What
Is This Unit About?
Learn
about differences in temperament and what you can do to best care
for children with various temperamental characteristics. |
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Temperament
Topics
Every child is special
and unique. Some children cry more easily than others. Some are
easygoing, while others are more high-spirited. Children are born
with a style of reacting to the people and events in their lives.
This preferred style of reacting is called temperament.
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| Is temperament
completely unchangeable? The research is unclear about how much a
person’s temperament can change over their life. However, children’s
temperament is unlikely to change much during the time you have them
in your care. Because temperament doesn’t change much, it is
beneficial to understand how people’s personalities differ.
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The first
step is to learn about the children’s temperament and then to
learn about your own. This can give you valuable clues about the way
you interact with the children in your care. Researchers have found
nine dimensions of temperament: activity level, distractibility, persistence,
intensity, regularity, sensory threshold, approach/withdrawal, adaptability,
and mood. |
| Activity
Level
Like cars, children
have different “idle” speeds. Some children seem to
be moving all the time--wiggling, squirming, bouncing. Other children
are drawn to quiet activities and like to sit still and watch what
is going on around them. |
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On the whole,
it is harder to care for highly active children. Plan plenty of outdoor
play with lots of highly active games. Add energetic parts to low-activity
times like circle time and reading. Do a song with motions, or act
out a story. It is easier for caregivers who are highly active themselves
to care for a group of active children, but if you have a highly active
temperament you need to be careful that you don’t over-stimulate
the group. |
Distractibility
and Persistence
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| Like
adults, some children are better at paying attention to what they
are doing. Others may be easily distracted. Persistence is the ability
to stay involved despite problems. Generally, children have short
attention spans in early childhood: five minutes or less for toddlers,
up to fifteen minutes at most for preschoolers. Children with average
persistence will do better if you don’t ask them to concentrate
for this long, and children with low persistence may have a hard
time sticking with anything. |
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Distractibility
can be a plus because it makes it easier for you to redirect a child
to a new activity. But it is a minus when children are unable to keep
their attention focused to finish activities that they start, or if
they can’t persist long enough to learn from the experience. |
| When
you are caring for a highly distractible child you may need to cut
down on the extra stimulation in your childcare room. While bright
posters and hanging mobiles can make a place look appealing, they
may add to a child’s distractibility. Some caregivers have
found that covering the toy shelves with a sheet when they are not
in use can cut down on tempting distractions. |
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It can also
be helpful if you sit behind a child with your arms around them while
they are working on something like an art project. You might place
your chair directly behind the child’s and then lean your arms
on the table around the child’s workspace. This can help children
stay focused on the task at hand. |
| Highly
distractible children may need a quiet alternative activity at circle
time. For example, set up a puzzle on a nearby table. If you keep
the activity near your group, the distractible child can still listen
and learn as he works. |
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Children with
low distractibility and high persistence can also have problems if
they become very involved in their work and play and don’t want
to stop. These children need special reminding that an activity time
is coming to an end. Using a daily routine and transition tricks such
as songs will also help. |
| Building persistence
is valuable work for all preschool children. Don’t solve problems
for the children that they can solve for themselves. Don’t crawl
under the coffee table to get the ball for the baby--let the baby
figure out a way to get it herself. Stay nearby to provide support.
Show children of all ages that you are there to help them solve their
own problem. Let children know that you noticed that they stayed with
a job even when it became hard. |
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Intensity
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Have you ever cared
for a baby who reacted dramatically to everything, even small things?
Or have you ever cared for a child who becomes quiet and seemingly
calm when they are actually upset? One difference that researchers
found among children was how intensely they reacted to the people
and events in their lives. Intense children get our attention, so
they are more likely to get their needs met. Children who are less
intense may fool us into not noticing a genuine need. While intensity
is a gift in the sense that these people experience life to the
fullest, it can be exhausting to care for growing children with
this quality. Try using gentle humor to help children become less
intense. |
| Have you cared
for a baby who is always hungry at 10 a.m. and sleepy at 11 every
day? Or have you cared for a child who could be hungry or sleepy at
any time of the day? Some children are quite regular in their sleeping,
eating, and elimination habits, while others are highly irregular.
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It is much
easier to care for a child who has regular habits because we can better
predict what they need--all we have to do is learn the pattern and
look at our watches. It is more difficult to meet the needs of a child
with more irregular habits. We may have to try a number of things
before we hit on what the child really needs. |
| To help children
who behave irregularly get used to the daily routine, make a picture
routine chart that shows photographs of children doing the activities
of the day, like arrival, playtime, snack time, story time. Reminders
of what activities are coming next are always helpful. |
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Have you ever
cared for a child who:
• seems bothered by sounds and bright lights?
• spits out food?
• is distressed by the tags on the back of her shirt? |
| Children vary
in how sensitive they are to the sounds, sights, tastes, touch, and
temperature changes. If you are caring for a child who is highly sensitive
you may need to add or take away things to cut down on sensory overload.
Turn off bright fluorescent lights and use a low-wattage lamp instead,
or natural sunlight if at all possible. Add carpet to cut down on
the noise. |
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Teach children
who are picky eaters how to politely spit unwanted food into a napkin
and throw it away. Keep serving the same food; often children will
come to accept a food if it is presented over and over again. |
| Children
who are highly sensitive can be more difficult to take care of, especially
when they are too young to tell us what may be disturbing them. But
as you get to know the child, you can learn what bothers them. Reduce
the sensory input when possible, and support them when the stimulation
is unavoidable. |
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| Approach/Withdrawal
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Some
children drive right into a new experience, while others hang
back for a time before they are ready to become involved. Think
about the children you know. Have you cared for children who
differed in these ways? Children who eagerly try new things
can be easier to care for because they are usually excited by
new experiences. We may need to give other children time to
just watch. |
| If a child
holds back, invite her into the new activity, but let her take her
time. If you make it OK for children to simply watch, you are helping
the children who need more time to slowly approach a new situation.
Children who are eager to try new things may need our guidance to
stop them from doing things that are not safe or appropriate. We may
need to help them learn to think first before acting. |
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Have you cared
for a child who always seems to have difficulty during the changes
from one activity to another? Have you had a child who took many weeks
to become adjusted to coming to your childcare program? Or have you
had a child who seemed adjusted and settled after just one day? Children
who are highly adaptable adjust to life changes more easily. A slow-to-adapt
child may take much more time. |
| If you have
a slow-to-adapt child, try to keep changes in your routine to a minimum.
Special events can be fun, but changing the routine can be so upsetting
to these children that it may not be worth the stress. For younger
groups with limited verbal skills, the stress often outweighs the
fun. |
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If you do
want to change the routine, give children plenty of notice. Remind
them of the changes several times, starting the day before. Be specific
about what isn’t going to be done because of the change in routine.
You might say: “Today we are going on a walk. We will have snack
outside instead of inside. After we come back inside, we will have
story time instead of our regular snack time.” |
| Mood
Have you ever cared
for the happy-go-lucky child who seemed to enjoy all that life threw
his way? Or have you ever cared for the child who was serious, moody,
or just plain negative? Just like adults, children can have a sunshiny
mood or darker moods. It is usually easier to be around a ray of
sunshine rather than a dark cloud. But the children with darker
moods can also be more realistic than their sunshiny friends. We
may need to encourage the children with sunshiny moods to think
things through more realistically. Try to lighten up the serious
or negative child by using humor and showing your optimism. |
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What
is Your Temperament? |
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Whether a
child is easy or hard to care for has to do with your temperament
as well as the child’s. How does that child’s personality
harmonize with your own? The way a child’s temperament blends
with your own helps determine what your relationship will be like.
Since children cannot change their basic temperament, we might
have to work extra hard with a child whom we find challenging.
The key is to try to have more positive than negative interactions. |
| If you are
frustrated by a child who withdraws from all the activities you have
planned for the day, you might try to cut out all pressure to participate.
Instead, join that child in the play activity he chooses. If the two
of you have fun together, then later on the child will be more likely
to participate in the fun activity that you choose. |
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Summary
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Getting to know the
nine dimensions of temperament can help you understand the children
in your care. Researchers have found nine dimensions of temperament:
activity level, distractibility, persistence, intensity, regularity,
sensory threshold, approach/withdrawal, adaptability, and mood.
When you understand a child’s temperament, you can adapt elements
of your childcare program to make the day go more smoothly. It
is also helpful to be aware of your own temperament and how it meshes
with the children you care for. Even if your temperament does not
match a certain child’s, it is important to keep interactions
positive. |
- What was the most
important information you learned about temperament in this lesson?
- The children are
busy finger painting at the art table. Four-year-old Tamika has
been hesitant about joining the group and is sitting by herself
on the carpet. She also did not want to be involved during story
time or play the group game. After a month of being in your program,
you were hoping this would pass. How can you best handle this
situation considering Tamika’s temperament?
- Kyle is new to your
program. His grandmother cared for him during the day until he
turned three, when she decided it was too much for her. She told
you, “He wanted to eat all the time, would fall asleep just
before his mother picked him up, and went from one thing to the
next all day long.” Kyle is definitely on an irregular schedule.
How will you help him get used to your routine?
- Tell us about the
temperament of a child in your care. Use as many of the nine dimensions
of temperament as you can to describe this child.
How will you meet the needs of this child in your childcare program?
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