Using A Break Card To Decrease Inappropriate Behaviors

Happy Holidays! Today, I am talking about how as educators and parents we have overused the word, "timeout" when working with children who are acting out inappropriately. What does the word "timeout" mean to a child? The word is actually meaningless to a child and carries a punitive action. I have found that by using the word "timeout" it does not change the behavior, it is only a punishment to that child. Children do not need to be punished.

What I've learned through my experience of teaching students is to provide a way for students to request for a break. Of course, I had students request for a break during work time or when completing an assignment. What I did to accommodate their request is to have each student complete a certain amount of work first before their break. The amount of work given should not be overwhelming to the student since they had just asked for a break. You can make break cards by using white card stock paper. I would copy a picture from a book, this picture would be a child looking at a book and above you can write the printed words, "break." I then would laminate the cards to make them last through the school year.

As a parent or educator, it is important to model (show how it will be used) to your students or child. If you see that your child is becoming frustrated and is starting to act out inappropriately
when working on a task. This is your cue. Some children may have difficulties noticing when they should take a break. This is your responsibility as a parent or educator to notice this. When this happens, you can offer the break card to your student or child. In my next post, I will talk about how long a break should be and the location of taking a break.

Ms. C