Strategies for Children with Special Social Needs

The temperament and personality of a child have an impact on how teachers approach and respond to the child. Research has shown that children with a highly reactive temperament were rated as less “educable” by teachers, while children with “lighter” temperament usually get to spend more time with the teacher. Harmony between a child and an adult (teacher / parent) is called the goodness of fit – compatibility between the temperament of the child and their environment, including the learning environment. Teachers who promote harmony in their relationships with children and adapt their own pedagogical style to match the temperament of each individual child, which forms the foundation of early education. The role of the teacher is to create an environment that promotes learning in children of different temperaments.

Shy / reluctant children do not enjoy or are afraid of cooperation. They lack the basic skills required for interaction with others. Teachers can support the social development of these children by using the following strategies:

• Providing a safe space from where they can observe others engaging in classroom activities. Shy children often learn a lot by observing, which allows them to get fully involved in the activities performed by their peers.

• Creating a permanent and predictable routine. Children with social barriers will feel more confident when they know where the props are stored and when individual activities take place.

• Encouraging collaboration: Teacher can move a toy closer to the child. Introduce a pair with a classmate to help making friends easier. The responsibility of taking care of a classroom pet can be delegated to a child – sometimes children experiencing such difficulties find greater interest in a pet than in their peers.

• Non-verbal activities: art, music or dance can also encourage the child to engage.

• Positive support: A quiet smile, a nod of approval or a pat on the head can be more effective than praise in front of a large group. The child does not have to be forced to engage, but rather given special attention to gain the confidence they need before joining in with activities.

The aggressive child lacks self-control, their behavior may be hyperactive or hostile. The teacher must set clear rules and strategies that promote self-control of the child and lead them to internal responsibility. The following procedures can be applied:

Limitation of noise and visual stimulation. Classrooms should have areas where children can play away from noise and other activities. Some hyperactive children are overly stimulated both visually and acoustically, and focus better in a quiet and structured environment. Other hyperactive children require sufficient stimulation, otherwise they lose interest.
Providing clear instructions. Children must understand what is expected of them. Some like a precise seating order. Children must know and understand the rules of the class. Aggressive behavior needs to be called out without hesitation. Include short “breaks” to ease over-stimulated behavior.
Creating opportunities for self-regulatory behavior.

Children are constantly being urged to implement self-regulation during the day in both small and large groups. Research suggests that children with self-regulatory problems have difficulty building positive relationships, staying focused, adhering to instructions, and controlling undesired impulses. All this affects learning and later success in school. It is, therefore, important to support self-regulatory principles in early childhood. There are simple ways to integrate self-regulation into kindergarten practice.