So we tried the stop light. Its no longer working for most of the class and barley working for the other few. We would like to do something new with then kids to promote positive behavior. We have lots of bad listening ears, hitting, punching, tantrum thowing ect. all day long which is why we need something. We have thought of doing a sticker chart thing. What works for you guys? This is a 2-3 class.

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Ugh, that's a tough age group. They don't understand charts for behavior in my experience and are very egocentric in their behavior so definitely hard to manage.

How many kids are in one class? How many teachers/assistants?

I'd separate the group into small groups if possible and make sure each group has older 3's and younger 2's.... I use the older ones to assist and role model for the younger kids and I use the younger kids' behaviors to point out how mature and well the older kids are....

I think the only real thing that works with this age group is alot of redirection and a lot of role modeling.

I personally do not like rewarding kids for behavior that is expected...I think it sets them up to think they deserve to be rewarded for listening. Here rewards are for positive behavior above and beyond what is expected.

Once you get a couple of the older ones to fall in line, use the heck out of them as role models for the others... at this age peer pressure and monkey see/monkey do are great tools for this type of thing.

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The truth is that I've never had a behavior chart work. I've used them with foster kids and my own child-always on the advice of a therapist. They don't work for many reasons, but the biggest reason I hate them is that kids shouldn't expect a reward for good behavior or be subjected to shame when they are unable to achieve the behavior we're looking for. Here's just one of many "anti-chart" articles I just googled: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.b41e14a886c8

One of my favorite quotes that hangs on my wall to remind me:

Thinking of your child as behaving badly disposes you to think of punishment.

Thinking of your child as struggling to handle something difficult encourages you to help them through their distress.

Since I have done away with punishment/reward systems with my OWN child, I have seen a huge increase in good behavior. No longer am I reacting to behaviors, but instead I'm working on them WITH him. This isn't always possible with daycare kids, but when you CAN understand what's behind the behaviors, you can work on fixing the CAUSE of it, and it does work better than anything else I have tried.

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most days I have 9 by myself, usally 3 or so 2 1/2 or 2s and the rest are 3s. The one 3 year old that responds to the chart (most of the time) is only in my room cause he's got violent tendency and the 3 year old teacher is pregnant. We try to talk though why they need to make a differnt choice or try to talk about whats wrong but the main kids who need a chart are the ones that throw fits where they wont listen. full on kicking ect. I do send them to the office, but that only works for so long too. Most of the kids dont care when I point out (by name) the kids who are doing what there suposted to be doing. Right now its alot of taking away things and redirection to table toys. Sometimes i'm at a loss. Ive been working with these kids 3 weeks now and I'm lost. The only time they are not misbehaving is when there sitting in chairs at the table focused on group time (which oddly they love. Our group time yesterday was a half hour beause they kept asking for "more cat" "more llama" "Sticks" (a popsicle stick color matching game) and "Flashers" (flashcards, tried animals one day cause I thought it would kill some time, now there addicted).

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Yes, talking about how to do things differently is important. We do a lot of "do-overs" here-Sam, I saw you took that toy away from Heidi. That is not a nice thing to do. Let's have a do over. What should we say to Heidi when we want a toy that she has. "May I play with that when you're done?". Good job.

BUT, there is also looking for the reason behind the behavior. Some kids are scared, some impulsive, some worried about their parents divorce, etc. If we can address (IF we can find) what is causing the misbehavior and help the child address that, the behaviors disappear. For instance: A child experiencing separation anxiety may lash out when other kids invade their space. We should address the offending behavior, but working on the anxiety is the long term solution. It isn't always something that we can do at daycare, but it actually is the easiest solution.

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The issues behind the behaviors are known; One little guy with a dad who is away alot for work, two who are seeing birth to 3, two who we suspect are on the spectrum (but the parents dont want to test).

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I totally get why this is a problem, however this behavior is developmentally appropriate for 2-3 year olds. At this age they're ego-centric (I want what I want when I want it) and have little to no impulse control. Asking them to think before acting is asking the impossible - their brains just aren't developed enough for that yet.

Rather than trying to change them, can you change the environment and your expectations? Rearrange the room, rotate toys, change the schedule, etc?

Since you've identified 3 with the greatest needs, maybe you can keep them closer to you so you can intervene before things happen?

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Youngstar (Wisconsin program) demands that we have: Art center, book center, block center, Home living, small motor, science and sensory. It also demands that quiet areas be together and loud ones must be together. Which limits what we can do with our room. Ive attached a rough layout of our room (which is not as crowed as it seems). The room is mostly carpet except for the eating area. The second photo is how youngstar says our areas are divided.

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Drop the charts. They're way too young to understand them. They pit you vs kids. It makes them confused and angry and usually promotes more 'bad' behavior.

Hit the reset button on your entire classroom. GO outside immediately after breakfast. Come in and do sensory activities. Get the energy out in a positive, fun way. Make sure the needs of your kids are met.

What is your attitude and behavior like? I find kids feed off of me. I set the tone for positive class behavior all day long.

Model appropriate behavior ALL THE TIME. GIVE them words/tools. "I see Sue is crying because she wants the truck. Joe has the truck. Sue, let's ask Joe for the truck when he is finished. (ask) Now let's go find something to do while we wait."

Allow the children to try again. Took a toy? Let's try that again. (model and encourage them to try)

Focus on the positive, NOT the negative. EVEN if it wasn't the best, just acknowledging that they tried "That WAS hard, you tried."

Ignore all behavior that is not hurting people/things. Crying? "I can't understand your crying. I can understand your words." redirect to cry spot, walk away. NO attention- positive or negative.

The ONLY time I even elevate my voice an octave is when a child is about to hurt someone. That's it. "NO" WILL make almost every child I have ever had in care cry, I NEVER raise my voice unless I NEED TO.

A child in a tantrum is feeling out of control and needs to know that there are limits and you can handle the tantrum AND keep him safe. "You are sad. It's ok to be sad. It is not ok to take toys/hit friends"

Use "I" statements, not judging ones, and offer alternatives to unacceptable behavior. Keep it short. "I will not let you hit friends. You MAY play nicely or..." "I will not let you throw toys. You MAY throw..."

HTH, good luck!

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