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Three Things that Make Everything Easier
June 20, 2018
Start by doing what's necessary, then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
-St. Francis of Assisi
-St. Francis of Assisi
“I always walk the same way to my local café, with my little pug trotting along happily by my side, confident in the direction we walk. In fact, he’s almost cocky, as if he’s showing me how to get there,” writes Tara V. Katz in her article, “Helping Children through Daily Transitions,” that forms the basis of an Out of the Box Training Kit of the same name.
“Then one day I decided to walk a different way,” Katz explains. “Poor Pablo immediately loses confidence and looks at me as if to say, ‘What next?’ Even though the change was slight and we ended up in the same place, he was confused.
Dogs, like children, are creatures of habit. Children also love knowing what is coming next and are confident in rhythms and routines. When familiar rhythms are thrown off, children struggle: we see tears and tantrums. So how can we guide children through the ebb and flow of daily life? These are three things I’ve found that help make everything a little easier:
- singing
- only giving choices when they’re real
- less truly is more
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Comments (2)
Displaying All 2 CommentsAmherst, New York, United States
I completely agree with the points in this article - children respond so positively to routines and rhythms and knowing what comes next. However, I take great exception to the comparison of dogs to children! Full disclosure: I am not much of an animal person, so I accept that is part of my discomfort. As Early Childhood Educators, I feel we are always teaching by example that children are PEOPLE - we don't talk down to them, we value their personalities and expressions of emotion at EVERY age. So I think it is inappropriate to talk about dogs and children in the same article.
I apologize that my first comment is a negative one. I very much enjoy Exchange Every Day; I often choose to read the full article and I often post articles for staff to read. I will strive to post a positive comment next!
McKor Shalon Nursery
Cherry Hill, NJ, United States
We as adults are creatures of habit. Can you imagine how a child feels when he is exposed to something that he knows nothing about? There are many children's songs that are a great way of instilling a relaxing and positive attitude for the moment.
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