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IN THIS ISSUE • Promoting friendships • Teaching problem-solving steps • Supporting problem-solving in the moment EDITION 4 POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT TEACHING PROBLEM-SOLVING AND FRIENDSHIP SKILLS2 PROBLEM SOLVING – EDITION 4 CONTENTS Creator: Gail Joseph Managing Editor: Tamarack O’Donnell Authors: Angela Notari-Syverson, Heather Floyd, Tamarack O’Donnell Designer: Ceci Skolrud Circle Time Magazine, Edition 4 Teaching Problem-Solving and Friendship Skills, 2018 For questions or comments contact This document was prepared with support from the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). For more great resources on this topic, and to watch the Circle Time Magazine professional development talk show series, check us out at: ©2019 Cultivate Learning at University of Washington Teaching Problem-Solving and Friendship Skills: Highlights and Key Ideas Equity Matters Positive Behavior Support and Teaching Problem-Solving Learning About My World Infants: Early On • Put It Into Practice • Try It Out • Talk About It • Partnering with Families Toddlers: Emerging Skills • Put It Into Practice • Try It Out • Talk About It • Partnering with Families • Put It Into Practice • Try It Out • Talk About It • Partnering With Families It’s All About You: Building Resilience 3 4 4 5 6 6 7 8 8 9 9 10 11 11 12 12 13 15 15 163 PROBLEM SOLVING – EDITION 4 TEACHING PROBLEM-SOLVING AND FRIENDSHIP SKILLS Highlights and Key Ideas Promote Friendships Making and keeping friends requires empathy and the ability to relate well with others. Friendship skills include sharing, helping, cooperating, comforting, making suggestions in play, giving compliments, and understanding how and when to give an apology. Educators can model these skills and create developmentally appropriate opportunities for practice throughout the day. Across all ages The ability to act in ways that benefit others are key to building positive interactions and friendships between peers. Educators help children learn the skills necessary to develop friendships and find ways to deal with social conflicts. Teach Problem-Solving Steps Conflicts happen often in early childhood environments where children are still learning to manage their emotions and behavior. Children are focused on their own needs and tend to see problems only from their own point of view. Educators can model and teach children how to negotiate solutions that work for everyone using these problem-solving steps: • What is the problem? • What are some solutions? • Try it out. • How did the solution work? Support Problem-Solving in the Moment Problem-solving is hard work! Educators can help children use the problem-solving steps in the moment by: • Anticipating social conflicts before they happen. • Being close. • Providing support. • Encouraging children to generate multiple solutions. • Celebrating success. PBS Practices A Continuum of Support The Pyramid Model is an established PBS framework for addressing the social and emotional development and challenging behavior of young children. The framework offers a continuum of evidence-based teaching practices that are organized into four levels of support. Reflection Questions • What value do you place on friendships? • How do you expect friends to act with each other? • How do you feel about conflict? • Do you listen openly to all children when there is problem? • Is there a child that you are more likely to make negative assumptions about when a problem involves that child? Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is a positive approach to challenging behavior that focuses on building social and emotional skills. PBS recognizes that all behavior communicates a message or need. Once educators understand the meaning of a child’s behavior they can, together with the family, teach the child more effective ways to communicate their needs. TIP: Ask a friend or colleague to video record you during a time of day when there tends to be more conflict between children. Watch the video and notice how you respond and interact with each child involved in the conflicts. Does every child receive the support and instruction that they need? Teaching, Problem Solving and Friendship Skills: All children need instruction to learn to control their impulses, work through interpersonal problems, and maintain healthy friendships. Some children will need more frequent and intensive instruction. Promote these skills by being present, closely observing children, and intentionally teaching problem-solving and friendship skills in the moment. Intensive Intervention Social and Emotional Teaching Strategies High-Quality Supportive Environments Nurturing and Responsive Relationships Adapted from Fox, L., Dunlap, G., Hemmeter, M., Joseph, G. E., & Strain, P. S. (2003). The teaching pyramid: A model for supporting social competence and preventing challenging behavior In young children. Young Children, 58(4), 48-52. 4 PROBLEM SOLVING – EDITION 4 equity matters POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT AND PROBLEM SOLVING The value that we place on friendships, and the way we go about building and maintaining these relationships, are influenced by our family culture, community, and experiences. Sometimes subtle biases can interfere with our ability to approach conflict between children with an open mind and help them solve problems in a way that is respectful and fair to all children involved. Uncovering these biases takes time and reflection.5 PROBLEM SOLVING – EDITION 4 LEARnInG ABOUT MY WORLD INFANTS EARLY On Children who are at an early stage of social and emotional development are ready to learn how to: • Engage in simple back-and-forth interactions with other children and adults. • Notice other children in distress. • Accept adults resolving conflicts with other children. TODDLERS EMERGING SKILLS Children who are at an emerging stage of social and emotional development are ready to learn how to: • Play next to another child with similar materials, mimic other children’s play, practice sharing and taking turns. • Show empathy and try to comfort children in distress. • Make decisions and practice problem-solving with other children, with adult help. PRESCHOOLERS INCREASING MASTERY Children who are increasing their mastery of social and emotional development are ready to learn how to: • Engage in cooperative play with other children, such as suggesting something to do together, including others’ ideas, and following mutually agreed upon rules. • Develop friendships with one or two preferred other children. • Recognize and describe social problems and suggest effective solutions. For more guidance on building relationships and supporting self-regulation in the early stages of development, refer to the following resources: • Washington State Early Learning and Development Guidelines (https://www.del.wa.gov/helpful-resources/washington-state-early-learning-and-developmental-guidelines) • Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/interactive-head-start-early-learning-outcomes-framework-ages-birth-five) A strong understanding of each child’s developmental ability allows educators to plan appropriate learning opportunities and offer support at the child’s level of need.6 PROBLEM SOLVING – EDITION 4 INFANTS early on PUT IT INTO PRACTICE Infants show interest in other children. They look attentively at other children, touch them and look concerned when another child is crying. Educators can help infants build awareness of other children and encourage peer interactions. Promote Friendship Skills Infants tend to play alongside other children, rather than together. They are beginning to show preferences for some peers over others. Educators can create opportunities for infants to play side-by-side and interact with each other. Teaching Practices Use materials that encourage infants to interact with each other. Use materials that two or more infants can use at the same time. Talk about what infants are doing to help them build awareness of each other. Practice Problem-Solving As infants interact with one-another throughout the day, educators should be aware of infants’ cues. Watch for situations that may trigger stress or conflict. Teaching Practices Be aware of infant verbal and nonverbal cues. Provide comfort and support to help the infant calm down. Describe the problem and identify some solutions. Model and provide support for positive interactions. Encourage children for their effort. Putting these strategies into practice helps infants learn to • Notice other children in distress. • Accept adults resolving conflicts with other children. • Engage in simple back-and-forth interactions with other children.7 PROBLEM SOLVING – EDITION 4 Try out these activities and materials to promote friendship and social problem-solving skills with infants. BOOKS Gossie and Gertie/Gansi y Gertie By Olivier Dunrea This bilingual English and Spanish book is about two gosling friends. They do many things together, and they do some things on their own. Look at the pictures together. Encourage the infant to hold and manipulate the book. As you read the book, talk about the pictures the infant is most interested in. Explain that the goslings are friends because they enjoy and care about each other. Try it out FRIENDSHIP KIT Make a “Friendship Kit” that includes items children can use to comfort a friend. Educators can model using these items when an infant notices another child is sad or in distress. Talk about what you are doing. Encourage warm interactions between the children. Possible Items for Friendship Kit • Pack of tissue: Offer a tissue if a friend is crying. • Small soft toy: Help a friend soothe with a cuddly toy.PARTner WITH FAMILIES Families have the greatest impact on their child’s emotional well-being and development. Build solid, trusting, and reciprocal relationships with families. Learn about other children who might be in their family and what kind of social problems are coming up at home. Be open to adjusting your support to include strategies that the family uses at home. • Talk with families about opportunities their infant has to interact with other children at home and in the community. • Ask families to share examples of how their infant initiates and responds to interactions with other children. • Invite families to describe what they do when their infant has a conflict while playing with other children. 8 PROBLEM SOLVING – EDITION 4 TALK ABOUT IT Meaningful back-and–forth conversations with trusted adults help children better understand social problems and how to work through them. Make comments, ask open-ended questions, and use novel words as you encourage peer interactions and help solve conflicts with infants during daily caregiving activities. Comments Open-ended Questions Novel Words You’re smiling! You like playing with your friend. Look, Natalia is watching you. I think she wants to play too! Chloe had that toy. Let’s give it back and I’ll find one for you. Hmmm, it looks like you and Julian both want that toy. What should we do? Amal is crying. How can we help her feel better? I see you watching your friends. Who you do want to play with? Friend Problem Help Calm Sad Smile9 PROBLEM SOLVING – EDITION 4 Putting these strategies into practice helps toddlers learn to TODDLERS emerging skills PUT IT INTO PRACTICE Toddlers are beginning to engage in prosocial behaviors such as helping, sharing, and comforting. They can take turns in play and respond to needs and requests from other children with adult support. Promote Friendship Skills Toddlers join in play with other children and show preferences for particular playmates. They can show positive affections for preferred peers verbally and through gestures such as smiling, hugging, touching, and kissing. Teaching Practices Practice turn-taking and sharing. Provide guidance to help toddlers play together. Encourage toddlers to help each other and do things together. Teach Problem-Solving Toddlers are beginning to reason and understand simple consequences to actions. They are willing to modify their actions and behavior in social situations when asked. Teaching Practices Describe what you see the problem might be. Offer a solution. Explain why it’s important. Help them try it out. Encourage toddlers to talk about how well the solution worked. • Play next to another child with similar materials, mimic other children’s play, practice sharing and taking turns. Support Problem-Solving in the Moment Toddlers are increasingly interested in playing with each other. Educators should standby to support toddlers, helping them engage in positive interactions with peers and solve problems as they arise. Teaching Practices Observe closely—scan the environment often to see if there are conflicts. Move close and help the toddler choose a preferred coping strategy. Describe steps for solving problems. Generate solutions together. Encourage children for their effort. • Show empathy and try to comfort children in distress. • Make decisions and practice problem-solving with other children, with adult help.Next >