Teaching young children self-regulation first requires strong teacher self-regulation. Children learn to regulate thoughts, feelings, behavior, andemotion by watching and responding
to adults’ self-regulation. Referring to motivational regulation, Galinsky notes, “Adults foster children’s motiva- tion by being motivated themselves” (2010, 11). Lucy and Tricia’s interac- tion at the water table presented a perfect occasion to strengthen their self-regulation skills. Melissa recog-
nized the opportunity because she was prepared to support self-regulation through her teaching practices. She intentionally reflected on the children’s needs and planned in advance the
types of modeling, hints, and cues shewould use to scaffold their self-regulation. Melissa planned to help Lucy regulate emotions, motivation, language, and social skills so she could initiate interactions with her class- mates. Melissa regulated her own attention, deliberately looking for opportunities to scaffold Lucy’s skills. Melissa knew Lucy’s skills were at the point where she needed onlya little nudge to engage. When the opportunity presented itself, Melissa regulated her own interactions, being careful to model behavior rather than direct Lucy.
During the interaction, Melissa monitored Lucy’s responses, mentally comparing them to her knowledge of Lucy’s skills. She considered the types of support she
had previously decided Lucy needed. Melissa recognized when Lucy needed hints and cues. Knowing gentle touch often helped Lucy regulate anxiety, Melissa rubbed Lucy’s back to soothe her, kept her voice low when offering sug- gestions, and refrained from solving the problem for her. Melissa intentionally removed direct adult support and regulated her attention so she was aware of the girls’ con- tinued interaction even as she moved away to engage with other children. Melissa’s self-regulated teaching practice created an environment that allowed her to scaffold the children’s self-regulation through an everyday classroom experience.