Using hints and cues
When teachers use simple directions, gestures, and touch, they provide young children with valuable cues about how and when to regulate their emotions, attention, and behavior. Teachers can help children regulate attention by pointing to or commenting on important or interest-
ing aspects of a picture, word, or pattern. They can gently touch a child’s back to cue a child to relax (but keep in mind that for some children, touch may increase tension).
Sometimes, children need hints and cues in addition to modeling. Lucy did not consistently engage. She nod- ded, indicating her desire to play, but looked down and shrugged when handed a block. She started to play, but gave up quickly when she encountered difficulty. Lucy needed direct support. Melissa gently rubbed Lucy’s back, cuing her to remain calm and directing her attention away from feeling
frustrated and toward solving the problem. Learning to recognize when one needs help and to iden- tify good sources of
help are critical self-regulation skills. By leaning in and qui- etly suggesting that Lucy ask Tricia, Melissa hinted about where to get help and continued to cue Lucy to remain calm. Melissa also modeled for Tricia how to give appropri- ate hints and cues. Tricia then imitated Melissa’s behavior, and coached Lucy to success.
Younger children may need more explicit hints and cues. Cuing children to hold their hands or put them in their pockets helps them regulate impulses to touch, grab, or
hit. Key phrases such as “look here,” “look at me,” or “look where I am pointing” are explicit cues teachers can use
to help young children focus their attention. Beginning in infancy, teachers can help children recognize and name their emotions by calmly saying to frustrated or angry babies and toddlers, “You sound angry” or “I wonder if
you’re frustrated,” and then cuing them to start self-calming by using gentle touch and saying, “Let’s relax” or “I’m here to help you.” As children begin to use language, adults can provide cues about when and how to ask for help, when to take a break, or when to try a different strategy.
Gradually withdrawing adult support
At the heart of scaffolding is teachers’ careful attention to timing the withdrawal of their support. As children increas- ingly direct their attention appropriately, persist in chal-
lenging tasks, and use language to engage others or seek help, they increase their ability to act indepen- dently. As they do, teachers turn over more of the regulat- ing responsibilities to the children’s control,
while monitoring their progress and interven- ing when necessary to provide appropriate support.
Scaffolding chil- dren’s learning requires skillful removal of adult assistance. According to Salonen, Vauras,
and Efklides (2005, 2) teachers must pay careful attention to “the learner’s moment-by-moment changing indepen- dent functioning.” After observing a successful exchange between Tricia and Lucy, Melissa withdrew, but she stayed close. She encouraged the children to ask for help should they need it, let them know where to find her, and moni- tored their interaction.
Withdrawing adult support from infants, toddlers, and preschoolers requires continual monitoring by adults. The younger the child, the more inconsistent self-regulation skills will be. This inconsistency means adults need to be even more careful about how quickly they withdraw sup- port and pay careful attention to determine whether it is appropriate to intervene again. When an infant takes her first toddling walk across a room, she is not ready to walk independently without adult supervision. Similarly, infants
and toddlers who have learned to routinely self-calm need
increased adult support when they are ill or in unfamiliar surroundings. At every age, learning self-regulation happens within children’s everyday experiences with trusted adults who regulate their own thinking, attention, emotion, behav- ior, and motivation.