Have you ever noticed how children love to go under tables? Or how when they play they don’t wish to stay seated on their chair for long but prefer to move around? For many, this is often seen and considered as bad behaviour. However, let us stop and think WHY children might do this.
What if this so called ‘bad behaviour’ is just a curious child wanting to explore? These actions should be observed and given importance rather than being titled as bad behaviour. Children will most often show us what they are curious about through their actions.
Children have lots and lots of energy and it comes natural that they want to move around. When the little ones are free to move around and explore they are more engaged, attention span is increased and learning comes naturally. My little curious bunch love to go under their tables! And during certain activities they wish to be able to move around while in others they prefer to sit. These observations should not go unnoticed as their actions are a way of communicating their wants and needs.
This year was an eye opener for me. Observing children closely helped me become part of their world and understand each and every one of them. Thus, instead of completely eliminating such actions I decided to involve them in different activities. YES, going under tables became part of different learning experiences. And YES, children are being given the opportunity to ditch their chairs during certain activities.
Here are some very simple and fun activities based on these observations …
While doing a project on bears, we talked about hibernation. I decided to transform the tables into a cave by simply covering them with two white bedsheets. My little bears would go to sleep in the cave (underneath tables) when I say “it’s winter” and would come out when I say “wake up little bears it’s spring”. It was so precious hearing their giggles and pretend snoring from under the table. In this activity the children were given the opportunity to explore underneath their tables while also learning all about hibernation. When combining different things which children are interested in, the learning experience is much more memorable and fruitful.
In this next activity I tried eliminating chairs and using tables all in one activity! I taped some blank papers underneath a table, put a blanket on the floor and let my little curious bunch lay on the floor and draw underneath their tables. Creative skills and fine motor control were still the aim of this activity. However, they were doing so in a way which is more to their liking as they continued to explore the world underneath tables! It is always fun to change activities in order to keep the children interested .
This time instead of going under tables, we turned the tables upside down! The curious bunch were learning all about the different shades of the sea in an unconventional way. I basically turned a table upside down and put it on top of another table. Then I wrapped it in plastic wrap. The children were exploring the effect of paint on plastic and mixing different shades of blue to create other shades.
Also, I recently decided to give my children the option to not use their chairs while playing with table top toys. Up till now I noticed that children are more engaged and creative during this time. Involving children in decision making and giving them options will show them that their wants and needs are being heard and valued. I am also preparing less activities where children have to spend a long time sitting down. Each week I try to create a balance between activities where children have to stay seated and activities where the children can stand up and move around.
Sometimes what one sees as 'bad behaviour' is simply just a child driven by curiosity. Children love to explore and thus it is very important to not decline this interest. Exploration is one of the best forms of learning! Once children are given the right tools to feed their curiosity, they will find something new to investigate and this is the never ending cycle of learning. A classroom should not be a place where children come to sit down for 6 hours and learn by listening.
As educators and parents it is very important to listen closely to what our children are saying. Most of the time children won’t verbalise their wants and needs however, their actions speak louder than words!
Comments