Without an effective process for preventing aggressive behaviors before they happen you’ll be stuck in reactive mode, feeling like you’re putting out fires.

That’s why I created the 7-Step In-the-Moment Challenging Behavior Prevention Process.

However, trying to teach you the complete 7-Step process via email or blogs would be pretty ridiculous so instead I recently shared 3 steps from the process.

In my last few blogs we’ve been talking about how to prevent children from hitting or hurting others by intervening just moments before those behaviors happen.

I told you about my 7-Step In-the-Moment Challenging Behavior Prevention Process.

Of course trying to teach an entire 7-Step process via weekly blogs would be sort of ridiculous, however, I did give you 3 Steps!

If you’ve been reading my weekly blogs you know that over the last two weeks I’ve given you two steps to prevent aggressive behaviors in-the-moment, right before they start.

Without an effective process for preventing aggressive behaviors just before they happen you’ll always be stuck in reactive mode, putting out fires when it comes to challenging behaviors.

That’s why I created the complete 7-Step In-the-Moment Challenging Behavior Prevention Process.

Last week I told you I’d share my step-by-step process for preventing aggressive behavior just moments before it takes place, by avoiding the “use your words” mistake and taking steps that will get children to want to listen to you rather than them wanting to hit or hurt others to try and get their needs met.

We already discussed Step 1 but here’s a recap in case you missed it…

I want to talk with you about how to prevent children from hitting or hurting others by intervening just moments before.

Most teachers inadvertently focus on what to do after one child hits another but the problem with that is that then you’re kind of putting out fires.

It makes sense! You’re busy. You’ve got plans, lessons, documentation to do. You’re going about your day and then…BOOM! One child hits or hurts another. Again.

Can we set aside the topic of challenging behavior today and talk instead about something that you likely find just as challenging?

Not. Having. Enough. Time.

Have you experienced that in the last week, day, or hour?

When you’re looking for information on how to get kids to follow directions…how to support children who’ve experienced trauma…how to make sure children in your class see themselves in your picture books…what are your go-to resources?

Here are three of mine…

Back in the day we spent a lot of time in early childhood classrooms doing the following:

• Songs with actions that you sing and tell children to copy the movements on

• Recorded music like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Animal Action or anything that prompts children to move or pretend in various ways

• Call and repeat songs and chants

• Playing games like Red Light, Green Light; Simon Sez; Duck, Duck Goose or my personal favorite, Doggie Doggie Where’s Your Bone?

Yesterday I spoke with a Director considering “Group Access” to the Transform Challenging Behavior Online Conference for a Head Start Staff of 60 and she told me that she thought teachers' biggest struggle with behavior was getting children to follow directions!

In my early childhood special education training I learned to give children words.

At the center I was working at during this time we typically told children to “use their words”.

In theory “use your words” is great.

But what if the child doesn’t know what words to use?