Little Kids, Big Worries: Stress-Busting Tips for Early Childhood Classrooms » (1st Edition)

Research shows that stress in the crucial early years of a child's life can pose dramatic, lasting challenges to development, learning, and behavior. This is the practical book early childhood professionals need to recognize stress in young children—and intervene with proven relief strategies before pressures turn into big problems.

Developed by celebrated early childhood expert Alice Sterling Honig, this guidebook helps readers address the most common causes of stress in a young child's life, including separation anxiety, bullying, jealousy, and family circumstances. Educators and childcare providers will

• understand key factors that influence a child's stress level, including attachment, temperament, developmental and learning challenges, health issues, and family pressures
  
  
• become a keen observer of the varied and sometimes subtle ways that children express stress
  
  
• choose from a wide range of stress-busting techniques (see box)—all innovative, time-tested, and clinically validated
  
  
• personalize stress-busters to meet the needs of individual children
  
  
• skillfully use stress-reducing strategies with groups of children from diverse backgrounds
  
  
• harness the power of storytelling to model solutions to problems and help children address negative feelings
  
  
• avoid burnout by handling the stresses in their own adult lives, from challenging interactions with parents to issues with co-workers
  
  

Memorable stories inspired by Dr. Honig's 30+ years of experience show readers how these stress-busters can make a real difference in children's lives, and the questions at the end of each chapter areideal aids for self-study or professional development courses. Packed with down-to-earth, easy-to-use ideas, this empowering book gives professionals the tools they need to conquer stress in any early childhood setting—so children can develop the early social and academic skills they'll need to succeed in school.

Learn how to use these proven stress-busters:

• making environmental adjustments
  
  
• redirecting rather than reprimanding
  
  
• supporting a child's self-soothing methods
  
  
• teaching problem-solving strategies
  
  
• taking the child's perspective
  
  
• providing verbal reassurance
  
  
• soothing through gentle physical contact
  
  
• using open-ended questions to pinpoint a child's fears
  
  
• and much more!

About the Author vii

Acknowledgments ix

Chapter 1 Understanding Stress in Children's Lives 1

Chapter 2 Sources and Signs of Stress 23

Chapter 3 Insights About Stress: Reflecting and Reframing 35

Chapter 4 Choosing Stress-Busting Techniques to Help Children 43

Chapter 5 Personalizing Stress-Reducing Strategies for Children 53

Chapter 6 Using Stress-Reducing Strategies with Groups of Children 73

Chapter 7 Using Storytelling to Relieve Child Stresses 103

Chapter 8 Adult Stress Busters in Care Settings and Schools: Working with Parents, Personnel, Home Visitors, Supervisors, Mental Health Professionals, and Consultants 115

Chapter 9 Personal Stress-Busting Ideas for Adults Caring for Children 131

References 149

Children's Book Bibliography 157

Internet Resources 159

Index 161