Big Ideas

This section provides information and ideas for using strategies to promote healthy social-emotional development, manage challenging behaviors, and contribute to the developmental appropriateness of the learning environment. Topics such as building visual schedules, routines and rules; using cues; individualizing learning opportunities; providing choices, and problem-solving are reviewed.

Try It

1. If you are a trainer, child care / preschool director, or resource specialist, you may use this section of the module or pieces of this section to enhance your trainings of early childhood educators / providers in the area of setting the stage for positive behavior.
2. If you are a parent or family member, you can review the module to learn more about strategies for supporting positive behaviors in young children.
3. If you are an early childhood educator, you can go through the practice opportunities built into this section to test your knowledge –
   1. Activity – building a schedule and routine to support children
   2. Ms. Penny scenario – take a moment to reflect on the scenario with the provided questions and think about what you would do in her situation.
   3. Activity – looking at our own daily routines and reflection opportunity for changes in routines
   4. Activity – building a visual schedule – resource:
      • Visual Strategies
      • Creating Teaching Tools for Young Children with Challenging Behavior
   5. Reflection opportunity for individual learning preferences
   6. Reflection opportunity for building play skills
   7. Reflection opportunity for looking at conflicts between children
   8. Review of Ms. Penny scenario – reflection opportunity to think through all the strategies presented in this section and how your advice may differ with this information.
   9. Activity – list changes you would make to your early childhood program to support children’s social-emotional development, reduce challenging behaviors, and increase your use of developmentally appropriate practices.
4. Review Videos provided in this section.
5. If you are a child care provider, you can earn core knowledge hours by reviewing the sections of the module and take the quiz after each section.