Behaviour Management...Early Years

A Little Puppet Magic.....
Allow me to introduce my little friend Crystal....yes she is a darling little hand puppet. I have found she is of most value when I visit a Prep classroom. ( This is the first year of official school attendance.) Here in an Early Years learning environment the children adore all the things that Crystal can do!

Crystal is wonderful at.....

• spotting the best listener during class discussions.
• choosing children to be leaders, special helpers etc.
• playing games, like "Where is?"
• Tapping children on the shoulder (in patterns, songs, number, instruction ) during transition times from one activity to another. ( So helpful in managing the large group as they move to small groups.)
• Rewarding a child with a special time to cuddle.
• Sitting up high in the classroom to watch everyone working happily and then report back to me!
• Going back into my back-pack when the noise level scares her or if she just knows she needs a rest and a little time to read quietly!
• Super at choosing a book to share, or choosing a child to help with that task.
• Giving me good suggestions for lovely learning games and songs to sing.

All in all she is a very capable mouse and friend to have with me in these younger classes. I find having Crystal as a prop is helpful in quickly building a relationship with the younger students, allowing the children to focus on the cute puppet and not the fact that their teacher is not present today and gives a third party element to the decisions that need to made quickly and may not be exactly the way the class teacher manages the group. Crystal can also be used to demonstrate what not to do in a very appealing way. She is so good at saying sorry! She says that making mistakes are all a part of learning and that is a good thing so long as we try hard to not do that again!


Children love any soft toy. If there is any negative aspect to this strategy, I would recommend you don't allow your chosen puppet to just handled in general free time. I have found the fact that because Crystal returns to my back-pack throughout the day when she is not in use very positive. When she is awake and interacting, the time is special and attention getting. I am sure the children love the fact that she is cute, soft and cheeky. While she tries to do the loving choices, she also makes mistakes and has learned how to say sorry!


I am not suggesting you become a children's entertainment specialist with a complete puppet show. This is far from my comfort zone I can assure you. The benefits of a puppet as teaching tool ,whether you are male of female, are amazing and so are the genuine laughs and enjoyment on the children's faces. You just have to source a puppet that suits you! Happy days!

Live, learn and laugh!
Carmel

PS This puppet was sourced from Crescendo Music website resources at http://www.crescendo.com.au
The resouces are really worth a look, not just for music teachers.