Does the classroom atmosphere you create impact child behavior?
The answer is YES! The atmosphere of any space tells us how to behave. If you are in a library you behave very differently then if you were in a stadium watching a game.
The environment matters.
The classroom atmosphere is cultivated over time ..with routine, repetition, modeling, conversation, and the development of relationships.
It's more than just where you place the furniture, what contents you fill it with and how you speak with and to the children and the other adults
It's about being intentional in creating the space and the energy within it.
"The object of education is not to fill heads with our predictions about what we think they will need to know, but rather to create a clear field in which children can practice the lifelong habit of learning." Teacher Tom
When we try to force children to do things that their minds (mentally) and bodies (physically) are not ready to do...you will either get children that will shutdown or push back. You are trying to put a square peg in a round hole. Why??
If you are doing things because you always did it that way, perhaps consider your options. There are no hard set rules to follow. When you work with children over years you realize that most things are options. You can use your own expertise as an early childhood educator to decide which activities or approach works best for an individual child or group.
Creating a clear field has alot to do with the classroom atmosphere (inside and outside). It encompasses the room arrangement, contents, the pace of the day through routines and schedules, and the relationships that you nurture within the space.
If children are shutting down or pushing back, consider how you can modify the atmosphere to best meet children where they are developmentally.
A successful classroom atmosphere stems from a state of peacefulness and relationships.
Messy spaces or overly structured schedules can cause stumbling blocks to successful outcomes.
Children need to feel welcomed and loved and cared for. Fostering an environment that helps them thrive.
If you see a child struggling, ask him if he needs to be helped, heard or hugged. Move forward from there.
You are not just a childcare provider or a preschool teacher, you are helping to raise tiny humans to be successful members of a community and ultimately good members of society.
Aim for PROGRESS over PERFECTION
When we intentionally create spaces where children have choices, as well as a gentle rhythm for their day, it allows them time and room to explore, investigate, create and discover new things, then they will thrive.
Email a request for your FREE copy of A Few Classroom Atmosphere Considerations
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A checklist that will help you self-assess your own classroom atmosphere. Use it as a springboard for looking at your classroom atmosphere in a new way...add your own ideas.
Includes Five Key Areas:
You (teacher and other educators/ therapists) and your interactions with children – How you respond to the children, how you talk with the children, how you move throughout the classroom, and what your body language or other gestures “say” to the children.
Families/volunteers – Develop partnerships with family members and volunteers and use them in the program for the benefit of each child’s development.
Environment – How you set up the environment - the walls, the furniture, the contents, the invitations
Grouping – How you group the children for activities
Planning – The way activities are planned throughout the program day. The pace, the rhythm, the schedule