Brandon’s choices

When children are learning to make decisions, adults can help guide them through that process.  For instance, Brandon may grab a toy from another child’s hand. A thoughtful teacher will recognize try to identify Brandon’s motive. “Brandon, you wanted that toy, didn’t you?” This gives Brandon the opportunity to acknowledge whether the teacher is correct in her assessment or not. The teacher may then try to help Brandon understand the other child’s point of view. “ Sammy had that toy in his hand and he was still playing with it.” Then the teacher may ask, “What could you have done instead of grabbing the toy from Sammy’s hand?” This now gives Brandon to think about a better option for having a chance to play with that toy. He may say something like, “I could have asked him to let me have a turn with it.” The teacher may respond by saying, “That sounds like a better idea.” Now, the next time (or with practice) when Brandon finds himself in the situation of wanting a toy that’s in someone else’s hand, he’s much more likely to make a better choice since he came up with the solution himself.