Prompting Social Skills

July 2024; By Sara Silva- Coach, Child Care Connections

Oh-oh, here comes trouble…you know, the little love bug that loves nothing more that to give everyone (willingly or unwillingly) a big hug. A big peanut-buttery, gooey jelly filled, with a bit of snotcicles smeared across the face, full of joy and love, little human bundle of trouble – and they’re headed right for your brand new, clean pants!

Big and little toddlers are all trying so hard to find out how to be themselves in a group of other little humans that are all trying to do the same thing. And then there’s the big humans that are trying to keep them all happy, healthy, learning, and growing – even with their own troubles weighing on them. Sometimes, that ooyey gooey bundle of love is just too much! (Both for big humans and little humans.)

The big humans have a hard time hiding their dismay (even in the face of all that love and enthusiasm) and the little humans start crying or just fall over under the onslaught. Remember these little humans are just starting to figure out where they end and everyone else begins and it’s sooooo hard to know if that squeeze around the neck is a good thing…or a not so good thing. It’s time for our first lesson as little people: not everyone likes the same things we do, and it can be reaaally helpful to ask before we touch another person…

…or (come to think of it) that other person’s toys. Can I Give You a Squish? by Emily Neilson is the perfect little book to start our conversation all about asking before hugging…tasting…biting…tackling…sigh, this list could get quite long…In this little story a merchild loves to squish but then he meets a pufferfish that doesn’t really like to be squished. He learns that all the sea creatures have different ways that they like to use to ask other sea creatures to be friends and to say “I love you.” The perfect place to start a lesson on consent!

Of course we can’t stop there, we need to practice, practice, practice. What better way to practice this important skill than by being a classroom greeter? The author has created a beautiful, free, printable poster that children can use to ask how a child would like to be greeted and to find out what they select: find the poster HERE! What a perfect task for our little love bug.

Here’s another helpful tip, that weight that we all carry (both personally and professionally) is easier to carry with someone else. Early Childhood Coaches are the perfect partner with which to unpack our feelings, concerns, goals, what’s going well and what’s maybe going not so well in out classrooms with all our little humans…We’re here to help you figure out those “kiddie manuals” that everyone keeps talking about, but nobody seems to be able to locate. Sara (supporting child care professionals in Lewis and Clark, Jefferson, and Broadwater counties) and Judith (supporting child care professionals in Gallatin, Park, and Meagher counties) are ready and available to provide one-on-one support when facing challenges with your love bugs, your bruisers, your turkeys, and every little human in between. Give us a call or shoot us an email (sara@cccmontana.org, judith@cccmontana.org)! We’re more than happy to help.