Inclusion Resources: Structures to Support Behavior
Inclusion is an attitude and approach that seeks to ensure that every person, regardless of ability or
background, can meaningfully participate in all aspects of an activity.
One of the most important ways to Include All Girls is to structure every meeting and event to support
behaviors that include every girl, and which make every girl feel welcome.
Behavior is communication. Every behavior that girls exhibit is communicating something to you. Are
they wiggling in their seats? Try a two-minute stretch-and-hop break. Are they whispering and not
paying attention? Could they be bored or is something unclear? Supporting the behaviors you want by
structuring your event requires some planning and some practice. Planning for behaviors allows you to
balance control and compassion in your leadership.
This document is a summary, and there are a number of helpful videos about structuring environments
and programs to support behavior that can be viewed here:
http://www.kitonline.org/html/trainingorganization/elearning-instructional-videos.html
Behavior is communication. Every
Overall, stress the positive, and de-emphasize the negative.
behavior that girls exhibit is
Structure the environment to support behavior, but then
communicating something to you.
work to be sure everyone knows the behaviors and
expectations you (and the entire group) have! Try, try again
– this takes time and effort, but in the end, it works!
The Setup:
From the beginning, make sure everyone knows what to expect. If it isn’t the beginning, go ahead and
“reset” the group as if it were the first day.
Want girls to enter the meeting place quietly? Stand at the door or entry and greet them, and
give them a direction “Welcome to our Girl Scout meeting! Please quietly enter, and line up for flag
ceremony”. Be consistent, and after a few weeks, girls will automatically expect that this is what they
do as they enter the meeting place. (See footnote: schedules and routines)
Want girls to follow some rules? Don't be afraid to "reset" your group, and let girls create their
own rules, consequences, and solutions to group problems. Sometimes a total reset isn’t needed – just
one for a particular problem. Are girls shouting out and overpowering other girls’ ideas? Reset with
“How will we be sure everyone gets to give an idea for activities?” and show them a talking stick, a
talking circle or other ideas, choose the solution they like, and discuss reminders and consequences for
girls who are disrespectful, or who don’t let others talk.
Want girls to focus on the activity? We all like to know what is coming next, and sometimes
wondering keeps us from participating. Create a schedule for each meeting or event, and share it with
the girls. If every meeting keeps the same schedule, or similar format, girls will know what to expect
and have less anxiety about what is coming – and be able to focus better on the activity they are doing.
Want girls who can change from one activity to another without drama? Plan for transitions.
Review the schedule and be sure that a high physical energy activity is not followed by a high brain
energy activity. Most kids can’t change from a running, screaming game of tag to immediately sit still
and pay attention without some warning and time. Transitions warn girls of upcoming change, are
supported by the posted schedule, and allow for time for everyone to move mentally and physically
from one to another. (See footnote: transitions for the group)
Behaviors:
Remember that behavior is communication, and that every
behavior is trying to communicate something to you. As an
adult, take a minute to step back and consider the behavior
and what the child is trying to communicate: Is she tired?
Frustrated? Sad? Bored? Excited? Hungry?
Most of the time, adults react to a behavior. Instead, try
to reflect and ask yourself:
- What can I learn from this child's behavior?
- When is this behavior happening? (at transition, start
of meeting, etc)
- Is there something about the environment that can
change to prevent the behavior?
- What is happening before, during, after the
behavior?
- Who is involved? (adults? other children? a particular
person?)
- Look for stressors on the child (loudness, chaos,
unclear directions are three common stressors)
- Is this behavior intentional or negative? Directed in
order to disrupt the event?
- Is this behavior aggressive? Inflicted on others?
Inflicted on themselves?
Responding to Challenging Behaviors
These might include:
Hitting/Slapping/Punching
Screaming
Ignoring instructions
Bad language
To respond: Use an ABC approach
A = Antecedent (What was the trigger, or what
was happening at the time of the negative
behavior?) Recognizing the antecedent can help
you avoid negative behaviors, or remind girls of
replacement behaviors.
B = Behavior (What is the exact behavior?
Why is it a problem? What is an appropriate
replacement behavior?) Identifying the exact
behavior that is a problem helps you avoid
being aggravated by everything a particular
child does.
C = Consequence (Remember that some
behaviors have consequences that are beneficial
to the negative behavior) Sometimes reminding
a girl of the consequence can help her choose a
replacement behavior before it is too late.
Once this reflection has taken place, decide on changes
to avoid the behavior and talk to the child. Involve the parent if this hasn’t worked, and be sure to
describe your reflection and learning about the behavior.
With any behavior that you want to change, be clear about what the behavior is “hitting anyone, for
any reason is unacceptable here”, be clear about what their alternatives are “when you feel you
want to hit someone, move to a space near an adult, and you can tell an adult what is happening”, and
be clear what the consequences are “if you decide to hit someone, you will need to sit near me and
be my buddy for today’s meeting/event”.
Be clear about consequences, and follow them for everyone. Not everyone has tendencies to hit, but
if hitting is acceptable for one child, it can’t be unacceptable for another.
Once everyone knows the expectations, you have created an environment where you use cues for
behavior (e.g. talking stick, hands up signal are cues for quiet behaviors). Or you might use a color
cards to warn about behavior (think about the yellow "warning" card and red "penalty box" cards in
sports), or to reward positive behavior (green card for good manners?). (See footnote: more about
environment)
Footnotes
Schedules and routines:
For most children, schedules and routines promote self-control
Try This:
and independence. Schedules that are posted also help new
Create an area for movement in
children quickly assimilate into a group.
your meeting space (a hula hoop
Try to follow a predictable routine and schedule
on the floor, where a girl can go
Post a large schedule or agenda for everyone to see
jump up and down if she needs to
Use written language and pictures on the schedule
release energy)
Refer the children to the schedule; refer to the schedule when
making transitions
Create an area for quiet where a
Encourage children to rely on the schedule as posted.
child can go to be quiet and reorganize her thoughts. This can
Transitions for the group:
simply be a chair set away from
"Transition" is how children move smoothly from one activity to
the group, designed for that
another – there is a beginning (think “two minutes til clean-up”,
purpose, and open to anyone.
middle “scissors in the bucket, trash in the bin”, and end “join the
game circle when you are cleaned up”.
It might help to think about the transition as an activity within itself
Time cues are a good part of the transition because they will always help children prepare
Give extra advance notice to a child who might need additional time for transition
It is a good idea to use an identifiable signal for the transition (ring a bell, clap three times, etc)
Use When_Then statements “WHEN you are cleaned up, THEN go join the circle”. This
reinforces the activity on the schedule, and reminds girls that the transition has an end.
More about environment:
Create an area for movement in your meeting space (a hula hoop on the floor, where a girl can go jump
up and down if she needs to release energy; a boundary for girls to "take a lap" if they feel frustrated)
Be sure to consider that a child who needs to move and release energy may distract her peers; to
minimize this choose a place that will be least distracting; or try to plan ahead - if an activity involves
writing, will she be more involved and focused if she can stand at a counter or lie on the floor instead
of sit at a desk? Wouldn’t other children also benefit from choosing their own place to write?
Create an area for quiet where a child can go to be quiet and re-organize her thoughts. This can simply
be a chair set away from the group, designed for that purpose, and open to anyone.
Try to change the environment to prevent behaviors that are persistent. For example, if there is always
conflict at the crayon table, separating the crayons into cups at each seat instead of one large bin in the
middle might solve the conflict behavior before it begins.
This document is a summary, and there are a number of helpful videos about
structuring environments and programs to support behavior that can be viewed here:
http://www.kitonline.org/html/training-organization/elearning-instructional-videos.html