The comprehensive practical activity curriculum can be said to be created to cater to children's curiosity and nature of exploration. Through the creation of problem situations, children are guided not only to explore what the world is, but also to pay close attention to what the world will be and cultivate children's key competencies in the real…

Early intervention is valuable in preventing negative behavioural outcomes and promoting positive social competence in young children with externalizing behaviours. Interventions that teach social problem solving (SPS) are a promising solution, as children with behavioural difficulties often have deficits in these skills. School-based SPS…

This article introduces a center-based direct instruction lesson using picture-based situation cards paired with a problem-solving poster that teachers can implement within the classroom to proactively teach the skill of problem-solving to children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old.

Data-driven decision making is central to improving success of children. Actualizing the use of data is challenging when addressing the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of children across different types of early childhood programs (i.e., early childhood special education, early childhood family education, Head Start, and childcare).…

Administrators in early care and education programs often turn to training initiatives to bolster staff competence in supporting children with emotional and behavioral challenges. However, training alone rarely results in the wide-ranging changes these administrators seek. This article presents a flexible approach to training, consultation and…

Learning how to problem solve is one of the key developmental milestones in early childhood. Children's problem-solving skills represent a key feature in the development of social competence. Problem solving allows children to stay calm during difficult situations, repair social relations quickly, and get their needs met in ways that are safe and…

A major objective of this chapter is to present a novel, ecologically sensitive social problem-solving task for school-aged children that captures the complexity of social and cognitive demands placed on children in naturalistic situations. Competence on this task correlates with a range of skills including executive functions, verbal reasoning,…

Bullying has occurred throughout the generations and in all kinds of societies. Bullying, in the context of children, generally involves one or more larger or older children subjugating a defenseless youngster who is incapable of protecting him/herself. This article focuses on varying measures of dealing with bullies at the early childhood level.…

There are lots of ways to handle behavior problems in the classroom. Some teachers send difficult children to time out, others tell them what and what not to do, and many explain why. But these techniques have one thing in common: they all do the thinking for the child. In this article, the author discusses how to help children handle conflicts…

In this article, the author responds to a teacher's request for advice on how to handle a child in her class who keeps on shoving and bopping other children, sometimes hitting them on the head with hard objects. The author offers support and suggestions on how to help children who use negative behavior to communicate their wants and needs. She…

Examines how allowing children to make choices can affect the quality of thinking in the school environment. Discusses teacher's role in creating a learning environment in which an exchange of viewpoints is encouraged, one that allows children to make and defend their own intellectual decisions. Offers several examples of classroom choices that…