Traffic light technique to improve children's behavior

One of the problems teachers face in the classroom is when they work with impulsive children who are not aware of their level of activation. Impulsiveness is a temperamental trait of the child that today is manifested with great intensity and frequency due to current modern lifestyles or lack of res

One of the problems teachers face in the classroom is when they work with impulsive children who are not aware of their level of activation.

Impulsiveness is a temperamental trait of the child that today is manifested with great intensity and frequency due to current modern lifestyles or lack of resources on the part of parents and educators to cope with the situation. In Guiainfantil.com we help you improve the behavior of your children with the traffic light technique.

Traffic light technique for impulsive children

The distinctive features of impulsivity are manifested in children at younger ages and this entails an alteration of daily life for families. Some of the characteristics that can give us clues about if the child is impulsive are the following:

- Does not tolerate frustration.

- Uncontrolled tantrums occur in young children.

- Do things without thinking.

- Annoy others.

- Under self-control.

- He does not know how to wait his turn in the games.

- Continuous disobedience.

- Recognizes that he does wrong but can not control himself.

- He does not support losing when he plays.

If a child under 5 years of age manifests this type of impulsive traits, that is to say: crying, screaming, tantrums, etc ... he is not yet able to become aware of his level of activation, so we should use the technique of withdrawal of attention physical and affective among other techniques according to the intensity with which they occur.

As children grow up it is important that we work with them the internal sensations that precede their impulsive behaviors. Thanks to this, children acquire skills to be able to analyze and reason with them what happens. If the child becomes aware, it will be easier for him to apply self-control techniques in the future. One of the most functional is the semaphore technique.

This is the technique of the traffic light to improve the behavior of children

Thanks to this traffic light technique the child will be able to become aware of the signs of physiological activation that appear when he gets angry such as: agitation in breathing, sweating in the hands, the muscles become tense, the mouth dries, etc. Thanks to this knowledge, the child will be able to implement strategies to avoid its manifestation.

To use this technique, el the operation of a traffic light is applied to teach the child to manage those negative behaviors and emotions of which the children are victims. Children know perfectly well how traffic lights work, understanding that red light means not passing, amber means you can pass, and green means you can pass. So: - The color red.

The child has to stop and begin to detect the signals that cause their negative emotions to occur. It is the first step you take to determine your own state of mind. - Amber.

It is the moment in which the child thinks and becomes aware of what he is feeling and can determine the cause of what is happening to him. - The green.

Give time to think about what happens implies that alternatives or solutions to the conflict or problems may arise. It is time to choose what is the best way to get out of the negative emotion to return to the normal state. Beyond the management of the emotional situation of the child, this traffic light technique is also focused on achieving an improvement in the child's behavior in response to the circumstances surrounding him / her.