Don’t Scream at the Kids…Turn your Words to Gold

I grew up in a very traditional Sicilian home.  When my siblings and I got on my parent’s last nerve, they yelled.  If you are or you know some hot blooded Italians, you can only imagine what our neighbors probably thought of us.  In turn, this upbringing cultivated the screamer in me.  When I began teaching, I had to learn to keep my cool…obviously I couldn’t just scream every time a kid was pushing my buttons.  I relied upon Love and Logic to help me turn my screams into calming enforceable statements.  With many children out on summer break or approaching their last days of school, I know  parents will be reaching their boiling points with their children.  Thus, I am encouraging all parents to keep cool and turn their words to gold.

Here are some example statements:

Don’t shout at me.	I listen to people who do not yell at me.
Pay attention.	I’ll start again as soon as I know you are with me.
Don’t be bothering your sister.	You are welcome to stay with us as long as you are not bothering your sister.
Keep your hands to yourself.	Feel free to stay with us when you can keep your hands to yourself.

Easier said than done, right?  However,  it’s worth a shot.  Kids respond well to these statements, and you might have a greater chance of curbing those annoyances if they don’t get a rise out of you.  My suggestion is to print out a couple of these statement sheets, and post them where you interact most with your kids.  Maybe on the refrigerator door or in your family room?  When the kids start in, you can control your response through showing them that you are in charge.

Trust…if I can curtail my temper with this method, anyone can!!  Enjoy!

Teaching Kids to Self-Monitor for Desired Behaviors

No matter the situation, each child has behaviors that might drive you nuts.  So, how do you break bad habits or teach your child to strive for those desired behaviors?  Teach your child to self-monitor for those desired behaviors.

You can do this with these easy steps:

1. Identify the Target Behavior

2. Operationally Define the Target Behavior

3. Collect Baseline Data- Not totally necessary for at home use

4. Determine if this is an appropriate behavior to remediate- Parents usually know what behaviors need remediation

5. Design procedures and materials-usually consists of creating a simple chart and deciding on timed segments

6. Teach the child how to self monitor- teach the child how to use the chart

7. Monitor student’s progress- assess child’s charts and adjust intervention with improvement

This may seem like a lot of work, but really this can be as simple as a t-chart with “I was mostly on task” slated at the top.  Set a timer for 5 minutes and when the timer goes off you decide if the child was mostly on task and check mark the yes or no column.  With time, you can give the monitoring duties to the child. (see example in today’s article)

Today I have attached the article, by Lisa Rafferty, that gives the complete step-by-step to teaching a child to self-monitor.  Enjoy!

https:spedchat.wikispaces.com:file:view:Step+By+Step+Teachig+Students+to+Self+Monitor