Smart Start Preschool

To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world. Dr. Seuss

What a COOL idea!

Our words matter. How we support and encourage children with our words can last a lifetime. It’s important to remember that what we say, especially about their ...academic skills, highly impact their social and emotional development. For #whattosaywednesday, we’re sharing 4 typical remarks that children say when they are working on something and how we usually respond to them. This can be while they are playing, making an artwork, building with blocks, etc. Here are some general reminders that help us frame our responses: DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE When talking to children about their work, focus on the facts that you see. By doing so, you remove your own judgment from your language and you can also help them see their work in a different way. This is another means to introduce less familiar vocabulary such as balance. Saying I see or I noticed is always a good start. NAME AND ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR FEELINGS Depending on the difficulty level of what they’re doing, it’s important that children know it’s okay to feel proud when they’re successful and to feel frustrated when something is not working out. Expressing and understanding feelings is a normal part of life! This helps promote self-awareness and self-confidence as well. ENCOURAGE INTRINSIC MOTIVATION Children seek the approval of their trusted grown-ups. When we shift this focus to how they feel about their work, we can encourage intrinsic motivation. Invite them to talk about their work and ask about their thinking process, what they like most about it, etc. This helps foster self-motivation and self-esteem. FOCUS ON THE EFFORT, NOT THE PRODUCT Instead of talking about their output, comment on observable efforts such as their focus, determination and the thought they put into making it (whatever that may be). This gives children an opportunity to think about their process a very important process in metacognition. (It’s basically thinking about our thinking. More on this soon!) A gentle reminder: We’re sharing scripts that have worked for us in the classroom, which are supported by experts on the field. Please use them as a guide and feel free to make it your own.