Books to Support Positive Behavior
Dawn: We are here to talk about preventing challenging behaviors and promoting positive ones with Blythe because there's books that can help you do that. Hi, Blythe.
Blythe Summers: Hi. Thanks so much for talking to me about these books. I think that the books I have here are going to be really effective and also, I hope, fun ways to talk about behavior and prevention.
Kristin: Excellent, I can't wait.
Blythe: So, this is "Know and Follow the Rules." It's part of a series of books called the "Learning to Get Along" series. And they're so great about addressing specific social-emotional situations. This particular one is a very straight-to-the-point book about setting up some rules and why those are important.
Dawn: Yeah, no, these are really popular. Kristin: Excellent, good. Okay.
Blythe: Next is "Bella's Rules." Bella doesn't want to follow any rules at all until she gets a puppy and discovers how helpful rules can actually be.
Kristin: That would do it.
Blythe: The puppy gets up to some trouble. But then Bella gets to help develop some rules for that puppy, and she begins to understand why those rules are important. I like this one for showcasing the involvement of the child in helping to develop some of our positive rules that we're going to have.
Dawn: Well, and I love the idea, maybe if you're going to set rules together with the children and you read this book, it helps them understand why you might need some rules. The puppy needs some guidance. Maybe you're hurting your feelings if you tear up my stuffed animal, so it helps the child really understand why rules are important.
Blythe: Exactly. And this one is "Please, Baby, Please." This adorable child gets up to all kinds of funny behavior.
Kristin: Yes, she does!
Blythe: And we get to go through that story with that baby and kind of look at, maybe we don't want to do these things.
Dawn: They're like, no, please don't do this, please don't do that, but then it's, how do we do this in a positive way? What things can we put in place to do that?
Blythe: Exactly. And having books that just directly address those behaviors can be really helpful. This is "Hands are Not for Hitting." This is "Little Dinos Don't Hit," "Teeth are Not for Biting." Exactly what they sound like, books that are just going to help describe the behavior, why we don't do it, and some strategies for what to do instead. These two are part of the "Little Genius" series that target behaviors, transitions, routines, all those things that need a little bit of support in a very straightforward way. So, that one is "Little Tiger Picks Up," so that transition of picking up the toys and moving on to the next activity.
Dawn: I imagine these are things you get asked about a lot.
Blythe: Oh, absolutely. Yeah, they're just difficult behaviors. And lots of feelings come up when you have to change, especially from playing with the toys to doing something else. "I don't want to stop playing. It's fun!"
Kristin: Right, I don't want to clean up. Dawn: Transitions are tough.
Blythe: Right. But if you want to make cleanup fun, "Dinosaur Vs. School" is a hilarious title. Kristin: That just grabs you, right, that title? I love it.
Blythe: These kiddos get up to all kinds of wild behavior. But now Dinosaur and his friends will do something they have never done before.
Kristin: Oh, my gosh.
Blythe: Dun dun dun ... They are going to clean up! Look at their faces. Dawn: So much fear. Everybody's about to run away.
Blythe: But, of course, when everybody joins in, they are going to get it all cleaned up, and everything is going to be just great.
Dawn: Reading these books about how to clean up, how to transition helps prepare them. They get to read it in a book, then you know how to practice it better.
Blythe: Exactly. So, speaking of transitions, this is "Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Going to Sleep?" This is "Trashy Town." And this is "Let's Play in the Forest While the Wolf is Not Around." Now, what do these books have in common? They are repetitive books with refrains that kids can get used to, and we can use those in a way to help with transitions, even when we're not reading the story. I'll show you what I mean. So, in this book about Wolf, "Let's play in the forest while the wolf is not around." "Wolf! Are you there?" "I'm putting on my shoes." "Are you there?" "I'm putting on my jacket." And you see as we move through, the wolf is adding something to his routine. And the animals in the forest keep asking, is he ready yet? And so kids love this one. It's repetitive, it's just a funny story on its own. Once they know that tone of voice you use, you can ask them, "Wolves, are you picking up your toys? Wolves, are you putting on your coats?" And you can just use that in the classroom to promote whatever behavior it is that you want to use. This one's great for picking up, good for taking a nap.
Kristin: There's magic in those repetitive phrases. Blythe: Absolutely.
Kristin: We can use them at all times for the kids to just follow along and love it. Blythe: Absolutely.
Kristin: That's great.
Blythe: This is "Leo Loves Baby Time." Now, this story we see Leo going to the library for story time. And this might be an activity that you're going to do with your group. And having some information about what to expect when you get there can be so important. And so, we get to walk through that with Leo in this sweet little story. When we know what to expect, we don't all have that anxiety, and we don't have that behavior that can emerge when we're feeling uncomfortable.
Kristin: These are great. My gosh, so many great categories within this kind of prevention. We've got the importance of rules and expectations. What else, Dawn? We've got –
Dawn: Helping through transitions, right, that repetitive frame that can help you do that. And knowing what to expect, knowing how to clean up, where to clean up, what to do, that all kind of supports and prepares children to do that. All of those things can help give children some models and things to practice and be prepared to help prevent some challenging behaviors.
Thank you, Blythe. Blythe: Thanks so much.
In this video segment, hosts Dawn and Kristin visit a public library. They discuss the support educators can get from their local library with librarian Blythe, as well as some books that specifically support positive behavior. This video is part of the Positive Behavior Support module, one of several EarlyEdU Alliance Higher Education Learning Modules.
