Supporting Preschool Children with Behavioral Challenges

In recent years, the early childhood sector has shifted from focusing on childcare to family care. This is typically implemented in the following ways:

• Early childhood educators are widening their scope of support. Supporting preschool children means supporting their families; suggesting social services for the entire family, sharing resources for proper housing, suggesting employment options, etc. The idea is that the more stable a child’s home life is in the early years, the easier it will be to put them on a path of a positive trajectory.

• Educators and guardians are more closely working together to support the child holistically. It is no longer about one type of support in the classroom from the educator, and another type in the home from the guardians. Both parties are now working together to provide consistent early childhood education and care between school and home.

With regard to the second point, it is especially vital to do this if a preschool child is exhibiting behavioral challenges. It is important to note that these challenges aren’t always indicative of anything with long-term repercussions. While there are developmental milestones that most children hit, each child still needs to be treated individually, and responding to these challenges in the preschool years can significantly lessen any life-long developmental impacts. So, educators and guardians working in tandem to support the child is key.

6 Ways to Collaborate

Educators and guardians can work together to support preschool children with behavioral challenges.

1. Keep communication open, honest, and non-judgemental – As alluded to above, a behavioral challenge in a child can be viewed as undesirable. In a culture that wants all of us to be impossibly perfect guardians or teachers at all times, it can be tempting to lean into that image of perfection – to downplay some of the challenges, or to magnify small successes. The temptation must be resisted, so that strategies to support the preschooler can be examined with as much accuracy as possible. What is truly working? What needs to be changed? It is in the child’s best interest for the teachers and families to be open and honest in their communication with one another.

2. Create a developmental strategy checklist – with the help of an early childhood resource consultant (or similar professional service that is available to all parties), a strategy checklist can be created to be used in both the learning and living environments. This checklist can include a number of strategies or guidelines to direct the preschooler toward the desired behavior. There needs to be a commitment of consistency from both sides, so that the child develops the cognitive and self-regulation skills needed to surpass challenging times. The checklist also serves as an easily accessible tool for the adults, so they have sound, proven, and developmentally appropriate techniques to assist the child at school or in the home.

3. Use a digital communication app – these are wonderful tools that are used by some childcare centers to show families their children’s learning experiences. HiMama, for example, is an app that does just that! Through pictures, videos, and text, educators are able to communicate with families with variety and ease. With regard to children with behavioral challenges, these apps can be used to showcase developmental strategies in real time to families. It’s an opportunity to watch how a strategy unfolds, with a minimally biased account of the child’s words or actions. These apps can also store media so that progress can be tracked, successes can be celebrated, and strategies can evolve as appropriate.

4. Document any episodes of undesirable behavior – It is known that children aren’t inherently “bad” and any behavioral challenges can be a result of many personal, social, or environmental factors. Documenting these episodes can provide some insight into the child’s experiences. Do these episodes take place regularly or at the same time (maybe during nap time)? Do they take place with the same type of people (i.e. supply teachers, for example)? Do they happen in a particular part of the classroom (parallel play vs. cooperative play stations)? Documenting these episodes can shed light on the child’s socio-emotional processing skills and the strategies to guide them towards desired behaviors. Ideally, this information is shared with everyone, in school and at home, whom is providing education and care.

5. Examine the factors in the child’s undesired behavior in its entirety – Related to above, when documenting the child’s challenging episodes, take some time to assess all the possible reasons why it was a challenge. Was there an unexpected change in the routine (indoor gross motor play during inclement weather)? Has the home life experienced an abrupt change (one guardian is away for work)? Has the child outgrown the learning environment and is ready to move on? This is where a culture of communication between educators and guardians can really be a benefit. Understanding the whole story during challenging episodes will help adults recognize whether there is a behavioral pattern that needs to be redirected, or whether an incident is an outlier. Much like all of us, children can be prone to simply having “one of those days”.

6. Document episodes of favourable behavior – It can be so easy to document the challenging moments, but the good times are just as important as the tough ones. What was happening in the classroom when the child did something appropriate? What were the circumstances at home when the child made a behavioral breakthrough? Perhaps these factors can be replicated for the sake of consistency and learned behavior. For example, if the child shows success with single step verbal instructions at school, then this can be replicated in the home. If a child demonstrates a comfort with following pictographs, then it can be a transferable strategy for many portions of the daily and nightly routine. Children are at their best when they feel safe, secure, and with constant doses of positive support and reinforcement.

As an adult in a child’s life, remember that behavioral challenges are just that – challenges. And, just like other challenges, these can be overcome. In the case of preschool children, it’s a matter of implementing strategies based on strong and accurate documentation, consistent communication and partnership between the learning environment and the home, and a good old-fashioned dose of positivity and strengths-based teaching. Challenge accepted!

About the Author: Maddie Hutchison is a Registered Early Childhood Educator with a Master's in Early Childhood Studies. She is currently a Junior Customer Success Representative for HiMama. HiMama aims to improve the learning outcomes of children aged 0-5 and provides free resources to educators and families. HiMama's childcare app facilitates open communication with families and enables contactless operation of your center, from documentation to payments.