The following is an excerpt from an NAEYC online author Q&A event with Ellen Galinsky on the book Mind in the Making. The Q&A took place November 7-11, 2011. To view more highlights from 2011 online Q&As, click here.
How can teachers support children when the home environment is stressful? What coping skills can a teacher can work on with children at school that might have an impact on the child's life?
One of the most important lessons from the research on helping children cope with stress and take on challenges is the following: Watch what children do to help themselves manage, to bring themselves under control in constructive ways. One child may put his head down; another child may step back and watch. When a child gets stressed, tell him that you have been watching what he does when things get hard and doing that might be helpful now. Or, if the child is very young, put him in an environment that helps him calm down.
As children get older, help them come up with plans to help themselves manage in advance of any problems. My son had a secret phrase he used. The research on stress is clear: If we feel we have some control and support, we are better able to cope with stress and learn to take on challenges.
In these ways, you are building on these children's strengths and helping them learn the process of coping and even being proactive in the face of challenges. This helps all children, no matter how stressful their home lives are.