SETTING PERSONAL GOALS FOR GUIDING CHILDREN
Early family childcare professionals have a key role in guiding children’s behavior. The longer you are a provider, the more you learn about how important your role is. In order to guide children successfully you need to understand each child and why they act the way they do.
You guide children by directly and indirectly teaching them to develop appropriate behavior. A vital part of guiding children’s development is to build their self-esteem, so that they are able to direct their own behavior. In order to be effective when planning your curriculum, determine what goals you want to accomplish in guiding each child’s development and choose your activities, books etc. to meet that goal.
For example: One critical goal for children is the promotion of prosocial behavior. Teaching children self-control and how to get along with other is vital to healthy self-esteem.
The following are some areas you could explore with the children to reach your goal.
• Kindness
• Feelings – Being accepting and how to show comfort
• Cooperation
• Sharing
Another goal that you should have is to develop a teaching style that children readily respond to.
Let’s look at some of the personality traits a provider could display and how they affect the child’s development.
1. A permissive Provider often has an environment with aggressive attention seeking children. A provider who does not get involved or stop children who are displaying these behaviors are encouraging the children’s inappropriate behavior. Children may see the lack of response as permission to continue.
2. A provider who does not interact very often with the children can have an environment with hyperactive, disruptive, and bored children.
3. Providers who do more talking and less listening may have children who are shy and don’t express their feeling or thoughts.
4. Providers who are nurturing often have an environment with children who interact with other easily.
If you identify with any of the above or if you want to strive to become a more effective provider, you should evaluate what areas you want to work on. Here are some suggestions of goals you could set for yourself:
• Learn about and show more interest in each child. Talk to each child using questions that require more than a one -word answer.
For example: “Did you have a good weekend?” instead ask, “What did you do this weekend?”.
• Work on using suggestions instead of commands
• Talk to each child individually.
• Always come down to the children’s level when you talk with them.
Guiding the children in your care is so vital that you should continually evaluate your effectiveness, identify your weaknesses and make goals for yourself.
RESOURCE
Working With Young Children, Judy Kerr