Self-Regulation in Kindergarten

1. Self-Regulationin Kindergarten Strategies to help students develop self-regulation

2. What is self-regulation? • Ability for children to engage in purposeful activities • Ability to be mindful of others • Ability to use appropriate behavior throughout the day

3. Two parts of self-regulation • First part is the ability for the child to control their impulses and to stop her actions • Example- a child shouting out an answer asked to another child • The second part is the ability to do something because it is required, regardless if the child wants to or not • Example- when a child has to wait her turn

4. Children who exhibit self-regulation • Are able to suppress their immediate impulses because they are able to think ahead of consequences that could ensue • Are able to “use their words” instead of fighting when conflict occurs among peers

5. Self-regulation in the classroom • The ability for a child to resist one behavior and engage in a preferred behavior is needed in • Social interactions (emotional self-regulation) • Academic learning (cognitive self-regulation)

6. Self-regulation can be taught in the classroom • Emotional self-regulation and cognitive self-regulation have the same neural roots • Children are able to take control of their thinking and their feelings as they grow older and their brains develop • Just as muscles need exercise to become stronger, a neural system also needs to be exercised in order to continue to develop

7. Strategies teachers can use to help students develop self-regulation • Creating opportunities for children to practice the rules of a certain behavior and apply those rules in new situations • Need to follow rules established by someone else • Example- lining up after a teacher has called student’s name • Need to be able to practice the ability to set rules for each other and monitor how rules should be followed • Example- setting the rules for a game on the playground and making sure that nobody breaks them • Need to apply the rules to themselves • Example- when a child wants to join friends but must finish an activity she is currently involved with

8. Offer students visual and tangible reminders • Visual example- wear “editor’s glasses” when checking work • Tangible example- Giving students tool to avoid turn-taking argument- rolling dice, tossing coin, or choosing straw

9. Make play and games important parts of the curriculum • Need to be taken seriously in the kindergarten classroom • Kindergarteners develop self-regulation through activities in which children set, negotiate, and follow the rules • Includes make-believe play and games with rules • Teachers can use games to teach phonics or math