Ultimately, it’s up to the parents to determine how they want to raise their child. As a child care provider, you can offer your experienced opinion in support of the parent making their decisions. So how would you suggest encouraging a preschooler to have a healthy relationship with their emotions? One way could be through Positive Guidance.
What is Positive Guidance?
Positive Guidance is the philosophy and strategy that every child has the potential for learning correct behavior (within a developmentally appropriate level) and that with guidance and practice, they will.
How Does Positive Guidance Apply to Preschoolers?
As with any age, using developmentally appropriate practices in your role as a care provider is an important part of the job. Because Positive Guidance is all about the potential for learning appropriate behavior, self-regulation is a key element in supporting that.
What is Self-Regulation?
Self-regulation is the ability to manage your emotions and behavior in accordance with the demands of the situation. It’s a set of skills that enables children, as they mature, to direct their own behavior towards a goal, despite the unpredictability of the world and our own feelings.
Self-Regulation Skills
Recognize and Manage Own Emotions
- Calm down when upset
- Express reasonable responses to situations
Recognize the Emotions of Others
- Show empathy
- Take on the perspective of others
Control Impulses
- Stop and think
- Delay gratification
Manage Attention
- Maintain focus when necessary
- Shift focus when necessary
Problem-Solving
- Identify useful strategies
- Implement plans to solve a problem
