Book Review

The children in the book had to think of a creative way to give someone a hug coupon. I have a heart pocket of these in my center for the children to give each other anytime they need a hug. For those children who would rather not be hugged by a person, I have a teddy bear that they can hug if they need to.

The magnifying glass, which has no glass in it, is used for those children who only see their side of an argument or disagreement and can t see how the other child is feeling. I simply tell them go see it through the other child s eyes. The child will look through the magnifying glass as the other child tells how what happened made him/her feel.

Our blow-it-off windmill is for the child who is so angry that s/he needs to calm down before confronting the person who caused the anger. They are told to go blow it off and they can literally blow all their hot air onto the windmill.

A telephone in the center is used to talk it out on the phone. The children can pretend they are talking to whomever they want. This helps them to get out feelings they may not want to share with anyone. There are also paper, crayons, and envelopes to use for drawing picture or notes to others. The pictures on the walls and the books give the children a visual of positive behavior. The tissues and band-aids are used to help someone the child has hurt.

Since preschools are so different from year to year, its best to assess what works and what doesn t. What is added to the center will be based on the needs of the class. However, I would suggest only adding one item at a time until the children are familiar with it, so they don t feel overwhelmed.

Throughout the past couple of years these concepts and strategies have eliminated time-outs in my classroom. Children are now accountable for their own actions and they are learning valuable problem solving and coping skills for later experiences. These are precious gifts we as educators and parents can give our children.

Jennifer Back SDG

Crossroads Christian Preschool

– Jennifer Back