Many years ago, children from birth to 4 or 5 years exercised natural preschool stress relief. Trained in preschool stress alleviation was both unidentified and unnecessary. Stay at home mothers never concerned about trying to improve self-concept within their preschool kids. They did not function to instill artificial coping abilities and specialized anger administration skills in pre-schoolers. Common sense dictated preschool stress comfort efforts.
In the twenty-first century, however, many who themselves mismanage stress and anxiety are seeking stress relief techniques for a preschool child or children. I have already been appalled, both as instructor and principal, to see the negative, harmful changes since I started my profession. While we struggle to instill greater actions of preschool stress comfort, we actually increase tension on young children.
From my viewpoint as career educator of more than 30 years, I'd like to address the issue briefly. What are - or ought to be - appropriate preschool stress comfort techniques?
Defining Preschool Stress
Preschool stress is the response of a preschool kid to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs made upon the kid. When the response is definitely positive, the preschooler encounters eustress. When the response is certainly negative, the child experiences distress. Both are stress: "eustress" is effective, happy stress; "distress" is harmful, miserable stress.
What Preschool Stress Is Not
1. Preschool stress isn't the teacher's demand that Sally come to the tale circle and sit down quietly. It is Sally's response compared to that demand. Preschool stress alleviation must focus on the response.
2. Preschool stress is not the teacher's demand that Bobby try once again to count to 20. It really is Bobby's response to that demand. Preschool stress relief must concentrate on the response.
3. Preschool stress is not Mother's demand that Sasha quit crying when left at preschool. It is Sasha's response compared to that demand. Preschool stress comfort must concentrate on the response.
Preschool Stressors versus Preschool Stress
The most prevalent error in attempts at preschool stress relief may be the confusion of stressors with stress.
1. Preschool stressors, on the one hand, are always present. They are an inescapable component of life. Preschool stressors themselves should never be viewed as the cause of stress. Stressors best preschool in NYC are simply needs produced upon the preschool child in one form or another: to cooperate; to learn; to share; to comply with rules; to exercise personal control; etc.
2. Preschool stress, on the other hand, may be the preschool child's response to demands made upon him or her. If the kid willingly accepts the demands, a sense of eustress takes over. Endorphins are released and the child is usually cheerfully compliant. Preschool stress relief isn't needed for eustress. If the kid rejects the demands, however, distress requires charge. Distress, the fight-or-flight mechanism, releases adrenalin and the kid turns into combative or fearful, and noncompliant. Distress does demand preschool stress relief.
Underlying Reason for Preschool Stress
The ultimate, underlying reason preschoolers experience "distress" rather than "eustress" is their inner response to relinquishing control or having nobody in control.
Preschool children, like adults, want control in their lives. They want and want boundaries. On the main one hand, they don't really want someone else controlling their lives. They would like to steer their very own lives. The word "awful twos" originates in the preschooler's desire to be independent of outside control. However, they want someone to exercise company, loving control, and if the adult will not do so, the child will attempt it.
Basic Requirement of Preschool Stress Relief
Stress relief approaches for a preschool child need to understand and build on the underlying reason for stress if they're to succeed. Preschool stress relief must focus on the child's dedication to exercise control, or have firm control exercised over, all 4 areas of his or her own life: psychological, mental, physical, and spiritual.
Weeding Out Stressors
Preschool stress relief shouldn't concentrate on wedding out stressors. The stressor is definitely seldom at fault. No matter how great, the stressor itself will not determine how the child responds to it.
It is an error to believe that any of the following 7 methods (that i have witnessed often) will accomplish preschool stress alleviation.
1. Adults give instructions, and let children comply or not, as they wish.
2. Adults let kids roam the room at will.
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?search=Brooklyn Adults let children refuse obedience until the count of 5, 10, etc.
4. Adults separate kids who refuse to get along together.
5. Adults ignore misbehaving children, wishing desire to have attention will win.
6. Adults classify misbehavior as stress behavior, and permit it.
7. Adults instruct preschool stress relief techniques that focus on relaxation, smiling, and deep breathing, but neglect the root cause.
Successful preschool stress relief includes a proven formula, which we address partly Two of this article.