by Jessica Hardy, Ph.D. and Kiersten Kinder, Ph.D.
In our second webinar of the 2020 Positive Behavior series, “Creating Space: Arranging Environments to Promote Positive Behavior,” we discussed the importance of creating and teaching classroom rules. It is very important to remember:
Teaching the rules is not a one-time event.
Reviewing classroom rules often is necessary. Take a look at this video of a teacher doing exactly that:
It is also important to help children understand what behaviors meet the rules and what behaviors don’t. The “Stop and Go Rules” activity we shared during the webinar can help children develop a practical understanding of what following a rule may look like. In this activity, the teacher gives each child a stop sign and a go sign. The teacher then presents visuals of different behaviors and asks the children to identify if it is a stop behavior or a go behavior by raising the correct sign in their hand. The video below exemplifies what this practice can look like:
We have provided visuals to help with the “Stop and Go Rules” activity at the webinar event page. You can print and cut out the images. Attach the stop and go visuals to craft sticks, with enough for each child to have one set. When you are ready to do the activity, show each scenario visual to the children and ask them to show you the stop sign or go sign. Help children talk about why the behaviors are “stop” or “go” behaviors.
If you missed the live webinar, you can download all the available resources, view the recording, and still be eligible to receive CE credits by going to the webinar event page.
Image credit: Presenters
