by Melody Williams

Created on: March 05, 2009

Disciplining preschoolers can be a challenge for both teachers and family. Therefore, the teacher must have an open door policy with the children's families so that both can be on the same page.

I am in my third year of teaching pre-school for Head Start, and my fifteenth year of working with young children. Over the years, ideas of discipline have changed a great deal.From the time I was in school and spanking was a normal form of discipline, to a time when officials deemed it wrong to discipline at all. The latter is due to lowering a child's self esteem. feel the best discipline strategies fall between the two extremes.

I have a classroom of seventeen three, four, and five year old children, and do not have any disciplinary problems. The day the children start school I introduce the classroom rules and ask for their input on any other rules. Amazingly, the children tend to make stricter rules for themselves than I do.

The main discipline I use is 1-2-3 magic with green, red, and yellow cards. If the get a one count they know there will be only two more before their card is changed to yellow by them. I think it is important to give young children more than one time to realize what they are doing is not acceptable. Once a child get a yellow card they loose a privilege, such as no tricycle during recess. If they get a red card, a note gets sent home. When they change their card, I then sit down and talk to them about their behavior choices. I remind them that they made the choice to break a rule that was made by the children and me, rather than keeping a green card. I then ask them why what they did was wrong and what they can do different next time. It is imperative to talk to a child after a disciplinary action.

In my classroom I do not yell at the children or offer empty threats. I feel that when you yell at children you are lowering yourself to a child's age level, and the child is going to block you out and not hear what you say. I find it more productive to talk softer so the child has to strain to hear. You then have their attention. It is also important to talk to them in a manner that shows you still love them, you just do not agree with what they did. I find counting to be a good way of discipline also. When my children are getting to loud, or out of control at playtime, I simply hold one finger up and say, "ONE, two, three, four, five." As I count, my voice gets softer until the final numbers are silent, and all they see are my fingers held up. Nine times out of ten the room becomes totally quiet at one. Another way I get instant attention is to turn the lights off and on once.

In order to discipline children productively, one needs to have respect for the children ,and expect respect from them. Discipline should always be a positive experience. Negative discipline will only lead to more negative behavior. Positive reinforcement will help children to look at ways to resolve their problems for the rest of their lives.

To reinforce positive behavior, each day all the children keep a green card, I place a marble in a jar. When they get ten marbles, they get a marble party. I allow them to vote on what they would like to do from three choices. For example; we have had a classroom carnival, a popcorn and movie party, a make you own ice cream sundae party, and a make your own pizza party. This gives them the knowledge that positive behavior results in a positive reaction from their teacher. Children do not need to be spanked, screamed at, or threatened, to behave in a manner desired by the teacher. . As the old cliche states, "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

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