PRESCHOOL SEPARATION ANXIETY
Separating from their parents can be a time of sadness for many preschoolers. Having to leave a crying child can be heartbreaking for parents. Here' an example of how a teacher encouraged a child to manage her own emotions and transform them through art.
The three year old was feeling very sad after her mother left for work. She had been encouraged to dictate her feelings and thoughts, creating a letter for her mother. I wrote down her exact words. Encouraging her to say more by asking how she was feeling or what did she want to happen.
"Dear Mom,
I did not want you to leave. I want you to come back. I am very, very, very sad. Come back and read me one more book."
While this form of expression would work on many sad mornings, today it was having no effect. I asked her if she would like to draw a heart. She paused to think about my suggestion and told me, " I can't draw all of it."
"Draw the part you can. I'll help you with the rest," I gently encouraged. The very carefully drew one hump of the heart and then the other. I placed my finger where the heart's point would need to be. She drew the lines from the humps of the heart to my finger. She smiled and placed a dot in the center of the completed heart.
"That's me," she said. With her permission, I wrote her name next to the dot.
"Would you like to draw lines to you from all the people who love you," I asked?
She nodded. Together we drew many lines. As we connected the lines to the dot inside the heart, she named who was sending her the love. With each love line her smile grew wider. Soon she began to laugh.
"It looks like a sun," she said, beaming like a miniature one.
For the next day's goodbye, she told me that she wanted to draw another heart. She initiated the drawing on her own, beginning with the top of the heart. I noticed a gap between the two humps which gave the drawing a different but not quite familiar shape.
As she independently completed the drawing she began to smile, saying something I didn't understand.
"It's a shoe, Elyse," she laughed, holding up her own to be sure I understood. "It's a love shoe."
Then she began to draw the lines that connected her love to her family.
Two days later,when another preschooler experienced a sad goodbye, C. sat down at the little art table and began to draw a heart for her friend.. She asked for my help in attaching it to a string and hanging it from her friend's cubby.
preschool separation anxiety Tools of Peace is here to help busy parents fall back in love with their preschoolers. Tools of Peace offers fun and easy tips on building delightful relationships with our young children. We have suggestions for creating quality time every time.
Elyse Jacobs with a background in education, art and art therapy developed the Peaceful Puppet Program 24 years ago in a San Francisco preschool. She continues to find delight in working with young children and helps parents do the same.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elyse_Jacobs
The three year old was feeling very sad after her mother left for work. She had been encouraged to dictate her feelings and thoughts, creating a letter for her mother. I wrote down her exact words. Encouraging her to say more by asking how she was feeling or what did she want to happen.
"Dear Mom,
I did not want you to leave. I want you to come back. I am very, very, very sad. Come back and read me one more book."
While this form of expression would work on many sad mornings, today it was having no effect. I asked her if she would like to draw a heart. She paused to think about my suggestion and told me, " I can't draw all of it."
"Draw the part you can. I'll help you with the rest," I gently encouraged. The very carefully drew one hump of the heart and then the other. I placed my finger where the heart's point would need to be. She drew the lines from the humps of the heart to my finger. She smiled and placed a dot in the center of the completed heart.
"That's me," she said. With her permission, I wrote her name next to the dot.
"Would you like to draw lines to you from all the people who love you," I asked?
She nodded. Together we drew many lines. As we connected the lines to the dot inside the heart, she named who was sending her the love. With each love line her smile grew wider. Soon she began to laugh.
"It looks like a sun," she said, beaming like a miniature one.
For the next day's goodbye, she told me that she wanted to draw another heart. She initiated the drawing on her own, beginning with the top of the heart. I noticed a gap between the two humps which gave the drawing a different but not quite familiar shape.
As she independently completed the drawing she began to smile, saying something I didn't understand.
"It's a shoe, Elyse," she laughed, holding up her own to be sure I understood. "It's a love shoe."
Then she began to draw the lines that connected her love to her family.
Two days later,when another preschooler experienced a sad goodbye, C. sat down at the little art table and began to draw a heart for her friend.. She asked for my help in attaching it to a string and hanging it from her friend's cubby.
preschool separation anxiety Tools of Peace is here to help busy parents fall back in love with their preschoolers. Tools of Peace offers fun and easy tips on building delightful relationships with our young children. We have suggestions for creating quality time every time.
Elyse Jacobs with a background in education, art and art therapy developed the Peaceful Puppet Program 24 years ago in a San Francisco preschool. She continues to find delight in working with young children and helps parents do the same.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elyse_Jacobs
