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How to Give Verbal Instructions
February 18, 2014
All life is change. Times of change are opportunities to change things for the better. We all have inner guidance that begins in childhood and is with us today.
-Rusty Keeler
-Rusty Keeler
"The manner and quality with which adults give directives and verbally interact with young children can make a big difference in the kinds of behaviors exhibited by those children," writes Tom Udell and Gary Glasenapp in their article "Managing Challenging Behaviors: Adult Communication as a Prevention and a Teaching Tool," in Behavior: A Beginnings Workshop Book. They provide the following guidelines:
"Be specific and clear when giving directives. Children need to know precisely what is expected. They are more likely to respond appropriately to 'Keep your feet on the floor' than 'Be careful.'"
"Avoid using questions you do not mean to ask. Use question statements only when you truly intend to provide a choice. A direct request, such as 'Jason, please wash your hands,' is preferable to 'Jason, will you wash your hands before snacks?'''
"State requests and directions in a positive manner. Asking a child to 'Walk in the classroom' is more positive and more clearly understood than 'Don’t run.'"
"Avoid repeating requests and directives. Repeating directives can become troublesome because children quickly learn that they are not expected to respond the first time they are given a direction. Adults do not want to inadvertently teach children that it is okay to ignore requests that are made of them."
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Each Beginnings Workshop book is a comprehensive collection of articles on a particular topic. The book on Literacy includes topics on:
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As a support to your staff development efforts, get FREE shipping on the set of eight Beginnings Workshop books. Enter code "BWbooks" when prompted. Offer expires Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. |
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Comments (2)
Displaying All 2 CommentsGuidance Center
United States
The authors seem to be making a case not for play and nurturing early education environments but for keeping children out of child care. They make some valid points but I can't agree with the subtext. The Institute of Marriage and Family is part of Focus On Family, a conservative organization that has worked against same-sex marriage and government funded early education.
Baltimore CityChild care Resource Center
Baltimore, MD, United States
Finally! I am so glad to hear this. I have been an Early Childhood Professional for 30 years and have seen many changes. I haven't been able to grasp the idea that young children need to be "taught" anything. We should be facilitators of development in loving, nurturing play environments. Kids come out of the shoot "ready to learn". They will get from us what they need, not what we think they should have.
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