Behaviour Calming Routines Guide for EYFS/SEN Teachers
This article was inspired by a great lesson observation I conducted in a KS1 class that is currently following the EYFS ethos. The children are still getting “ready to learn” but the teacher has implemented fantastic routines. These include calming routines at both a whole class, and individual pupil level. In both the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and SEN classrooms, creating a supportive and nurturing environment is essential for all children, especially those who are neurodiverse. By implementing calming routines teachers can help children manage their emotions and develop effective coping skills. This guide provides strategies for EYFS teachers to support children during stressful or highly arousing situations like transitions, focusing on pre-learning or previewing and then reviewing coping skills.
The Importance of Calming Routines
Calming routines are essential for helping children develop coping skills they can use throughout their lives. These routines provide predictable and structured methods to manage emotions, which are particularly beneficial during stressful situations or those in which the child is likely to get highly excitable.
Preview & Review: Setting the Stage for Success
One effective strategy for helping children manage stress is to preview and review coping strategies before and after potentially stressful events. This approach involves discussing what to expect, what will be expected of the child, and how they can use their coping skills if they start to feel upset.
Proactively Teach Coping Strategies
Before the event, take a moment to talk with the child about what they can expect and how they can use their coping skills if they start to feel anxious. This preparation helps the child feel more secure and ready to handle the situation.
For example, you might say, “We’re going to have assembly next. If it feels loud or scary, remember you can take deep breaths and hold my hand.” By previewing the coping strategy, you help the child visualize and mentally rehearse their stress response.
Reviewing After the Event
After the event, sit down with the child to review how it went. Focus on how they used their coping skills and celebrate their successes. This reflection reinforces positive behaviour and builds the child’s confidence.
You could say, “You did a great job today during the fire drill! You remembered to take deep breaths. How did that make you feel?” By reviewing the experience, you help the child process their emotions and recognise their achievements.
Tackle It Together: Collaborative Coping
Another key strategy is to tackle stressful situations together, using a collaborative approach to practice and reinforce coping skills. This involves looking for opportunities to practice coping strategies, modelling the behaviour, and guiding the child through the process.
Looking for Opportunities
Identify moments throughout the day where the child can practice their coping skills. These can be natural occurrences or small, created situations that provide a chance to spotlight and practice the strategies.
For example, you might say, “Let’s practice our deep breathing before we start our busy circle time.” By consistently integrating these practices into daily routines, you help children build their coping skills in a supportive environment.
Modelling the Behavior
Use the coping strategies yourself to model for the child. This “think out loud” approach helps the child see how to handle emotions and stress effectively. For instance, you might say, “I feel a bit nervous about our big activity today. I’m going to take a deep breath and say ‘calm down’ to myself.”
Doing It Together
Guide the child through the coping strategy while modelling and talking it through. This collaborative approach reinforces the behaviour and provides support. You could say, “Let’s take a deep breath together. Inhale… exhale… Great job! We did it together.” By doing it together, you create a sense of partnership and shared accomplishment.
Celebrate Mastery: Reinforcing Success
Celebrating the child’s successes when they use their coping skills effectively is crucial for building confidence and encouraging continued use of these strategies. Positive reinforcement helps children feel proud of their achievements and motivates them to keep practising their coping skills.
Celebrating Success
Whenever the child uses their coping skills successfully, take a moment to celebrate. Positive reinforcement builds confidence and encourages them to continue using these strategies. You might say, “We did it! You stayed calm and used your deep breaths. We rock!”
Reviewing and Logging Experiences
Create a competency book, such as a journal or picture book, to log these experiences. Reviewing these entries together reinforces the child’s achievements and helps them see their progress over time. You could say, “Let’s add a new page to our book about how you used your coping skills during assembly.” This tangible record of success serves as a powerful tool for building self-esteem and resilience.
Preparing for Stressful Situations
Being proactive about potentially stressful situations can make a significant difference. Here’s how to prepare and support children effectively:
Identifying Stress Triggers
Understanding what might trigger stress in a child is crucial for effective preparation and intervention. Stress triggers can vary widely among children, particularly those who are neurodiverse. Common triggers might include changes in routine, loud noises, unfamiliar environments, or social interactions. By observing and understanding these triggers, you can better prepare the child and support them in managing their emotions.
For example, assemblies or fire drills can be overwhelming due to the noise and the disruption of the usual schedule. To prepare a child for such events, you might say, “I know that assemblies can be loud and overwhelming. Let’s talk about what we can do to stay calm.” This discussion helps the child anticipate the situation and think about how they can cope with it.
Previewing and Practicing Coping Skills
Once you have identified potential stress triggers, the next step is to preview and practice coping skills with the child. This involves discussing what to expect during the event, what will be expected of them, and how they can use their coping skills if they start to feel upset.
For instance, before a noisy assembly, you might say, “During the assembly, if it gets too loud, you can cover your ears and take deep breaths. Let’s practice that now.” By rehearsing these strategies beforehand, you help the child feel more prepared and confident in their ability to handle the situation.
Coaching During the Event
During the event itself, be prepared to coach the child through their coping strategies. Provide gentle reminders and support as needed to help them manage their emotions. You might say, “Remember, if it gets loud, you can cover your ears and breathe deeply. I’m right here with you.”
Your presence and guidance provide reassurance and help the child feel safe. By staying close and offering support, you help the child navigate the stressful situation more effectively.
Reviewing and Celebrating Afterwards
After the event, take time to review how it went and celebrate any successes. This reflection is an important part of the learning process and helps the child recognize their achievements. You could say, “You did a great job today during the assembly! You remembered to cover your ears and breathe deeply. How did that make you feel?”
Celebrating these successes reinforces positive behavior and builds the child’s confidence. It also provides an opportunity to discuss what worked well and what might be improved for next time.
Creating a Competency Book
A competency book is a powerful tool for reinforcing the child’s achievements and helping them see their progress over time. This can be a journal, a picture book, or any other format that works for you and the child. The idea is to log experiences where the child successfully used their coping skills, creating a tangible record of their growth.
How to Use a Competency Book
- Document Experiences: After each successful use of a coping skill, document the experience. This can include a brief description, a drawing, or a photo. For example, “Today, during the fire drill, you used your deep breaths to stay calm.”
- Review Regularly: Regularly review the competency book with the child. This reinforces their achievements and helps them see their progress over time. You might say, “Let’s look at our book and see all the times you’ve used your coping skills. Look how far you’ve come!”
- Celebrate Milestones: Use the competency book to celebrate milestones and significant achievements. This could be a special review session where you highlight particularly important moments. For example, “You’ve been so brave and have used your coping skills many times. Let’s celebrate with a special activity!”
Modelling Coping Skills
Modelling coping skills is an effective way to teach children how to manage their emotions. By using these strategies yourself and “thinking out loud,” you demonstrate how to handle stress and emotions in a healthy way.
Think Out Loud
When you “think out loud,” you verbalize your thoughts and emotions as you use coping strategies. This helps the child see the process in action and understand how to apply it to their own experiences. For example, you might say, “I feel a bit nervous about our big activity today. I’m going to take a deep breath and say ‘calm down’ to myself.”
Create Teachable Moments
Look for opportunities to create teachable moments where you can model coping skills. These can be everyday situations where you naturally experience stress or emotions. For instance, if you feel overwhelmed by a busy schedule, you might say, “I have a lot to do today, and I’m feeling stressed. I’m going to take a moment to breathe and calm down.”
By sharing your experiences and strategies, you help the child see that everyone has emotions and that it’s okay to feel stressed or anxious. More importantly, you show them how to manage these feelings in a healthy way.
Conclusion
Supporting neurodiverse children in the EYFS involves creating a nurturing environment that helps them develop effective coping skills. By using calming routines, previewing and reviewing coping strategies, tackling challenges together, and celebrating mastery, you provide the support.