10 Reasons You NEED Humor in Behavior Management

10 Reasons You NEED Humor

in Behavior Management?  
       Do you really need 10?  Well, then...

1)      Classroom safety is your number one priority, and discipline is a constant challenge.

2)      The same methods won’t work for all kids, all the time.  One thing is certain, though: of all the tricks in your behavior management toolbox, humor is one of the most powerful.  It’s the carrot not the stick; the honey not the vinegar.

3)      Laugh or else!  Without joy and spice sprinkled into your day, creative play will go underground in the form of spitballs, graffiti, and pranks; the class clowns and the rebels will rule.  Not nice!  Remember: If you don’t laugh with your students, your students will laugh at you (behind your back). 

4)      Memo: Laughter is fun!  A big belly laugh will bind the class together with a deep rapport.

5)      Humor is creative!   Your classroom suddenly becomes high-interest, and your own mind feels fresh and spontaneous…and young.

 6)      Humor relieves stress.  A burst of laughter releases a thousand wrongs.  It helps kids—and teachers—deal with change or adversity.
 

7)      Humor makes us more flexible, not stuck in one emotion.  It shows us that the world is balanced; that happiness and sadness, triumph and defeat, can coexist.

8)      Laughing shakes up our lymph system; it heals our body, mind and soul.  It strengthens the immune system, lowers our blood pressure and makes us more present and alert.

9)      Laughter is memorable.  Kids may not recall a particular lesson, but they will remember if they were happy or sad; at ease or stressed.  It puts the pyramid of needs in perspective: first a sense of safety and well-being, and then higher learning can take place.

10)   When kids learn how to use humor respectfully, they’re learning the power of respect, empathy, and healthy boundaries in all areas of life.

Had enough?  Wait!  There's more!  
And I hope you'll share some of YOUR list!!

I love a good laugh, and over the years I've collected hundreds of funny things to say and do that will get kids to behave--and enjoy life and learning.  That's heaven to me.  And also, Survival 101 in the classroom. 

Now that it's all down on paper, I'm thrilled that I can share it with you.

Behavior Management with Humor is a mega-resource that teaches step-by-step skills for discipline—and then adds tools and strategies to make it FUN.

 Laughing shakes up our lymph system, and heals our body, mind and soul. It strengthens the immune system, lowers our blood pressure and makes us more present and alert. It’s empowering, rapport-building…AND I can tell you from experience, it’s one of the most powerful tools in your behavior management kit!

I REALLY LOVE this, and I think you might, too.

If you’d like a Behavior Management MEGA-Bundle—with School Rules, Behavior Management with Humor, Behavior Modification Game Charts, and Behavior Management Callbacks—it’s here.

I’m on a mission: to help you feel CALM and CONFIDENT—and ready to laugh—starting on your first day of school. 

As always, I'm wishing you all the best!

 

Kindergarten Teachers 3 BEST TIPS

New kindergarten teachers are always asking me for my best tips.  Here goes:

Be Kind

1)      Be nice.  Yes, that’s my number one tip.  Why?  Because I believe that kindness is the most important thing to bring to almost any situation.  And in kindergarten?  Think about it.  Many of your kids are coming to school for the first time.  They’re tender, uncertain and scared.  Even if they’ve been to pre-K, this is often their first full day, or their first full-on academic year in school.  I believe that teaching is instruction AND inspiration.  It’s up to the teacher to set the tone, and show kids how nice school can be. 

So should you smile on the first day of school?  Of course!  Smile from the depths of your soul, when appropriate.  Remember, you’re not just teaching the 3 Rs, you’re teaching social skills, too.  If you’re kind by example, you’re teaching the children how to be kind too.  After all, you want kindergarten to be pleasant for everyone, including yourself.  It’s win-win, all around. 

If you'd like this free Kinder-Garten poster, it's here.

Be Firm

2)      Be firm.  Sorry to break it to you, but you’re probably in big trouble if you’re ONLY nice!  Be nice and also firm.  Show the kids exactly what’s expected of them.  Show them step by step and have them practice.  Give them feedback—thank them when they’re helpful, and gently correct them if needed.  Discuss why one way is better than another, so kids internalize the rationale.  And accept no less than their best.

Please have a little heart-to-heart with yourself.  If you're not a born disciplinarian, ask yourself if you'd benefit from the soup-to-nuts course--with word-for-word teacher scripts--what to say, and what to do, starting on the first day of school.  It's Behavior Management 101 Plus ++ and it will save you from a world of trial and error.

Be Fun

3)      Have fun.  I’ll repeat: HAVE FUN!!!  Hellooo…Kindergarten means child’s garden.   

    Kindergarten is a place to learn through doing, dancing, singing, playing, exploring, creating…and of course thinking.  Add plenty of brain breaks and stir.

 Every time you bring life to your lesson, you’re honoring the spirit of kindergarten.  So don’t just teach the writing mechanics (start with a capital, use lowercase, leave a space between words, end with a period...) sing the writing rubric in a song.  Don’t just count to 100, have kids dance--or meditate--to a counting song.    

    Let kids make number chart robots, and have kids write or copy a sentence about it. 

 Create bulletin boards that are as creative to look at as they are to make.  In short, create a child’s garden.

Ready, now?  Let's say it three times fast: 

nice firm fun

nice firm fun

nice firm fun

There!  That was easy!

If you’re a new kindergarten teacher, you’re entering a wonderful world!  If you’d like a mentor's guide, along with step-by-step scripts, rules, posters, printables, songs, and many other resources that you can use all year, take a look at my Kindergarten Creative Mega-Bundle.  I think it will help you on your journey.

As always, I'll be thinking of you and wishing you all the best!