Kindergarten - Social Emotional

Independence – What does it mean for a kindergartner?

Independence in MCC’s Kindergarten Program means beginning to play cooperatively and solve conflicts with other children, and to begin to develop the capacity to set goals and evaluate one’s own behavior.

What are our goals for our kindergarteners?

• To cooperate in play with peers.

• To begin to solve conflicts through verbal expression of one’s ideas and feelings.

• To support and respond to others’ thoughts and feelings.

• To develop an understanding of one’s actions in relation to others.

• To set personnel goals and show pride in one’s effort.

How do we teach these skills?

• We focus on specific skills needed to cooperate though which we address supporting behaviors such as honesty,

   responsibility, self-control, and follow through.

• We identify the strengths and weaknesses of each child by looking at their behavioral context.  This allows us to see the

   whole child and make comparisons across various situations.

• Children participate in meetings with their peers to discuss their strengths and what they might work on.  Through this

   process children learn to set a goal by choosing a behavior they are likely to succeed in improving.

• Children’s behaviors are reinforced through extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. Teacher support and our Cooperative

   Skills Chart encompass our extrinsic rewards.  More importantly, it is the intrinsic reward stemming from the children’s

   pride that leads to sustained behavior change.

 

   We are guided by the goal of shifting control to the child.

What is the role of the teacher and kindergartener in independence development?

Teacher’s Role

• To encourage and support each child in activities he/she would like to pursue.

• To review the Independence Program’s expectations with children and help each child evaluate his/her own skills with regard

   to his/her interests.

• To help each child set a cooperative skill-building goal for himself/herself.

• To help each child evaluate how effective he/she has been in achieving his/her goals.

 

Kindergartener’s Role

• To set goals for himself/herself.

• To learn to catch himself/herself when he/she is doing something that keeps him/her from meeting his/her goals.

• To learn to catch himself/herself when he/she does something well.

• To learn to assess his/her behavior honestly.

508-339-4111

1100 School St.

Mansfield, MA 02048