How to Deal With Aggressive Children in Daycare

In a day care situation, it would be ideal if all the children were well-behaved. The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) reports that quality child care during the first five years of a child's life is essential because 90 percent of brain development takes place during this time. Kids will act up once in a while and have temper tantrums that can result in aggressive behavior. Day care providers have to deal with this behavior by implementing effective, positive, non-abusive disciplinary measures.

Instructions

    • 1

      Pay attention to the body language of the kids under your supervision. Watch for signs of upcoming temper tantrums, including throwing or kicking toys, waving arms and talking loudly. Interrupt the behavior by taking the child to a quieter setting away from other kids so he can calm down.

    • 2

      Talk to the child using a calm but firm tone of voice and explain why you interrupted him. Find out what made him angry and try to work out a solution. For instance, if he wanted to play with a toy that another child was playing with, tell him that you can share toys and take turns playing with it.

    • 3

      Redirect the child's attention to avoid destructive, harmful behavior. For instance, if the child wants to draw on the wall with crayons, hand him a piece of paper and encourage him to draw on the paper. Return the child to the group once he has calmed down and is ready to play again.

    • 4

      Place the child in "time out" if the aggressive behavior has resulted in physical harm to another child. Explain to him that biting, hitting, slapping and scratching is unacceptable behavior. Take the child out of the group, look him in the eye and tell him "No biting!" or "No hitting!" Use a firm tone of voice that tells the child you mean business. Kidsgrowth.com recommends placing the child in "time out" for one minute for each year of age.

    • 5

      Expect a solution from the aggressive child that will help fix the problem. Have him help sooth a child that he did harm to or make him clean up the mess he made.

    • 6

      Remove privileges when dealing with disciplining school-age children because "time out" may not be as effective with them. Tell them they cannot participate in an upcoming activity due to their aggressive behavior.

    • 7

      Pay attention to, praise and encourage good behavior in kids. When children get attention for things they do right, they will hold onto the behavior and repeat it.

    • 8

      Get the child's parents involved and explain to them that good behavior starts at home. According to the National Network for Child Care, children will copy behavior they see in others. If kids are exposed to aggressive, violent behavior at home, they will most likely copy the behavior. Write the parents a note each time their child misbehaves and also write notes when he displays good behavior. Keep the parents updated on what happens when their child is in your care.

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