time
* new kids
* Teething babies
* Off Schedule
* Major diaper accidents
* Phone rings
* Someone throws up
* New things such as toys or furniture
Ideas for controlling the Chaos in the child care environment:
Consistency!
Above all consistency!!!! Consistency in meal times, nap times, and not saying please don’t do that one time and the next time it is OK. CONSISTENCY above all else. Children want to be safe loved and accepted in an environment filled with fun things and boundaries. They really do appreciate boundaries. Have rules and stick with them!
Structure, Planning, and Routine
I know if I didn't have a structured lesson plan, with the children knowing what we will be doing at certain times, that our day would end up being very chaotic.
Write out a daily lesson plan or daily routine with your scheduled activities, etc. Trying to fly by the seat of your pants causes major confusion in children, as they pick up on the adults confusion and frustration on what they should be doing, etc., which fuels the children's energy.
But being the fly by the seat of your pants kind of person can also work if that is your style. Call this "calculated chaos" For instance, if your daily schedule is pretty much set, what you do for circle time or craft activity can be pretty much predicted by what mood the children are in. As long as certain things such as meals, nap, outside time, etc are set, then everything else can be subject to change based on your goals for the day or what the needs of the children are. If this is a new concept or you are a new provider, give yourself time to learn what works best for yourself.
Learning centers.
Set up the environment to discourage bad behavior and encourage learning. For instance you might need to have open areas for better supervision. Yet too much open areas can encourage running. If a child or children are being disruptive you can send them to play by themselves in one of the activity centers. If it gets really crazy then you can have one child sitting at the table doing puzzles, another in the reading area with books, and another at the manipulative table with manipulatives. By separating them it gives them all a chance to calm down and focus on a task. When they are ready to play, they will rarely go back to the wildness and/or previous arguments. Have a limit at centers, only so many children allowed to avoid groups getting out of hand.
Movement
Have large motor movement to get out the wiggles every day. We walk daily sometimes twice, rain or shine and go out back for a min of 1 hour daily and always strive for 2 hours. We tend be out nearly all day whenever possible.
Play music to encourage dancing and movement.
Have 5 min of exercises such as sit ups, jumping jacks, etc. before art projects, circle time, or reading time so they are more calm during the activity.
Organization
Be organized with your day and always have a back up plan - if something isn't working - change your plan!
Activity
My child care home has chaos mainly when kids get bored, so I don't let that happen much. I have my day broken down into 15-45 minute activities. I switch between a sit down activity like painting to a busy one like large motor skills with balls. I also have a box of toys that only comes out when things are crazy. I will also use it if I get a phone call and I have to take it, or if I have a parent stop by for an interview. I change out the toys in the box every 2-4 weeks so the kids never get really use to those toys regularly. I also have a box of art supplies that only come out when things aren't going the way I planned. It contains things I have bought on sale at Michaels or Hobby Lobby.
Cut the sugar
I try to avoid chaos by not serving fruit rollups, fun fruits or sugary cookies. We also have no sweet drinks - I serve water and sometimes Gatorade (after milk) at meals. I learned this the hard way I had to take a look at what kids were eating at mealtime. I thought I was doing them a favor by providing a treat. How wrong I was - since I quit serving these treats afternoons are better, they sleep better etc.
The only time they get a sugary treat is someone's birthday - these are always served late in the day.
Make Changes
If it is something that isn't working in your routine or set up - you must assess your environment, routine, etc and pin point what isn't working - then search out a change and make it.
Set up the environment to discourage bad behavior and encourage learning. For instance with some children you might need to have open areas for constant supervision. Yet too much open areas can encourage other undesirable behaviors such as running.
Supervision
Even if you are doing something else like talking on the phone or with a parent - chaos will reign when they think you are not watching. Move closer to the group, take a disruptive child by the hand, or have them stay with you until you are finished.
Miscellaneous
*Give positive attention
*Anticipate - know your kids
*Limit TV and other noises in the environment.
*Ask other providers what they do in problem situations and implement or adapt to suit your program. If possible spend time there observing.
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