Behaviour Support and Strategies

We are all capable of challenging behaviour whether we have additional needs or not.  Sometimes our responses to a child inadvertently triggers a threat in the child's mind and difficult behaviour is the result.

If a child feels under threat then that child will behave in 'fight' or 'flight' ways and will not be using the thinking part of their brains.  There are some strategies that you could use available as a download on this page and there will be much more about this in Top Tips:  Challenging Behaviour  due to be published soon

Top Tips

1. It’s all about relationships. Make them, try to keep them, restore them.
2. Stay calm, separate the behaviour from the child. It’s not personal against you.
3. ‘Not in front of the children’ – if you need to redirect a child try to do it 1-1. Use positive sentences to explain the behaviour you would like to see.
4. Be careful not to make the situation worse. Use ‘I’ statements.
5. Understand the difficulty by talking with the child and his parents or carers.
6. Be prepared for your session.
7. Show respect, give the children choices.
8. Give attention to good behaviour. Praise, praise, praise
9. Be clear about boundaries, be consistent with all leaders,
10. Be flexible, use circle time or a back up when your plan is not engaging the children
11. Pray for each child that you work alongside