EDUC 584 - Positive Learning Environments

EDUC 584 Final Project Module 6

February 8, 2026

Renton, Washington

Child Behaviors:
1. Mealtime Fight. At age 18 months, highly active Jake climbs out of his high chair long before his meal is finished. Exasperated, his teacher makes him sit at the table until he has eaten all of his food. Soon Jake’s behavior escalates into throwing his food on the floor.
2. Always “NO.” Whenever asked to do anything, two-year-old Mia loudly says “NO.”
3. Temper Tantrum. Three-year-old Connor falls on the floor and kicks and hits his fists on the floor while he yells. The teacher and three other children are sitting at a table nearby working on puzzles. Connor continues this behavior and looks up every minute or so to see the teacher’s reaction.
4. “Mommy, don’t go!” Four-year-old Angela screams “Mommy, don’t go!” when her mother brings her to the center each morning.
5. Puzzle Fight. Andy is sitting at a table working on a puzzle. David comes and sits in an empty chair at the table and grabs the puzzle and tries to take it away from him. They continue to both pull on the puzzle to gain control as they yell “Mine, mine.”
6. Tattle-tale. Five-year-old Bianca runs to you as you are helping another child put on his paint apron. Bianca tells you that Millie is using “potty words” in dramatic play.
7. Name calling. Timmy comes into the block center and wants to help Jeff build a road with the blocks. Jeff says he doesn’t want him to help. Timmy calls Jeff a “butt-head.”
8. Super hero. Two-year-olds Sadie and Rylie go into the dramatic play center when they arrive. They put on capes and grab long unit blocks. Running around the room, they shout, “I’m Superman!” “I’m Batman!”
9. Bully. Jenny, a first-grader, is large for her age. When she enters the after-school program each day, she goes around the room pushing the other children and taking toys away from them. No one wants to play with her because of the way she acts.
10. Non-sleeper. At naptime, four-year-old Mary Lou won’t go to sleep. She changes position, asks to go to the bathroom, and crawls over to other children. You try rubbing her back, and she still won’t go to sleep.
11. Whenever three-year-old Chris gets angry, he picks up a toy and throws it.
12. Cole never seems to be still. He won’t stay on his cot at naptime, won’t be still during circle time, rides his chair at lunchtime and is constantly moving around the room. He rarely stays at a task more than a couple of minutes.
13. Bathroom line. As your class stands in line to go to the bathroom, the children begin to push each other.
14. Dramatic Play Dilemma. Bobby and May are playing in the dramatic play center. Bobby says he will be the daddy. He tells May to lie down in the doll bed and starts to take her clothes off.
15. Suzy, while painting at the easel, puts paint on the paintbrush and watches as it dribbles on floor.
16. Block banger. Kyle takes two of the unit blocks and bangs them together as he moves around the room. He returns them and gets two pots from dramatic play and bangs them together.
17. Spiller. Two-year-old Nola is eating her lunch and turns to talk to Wyatt. As she does, she knocks her milk glass into the floor. This is the third time this week that she has done this.

Situation Cause or Antecedent Guidance Technique Solution or Consequence Why

1 Infant felt trapped, and/or was finished eating.
Parent didn’t understand their behavior as communication and/or reacted punitively to behavior. Behavior as communication: honor that Jake is saying he is finished eating by climbing out of his highchair. Allow him to leave and help him clean up.

Consider moving to a toddler size table and teaching him say or sign all done. Presume Competence

2 Toddler is establishing some control through the use of communication.
Child was told what to do rather than given guidance or redirection. Honor communication and give limited choices rather than none. Find ways to help Mia feel some control over her environment or actions by giving her preferred jobs and choices whenever possible. Respect her developmental stage and need to establish autonomy.

3 This child is reacting to frustration and communicating that he needs help regulating, problem-solving, and wants the teacher’s attention. Set and utilize clear behavior expectations and give the child a safe space to react and then co-regulate with you.
Provide opportunities for child to get positive reinforcement and attention. Once Connor has regulated, discuss what happened and how he can handle it differently next time by communicating with words instead of behavior. To build self-regulation skills and learn to communicate and problem-solve when frustrated.

4 This child has separation anxiety and is looking for reassurance that the parent will come back. Co-regulation and safety reassurance.
Provide comfort items such as a favorite toy from home or a photograph.
Reassure child that parents are coming back many times throughout the day. Come up with activities where she can write to or draw pictures for them, to encourage positive association with separation. Help her learn to recognize the time and routine of the day so she knows when to expect to see them at pick up time. To meet basic needs of safety and security.

5 David wants to play with Andy and/or the puzzle but doesn’t know how to enter play or ask for a turn positively. Redirection and support in asking for a turn.
Explore turn-taking and sharing materials as a class topic. Facilitate problem-solving with the children: what happened, why, and how to do it differently. Give them a chance to practice. To build critical thinking and practice problem solving skills to build social emotional intelligence.

6 Developmentally appropriate behavior for a preschool/kindergarten student learning rules. Redirection and support child in how to remind her peers about the classroom rules. Provide an opportunity to practice positive communication between peers. Building social intelligence.

7 Timmy doesn’t have the regulation skills to manage rejection. He needs a teacher’s support to problem solve and communicate appropriately. Redirection and support expressing frustration and problem-solving how to respond next. Provide an opportunity to repair and practice positive communication between peers. Building social intelligence.

8 Preschoolers are establishing control through play. Extend this play outside where there is more room to run, jump, and climb. Explore this content through curriculum, books, and journaling with the children. Provide an opportunity to explore feeling in control and powerful to meet developing need for autonomy. Supporting development.

9 This child has inappropriate social skills and needs staff support on how to communicate and be a safe classmate at all times until she is regulated and can interact with others without hurting them. Provide 1:1 support and shadowing to intervene and keep other children safe. Redirection.
Problem-solving steps.
Incentive charts.
Visual guides on how to problem solve, communicate, be a positive classmate, handle frustration, calm down, etc.
Use every situation as a chance for the children involved to practice problem-solving and communication. Scaffold for Jenny to help her be successful communicating
Help her learn how to invite children to play with her.
Give her jobs that encourage her to interact positively with other children. To repair and build social emotional skills as soon as possible. To short-circuit the bullying behavior and prevent injury to other children.
To meet the social-emotional needs of Jenny.

10 Dysregulated, racing thoughts or hyper body. Needs co-regulation and relaxation technique skill building. Behavior as communication: honor that Mary Lou is saying she is finished resting after attempting to co-regulate and relax. Allow her to leave and provide a quiet & calm alternative activity.

Presume competence

11 This child has inappropriate social skills and needs staff support on how to uses materials safely and positive ways that he can regulate and ask for help. Redirect throwing behavior Provide 1:1 support and scaffolding on how to use toys safely.
Provide co-regulation.
Monitor triggers
Visual aids, social stories, social-emotional curriculum. Offer calm-down area, materials, and techniques to use and practice so Chris has a chance to learn and practice what to do when he is feeling angry. Build social-emotional intelligence, problem-solving skills, and communication skills.

12 Dysregulated, racing thoughts or hyper body. Needs co-regulation and support finding ways to slow down and focus. Possible ChildFind referral.
Parents as resources.
Team collaboration and behavior support planning. See if there are any accommodations or modifications that can be made for his success in still or quiet activities such as a wiggle chair or frequent movement breaks. Child may have an undiagnosed condition such as ADHD. To make sure we are meeting the movement needs and communication of this child and not punishing him for neurodivergent behavior.

13 Impatience, may need to use the bathroom right away, lack of communication skills to negotiate this with peers and staff. Redirection.
Offer visual reminders of waiting behavior and offer quiet waiting activities such as singing, talking quietly to a neighbor, conversation starters, etc.
Adjust routine. To build waiting skills and take advantage of opportunities for children to practice communication skills.
Consider letting students leave to use the bathroom in small groups to lessen wait time. To build resilience, communication skills, and smoother transitions.

14 Inappropriate environmental exposure…. Immediate intervention, redirection, reflection, documentation. Behavior intervention and documentation
Team collaboration and child support
Conversation with family
!:! observation and support during future free-play time
Social-emotional curriculum around appropriate touching and play added to curriculum Investigate why the child was playing this way, keep all children safe, and make sure children are redirected and supported for safety and success.
Take a team approach, including the family, and provide additional support whenever needed. Early intervention, safety, social-emotional intelligence
Possible CPS reporting.

15 Sensory seeking behavior may need more materials that simulate the dripping effect or similar activities such as sensory play. Redirect and offer opportunities for Suzy to experience sensory activities in this way.
Can use this as an opportunity to show Suzy how to clean up paint off the floor. Behavior is communication and Suzy is showing what experiences she is seeking and that she needs. Presume competence.
Meet sensory needs.
Meet interests.

16 Sensory and attention seeking behavior, redirect to musical instruments and similar activities that result in positive reinforcement. Build on activity by introducing musical instruments and building on interest. Control noise and activity with the instruments you offer and the area you redirect them to perform in. Provide positive opportunities for Kyle to get attention and make noise. Turn his need and interest into a way to play and interact positively with others. Build on interest and add to curriculum and play opportunities. Positive redirection and behavior support while meeting need for attention and movement.

17 This is developmentally appropriate behavior, and this is a learning opportunity for the child to practice cleaning up spills and reflecting on the best place to safely set her cup of milk at meal time. Provide a visual guide for where to place her cup at meal time.
Show her how to clean up the spill.
Be kind and patient while she is learning. Nola is learning and this is an opportunity to practice cleaning up spills, an important skill. Positive redirection, support, and problem-solving.

Short paper describing why it is essential to build caring relationships with the children in your classroom/program:

Forming caring relationships with young children in our programs is essential (NAEYC, 2026), as even one strong bond with a caregiver or educator can establish a secure base for healthy brain development, emotional regulation, and academic achievement. This positive foundation not only supports their success throughout their school years but can also have a lasting impact on their life as a whole.

When we meet children's basic needs, show respect by assuming their competence, interpret their behavior as communication using positive behavior support (NCPMI, 2026), and use “serve-and-return” interactions, we help build healthy brain architecture at a crucial stages of development. Establishing this solid foundation gives students a sense of security and safety in school, making them feel comfortable to take academic risks and get involved in learning. These approaches also break down barriers, lessen disparities, and support overall developmental progress.

Extensive research consistently indicates that the presence of at least one strong, supportive relationship with an adult caregiver or educator is critical for fostering essential interpersonal skills and self-regulation in children. Educators, therefore, are uniquely positioned to fulfill this role. In addition, a nurturing environment enables children to effectively process emotions and increases their resilience to adversity; those who experience safety and security exhibit lower levels of defiance and sustain regular school attendance, ultimately contributing to improved educational outcomes (Zero to Three, 2026).

Establishing and nurturing a positive and genuinely inclusive classroom and school environment where all children and their families belong, enables educators to build meaningful relationships with students in their programs. This approach promotes a sense of belonging, fosters connections within the school community, and serves as a protective factor against adverse experiences, systemic barriers, and personal challenges related to marginalization for both the child and the family alike (Head Start, 2026)

References:

NAEYC (2026). National Association for the Education of Young Children. NAEYC.org. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://www.naeyc.org/

National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations, University of South Florida (2026). Pyramid Model. National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://www.challengingbehavior.org/

Head Start (2026). Family and Community. HeadStart.gov. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://headstart.gov/family-community

Zero to Three (2026). Empowering Early Childhood Development. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://www.zerotothree.org/

Library of Congress (2026). The Rights of Students with Disabilities Under the IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA. Congress.gov. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48068