Instilling a Good Judgement!

Sometimes Strictly Following Rules might not Work

Safety Tips from A Teacher

Angela Clark, assistant to the director of Elan Esprit Preschool who also works as a para-educator for special needs elementary age children talks about Safety Tips that might backfire!

There is NOTHING to be afraid of....

Picture your child at 16, walking somewhere with friends when a car pulls up and offers a ride, a friend says they "know" this person and it’s cool. Is it? How do we instill good judgment in our children? When we scold our little ones for reaching or climbing it can be dangerous! When we warn that it will fall down or hurt them. When you hear yourself say "Don’t do that! You’ll get hurt!" You are trying to keep them safe! Sadly, it can backfire.

When a child is taught to follow your judgment, their own ability is diminished. When we caution of the dangers we assume that they do not know, that can be insulting! Offering the worst case scenario to scare them might work but not always. Some kids are determined to find out if it’s true. The first time they realize "Hey, I didn’t fall like he said I would!" you lose some credibility. There are dangers all around us, teaching a child to be afraid is inhibiting their natural curiosity. If you’ve ever said "There’s nothing to be afraid of!" I can assume your child expressed some fear. Take the time to find out why, and explore the reasons with them. Give them the respect to hear them out calmly so that they should do the same for you.

When it comes to the dangers take a moment to demonstrate, explain, listen and engage your child with questions. Don’t ever tell a child what will happen unless it is a 100% probability. Instead of saying "You will fall", respectfully point out the likelihood. Instead of telling them they will get hurt, show them what could happen. I’ve demonstrated what a door can do to a pencil, imagine little fingers. I’ve put kindergarteners in the driver’s seat of my car to play a game called "Can you see me now?" with the other kids walking around the car. If you want to teach your child logic, appeal to the logic they already possess. If you want to teach your child to listen to your warning, you had better cover every scenario and hope they can memorize.

Angela Clark, Teacher, Elan Esprit Preschool
408 262-3848