Conflict Resolution for Young Children
Empowering Children Through Gardening
Empowering Parent-Teacher Relationships
Empowering Reluctant Children in the Classroom
The Empowerment Bibliography
Grief and Death Issues
Management Through Empowerment
A Positive Approach to Superheroes
Understanding Children’s Temperament
Empowering Children who have Nighttime Fears
Circle Time: Jazzing Up the Basics and Going Beyond   
How Can You Solve That Problem? -- Everyday solutions to everyday problems 
Developmentally-Based Curriculum Activities for Infants and Toddlers
5-Part Series: Guiding Children’s Behavior
6-Part Series: Supporting Children with Play Problems
4-Part Series: Self-Esteem
4-part Series:  Social Skills
4-part Series:  Creating Learning Environments

Conflict Resolution for Young Children

A simple, yet effective approach to having a more peaceable classroom by recognizing that conflict is an opportunity for learning. Practical information will be introduced which encourages children to take control thereby enhancing their own confidence level.

Anyone who has ever gardened knows its magical effects, including stress reduction, the pride in growing something yourself, and experiencing the amazement of nature. In this hands-on workshop, find out how to provide these opportunities for the children in your care. No prior knowledge of gardening is necessary.

The children in our care benefit when teachers and parents work in a partnership. 10 things you should expect from your child care provider and 10 things your child care provider should expect from you will be discussed at length including tips for conferencing, daily communication, and overcoming obstacles. The workshop includes audio-visuals, a hands-on activity, and a bibliography.

Through positive changes in your physical environment and curriculum as well as a repertoire of strategies, learn how to empower the child who is shy, reluctant to participate/learn, or withdraws from others.

A hands-on workshop utilizing children’s literature as a stepping stone to classroom activities that will help children realize their potential.

The death of a child, parent, other relative, or pet affects children in profound ways. In this workshop, we will discuss how to talk with children when a death has touched their lives. Included will be terms to avoid, amount of information to share, expected developmental reactions, and unexpected outcomes. A bibliography of appropriate children’s literature and discussion of bibliotherapy will close the session.

Authoritative control and discipline are not the best routes to classroom management. This workshop will demonstrate how empowering children by giving them legitimate influence and responsibility in the classroom and logical consequences combine for a more peaceful and productive day.

Educators are inundated with the negative effects of media superheroes. Discover ways to empower children to realize the hero within through the use of self-created alternative superheroes. Issues of gender, power, transformation, and non-violence are incorporated.

Understanding Children’s Temperament

Children develop best when the demands and expectations of their environment are compatible with their temperaments.  In this workshop, learn the 9 temperament traits, how to see the positive side of each trait, and how best to use this information to ensure the most positive relationship possible with each child in your care.

Empowering Children who have Nighttime Fears

Does your child talk about things that go bump in the night or hear monsters in the closet?  Perhaps s/he wakes up terrified during the night or remembers nightmares in the morning.  Learn some of the reasons behind the fears and ways you can help.  Each person will leave the session with a homemade dream catcher.

5-Part Series: Guiding Children’s Behavior

Session 1: Positively Guiding Children’s Behavior

This opening session will demonstrate how empowering children by giving them legitimate influence and responsibility in the classroom and logical consequences combine for a more peaceful and productive day. The differences between punishment and discipline will be discussed and positive guidance techniques will be detailed.

Session 2: The Environmental Effect on Guidance

Although many physical space issues are out of our control, learn how to consider room arrangement, numbers of children in areas, methods of displaying materials, and other factors which we can alter to lessen teacher involvement in guidance and encourage self-discipline.

Session 3: Positive Words for Positive Guidance

The messages we send to children are only partially conveyed by our words. Tone of voice, facial expression, body language, and physical proximity all combine with the words we use to speak to those in our care. We will discuss common scenarios in your settings and ways to improve the language environment in order to impact upon behavior. The difference between praise and encouragement will also be outlined.

Session 4: Rules and Limits

Rules and limits are necessary both to maintain order and to help children feel safe. We will discuss ways to involve children with creating the classroom guidelines, modeling appropriate behaviors, and talking with parents about appropriate limits.

Session 5: Responding to Challenging Behaviors

Children display inappropriate behaviors for a variety of reasons. Learn to distinguish between these reasons and to recognize the correlating emotions created in ourselves. Then, it is easier to respond so that the frequency of the behavior is diminished while the child’s self-esteem is maintained.

Part 1: When a Child Doesn’t Play

A child’s play is the foundation for future development in cognitive, physical, and social areas. When a child does not engage, s/he is experiencing a play problem. Learn the seven different play problems and how to use the three-step play problem intervention process to help.

Part 2: The Child Who Wanders/Dabbles

Children who wander or dabble are missing out on the benefits of lengthy classroom play. Discover how to define and recognize wandering behaviors and learn specific techniques to help children make play choices and stay involved.

Part 3: The Child who Appears Anxious

The child who appears anxious may not be very verbal about the problem, so educators must learn to recognize the signs in order to step in and strategize to help the child. A discussion of community resources for parents and educators will close the session.

Part 4: The Child who Appears Aloof

A child who stands on the sidelines is missing out on the positive aspects of play. Discussion topics include how to help children feel successful and using the teacher as a play partner and/or facilitator. In the group activity, you will design an activity area to benefit the child who appears aloof.

Part 5: The Child who is Ignored

Children who are ignored need work on social skills to help them become an integral part of the classroom. Topics of discussion include how to recognize when a child is being ignored and the importance of social skills.

Part 6: The Child who is Rejected

The child who is rejected needs special help with problem-solving, peer interaction, sharing, and entry skills. Learn methods of observing, reflecting, and intervening to meet these children’s individual needs.

All sessions include viewing a videotape, individual/group activities, and handouts.

Part 1: Using Age-Appropriate Approaches to Build Children’s Self-Esteem

In this session, teachers will first examine the roots of their own self-esteem in order to help children to build theirs. Then, developing a positive and supportive relationship with each child and helping children accept and appreciate themselves and others will be addressed. Finally, teachers will use their knowledge of child development to assess how to foster self-esteem in their students. This will include an exercise which will ask teachers to challenge themselves to find something special in each child.

Part 2: Helping Children Deal with Separation

In order to understand the process of separation, the theories of attachment will first be discussed. Then, why do children have separation problems? What special goodbye rituals can be used in the classroom? Suggestions for helping children to cope with separation difficulties and partnering with parents will also be discussed. At the end, we will examine an extreme form of separation problems - Separation Anxiety Disorder.

Part 3: Providing the Right Kind of Support for Children

The language environment in the classroom is just as important as the physical environment. In this session, we will discuss how to provide opportunities for children to be successful and feel confident. Further, within the topic of using caring words in the classroom, we will distinguish between feeling stoppers and feeling encouragers and praise vs. encouragement. A role playing activity is part of this workshop.

Part 4: Establishing an Environment that Builds Self-Esteem

The classroom environment includes a variety of components. In this workshop, each of these will be discussed including how to use them to help encourage self-esteem and how to respond to each child as an individual. There will be a final hands-on group activity to examine toys and materials for self-esteem builders.