During circle time, 3-year-old Lila repeatedly gets up and runs across the room, laughing. When redirected, she drops to the floor and refuses to move.
The teacher considers removing her from circle permanently.
How will you support the teacher in moving from consequences to connections?
Prompts to support discussion
1. What is the skill gap?
Impulse control?
Communication of discomfort?
Personal space awareness?
Emotional labeling?
Delay of response?
2. What is happening neurologically?
Rapid limbic activation?
Underdeveloped prefrontal cortex?
Sensory overload?
Fight response?
Limited expressive language pathways?
3. How would you co-regulate in the moment?
Calm physical intervention?
Neutral tone?
Simple feeling label?
Deep pressure?
Immediate safety response?
4. What would explicit teaching look like later?
Teaching “stop” signal?
Practicing “space please”?
Visual for personal space?
Role-playing line routines?
Modeling appropriate oral input?