Tips for respecting childrenās spaces, competence, and general existence from a preschool teacher:
Ask them, āDo you want to say hi to your auntie/grandma/cousin/dad/whatevsā (Hint: they will be honest and this can result in a simple hello or a hug or a silly āNo!ā depending how comfortable they feel)
If they donāt want to hug you realize itās not that they donāt love you itās that they donāt know you/donāt feel like hugging.
Just like every other person who doesnāt want a hug
In the event that you need to move a child EXPLAIN TO THEM WHY and WHAT YOU ARE DOING donāt just move them like PROPS they are CHILDREN and NOT props
For instance, āIām going to move your chair over so we have room at the table for everyone!ā
OrĀ āSorry there was a person running by I didnāt want you to get smushed so I had to pick you up!ā
Remind them that they are people not objects using your actions
Asking children to do something they donāt want to do but NEED to do often doesnāt work, instead give them a choice, āDo you want to eat bok choy or yams?ā
NOT āDo you want to eat your vegetables?ā
āDo you want to brush your teeth in the bathroom or the kitchenā
This exercises their ever-growing free will and is especially useful during TERRIFIC TWOS okay TERRIFIC not TERRIBLE theyāre TERRIFIC
Children will copy you, MODEL FOR THEM
Being over enthusiastic IS beneficial for them understanding emotional and social competence
āI hung this picture uneven, that makes me sad, hmmm! Oh goodie, I found my mistake! Now I can fix it, Iāll feel much happier when Iāve fixed it!ā
You think it sounds ridic yeah well hearing you do that children around you just learned to not get so discouraged by their mistakes and that itās okay to try to fix them
ADULTS CAN APOLOGIZE TO CHILDREN
You make a mistake that hurt a child, APOLOGIZE and show them how to do it properly and genuinely
Realize children are fully competent and are capable of making meanings from YOUR implications about race, culture, gender, ability, sexuality, EVERYTHING
Many three year olds know what the N-word is, what gay means, can identify which children are visably disabled, and YOUR REACTIONS of their answers of questions about their culture
Children like to talk about themselves so do not ever dismiss what they say about themselves as illegitimate just because it sounds silly or unlikely sometimes itās true
Stop talking about how you hate children, just leave them alone if you donāt understand them you donāt have to be complete jerks to PEOPLE youāve never met
I will post more and if people have question PLS ASK ME I WOULD LOVE TO ANSWER WHAT I KNOW