Rephrasing Assignment
Rephrase what you would say for the following scenarios. Be sure to rephrase based on the bolded, underlined requirement.
Active Listening
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Philip screams, “Greg took my car and he hit me.” Greg yells back, “But I had it first!” You say, “Greg how many times have I told you not to hit children when you want something. I’m getting tired of this. Greg, go sit in a time out and don’t move until I tell you to. “
What would you have done and/or said differently?
Negotiation (Problem Solving)
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Beth, Jose, and Erin are playing with the wagon. They are taking turns—one pulls while the other two ride. They are playing cooperatively and have not had any problems. At one point, all three run to get a bucket. When they come back, they find that Johnny has his hand on the wagon and is starting to pull it away for himself. They all start arguing and Johnny insists that since they all left the wagon, it was free for him to take. You say, “Sorry, but you left the wagon. Johnny gets to play with it now. You need to learn to share and not be selfish.”
What would you have done and/or said differently?
“I” Messages
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Seeing books thrown all over the floor, you say, “How could you do that! I’m going to put all these books in this box and we won’t have a single book in this room for one month!”
What would you have done and/or said differently?
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Abraham is a preschooler and gets very upset when other children take his toys. Today, you hear screaming in the block area and just as you turn to look, you see Abraham lean over and bite Sam on the arm. Abraham and Sam are both crying when you go over and say, “Abraham, why did you bite Sam? That was bad. We don’t do that here at school, you need to be nice. Go sit in a time out.”
What would you have done and/or said differently?
Sitting Apart
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Derek is upset and pushes Brandon. You say, “Brandon hit you, because you were pushing him, he doesn’t like that.”
What would you have done and/or said differently?
Recognizing A Child’s Feelings
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Your child does not want to share her new doll with Sally from next door. You say, “What a selfish girl you are, Tania. Nobody will want to play with you if you don’t share. Maybe I should give your doll to Sally.”
What would you have done and/or said differently?
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You are trying to finish some work before you have to start dinner. You have a headache and your child is standing next to you screaming about something. You say, “Will you stop screaming”! You’re giving me a headache. Why do you always have to scream at me? What’s wrong with you?”
What would you have done and/or said differently?
Redirection
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Melissa and Sam are fighting over the same blue truck. You say, “Stop fighting. There is only one blue truck and Sam had it first. Go find another toy Melissa.”
What would you have done and/or said differently?
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During outside play time, you notice that Rodney, a preschooler, is in the sandbox digging sand and throwing it in the air. Rodney doesn’t seem to notice that his aggressive digging is getting all over the other children in the sandbox. Before it gets out of control, you say, “Rodney, you are getting sand all over your friends. You need to get out of the sandbox right now and go play somewhere else. You need to be more careful.”
What would you have done and/or said differently?
Natural Consequence
Examples: A child is told to put the caps back on his markers after using them. If the child fails to do so the markers may dry out and the child will no longer have markers to use. A child is told to put her shoes on before she goes in the backyard to play. If she fails to do so, she may step on something dangerous and get hurt.
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Tina knows she is supposed to wear an apron when she uses the easel. But, she is in a hurry and paints without an apron and gets paint on her clothes. You say, “I told you to wear an apron. Now look at you! You should learn to listen. You know we have rules using the easel. Wait until you mother sees your clothes.”
What would you have done and/or said differently?
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At age 8, Sophie loves to bring her new purse everywhere she goes. Today, you take Sophie out to eat and when you arrive back home, she suddenly realizes she has left her purse. You say, “Sophie, why are you so irresponsible? It will take me another half hour to drive back there and get it. The purse has probably already been stolen! Why don’t you use your head and remember these things. You are so forgetful.”
What would you have done and/or said differently?
Logical Consequence
Examples: If a child spills milk on the floor, they get a towel and wipe it up. If they throw blocks in the block area, they are removed from block area for a designated time.
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Your two-year-old knocks over a small flower vase on the coffee table and spills it. You slap his hand and say, “Bad boy! I told you not to touch. See what you did now!”
What would you have done and/or said differently?
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It’s time for clean-up, and you have told the class, including Sarah, that after clean-up, they will be going outside to play. Most of the children begin participating in singing the clean-up song and putting their materials away. However, Sarah is still intently playing in the block area. You realize that Sarah is not participating in clean-up time. You say, “Sarah, you need to clean up. Hurry up, we are waiting. You are taking too long. Come here, I’ll help you so we can go outside.”
What would you have done and/or said differently?
