One invaluable skill that kids learn in early childhood education is self-regulation. In the classroom, teachers use games to foster this area of child development for better classroom management and so that students get the skills they need to succeed in school as they progress through each grade. Your child’s early childhood education teacher in Pembroke Pines will be happy to discuss the activities he or she uses to teach self-regulation with you. These games are just a few of the fun ways teachers help kids learn the all-important skill of self-regulation and self-control.
Red Light, Purple Light
Many students are familiar with the game red light, green light, but changing the colors makes students adapt while practicing their color recognition. Start by assigning “go” and “stop” meanings to two different colors, and use construction paper in those colors to indicate when students should move and when they should stop. Once the children have automated their responses to those colors, change to two different colors and repeat the activity. This game forces students to concentrate and regulate how they respond to cues.
Simon Says
Simon Says is a classic game that offers many opportunities to practice self-regulation. To succeed, students must listen, concentrate, modify their movements, and follow directions. Giving students each a chance to be Simon further increases the chances to work on self-regulation.
Think or Say
Emotional self-regulation is also an important part of early childhood education. The Think or Say activity makes children think about how they are feeling and is especially ideal for helping kids through their tattling stages. Teachers can introduce many different scenarios and ask the class whether they should say what they are thinking or keep it to themselves. The scenarios can range from dealing with hurt feelings from a classmate to what to do if they see a classmate who is not following directions. Teachers can adapt the scenarios to make them relevant to things that are happening in the classroom.