Sometimes you need to let things slide a little and loosen up and sometimes you need to stop the class and be stern. If the child's behaviour is not affecting the whole class then it is often best to let it slide unless it is clearly against one of your rules. Clearly set reasonable boundaries and if kids cross it stop and be stern. If you choose your battles carefully then the children will learn what is important to you and hopefully respect it.

Preventative techniques are used to try to prevent undesirable behaviour from happening at all. There are many types of preventative techniques- Positioning, rewards, organisation, etc.... Here is where you can get ideas on how to proactively set up your classroom to reduce undesirable behaviour by anticipating it and planning against it.

Perhaps one of the most important yet overlooked preventative measures for controlling students is position. The teacher’s physical position and that of the students does affect their behaviour. You can gain control over students’ behaviour by positioning them in ways which give you more control. Here are some ways that a teacher can use position to reduce and manage behaviour in almost any teaching setting:

Simply move closer to students who are not paying attention.

Students are less likely to become distracted that way.

Don't turn your back on the children, it's like inviting them to misbehave!

Don't leave students in any one position for too long (sitting at the table for 45 minutes in a kagai class or standing for 20 mins of a seika class) moving students into different positions keeps their interest (even if it is only from sitting to standing)

Gently touch or hold the hand of a child when you are speaking to them to gain a deeper level of attention from them. Different to western countries, physical touch of this nature is culturally accepted in Japan.

These include:

If students understand the classroom rules then they are able to follow them and when they don't follow them and the teacher gets upset everyone will understand why. (Some common rules include: no fighting, no hitting, no spitting, no kicking, no punching, no kancho, listen to the teacher).

As stated in the golden rules if you say something is going to happen then it must happen if it is pushed to that. Even if it means hauling the screaming crying child to the office. If you do this word will travel that you mean business and you are not a teacher to make idle threats. If you don't have the stomach to follow through with a threat then don"t make the threat it only weakens your position of authority if you make a threat and then don't carry it through. If you choose the battle make sure it is one you are willing to fight and that you can win! Please note though that there are many different approaches you can take before taking a child to the KG office and this should be the very last option used in the most extreme cases.

Positive reinforcement can be a very powerful tool for a kindergarten teacher. Praise a student for sitting nicely and watch everyone else snap to attention and quickly sit nicely to try to gain the teacher's praise. Focusing on the behaviour you want is often more effective than focusing on what you don't want. For example if the majority of the children in the class are not paying attention, running wild, moving too slowly, etc... find one child in the class (and there is almost always at least one) who is doing exactly what you want everyone in the class to be doing and say in a loud happy voice "wow! Ryo is sitting nicely!" and move over to give the child a high five. Within seconds most of the children will be doing exactly what Ryo was doing. This can work a lot better than standing at the front of the class and yelling "Be quiet! Everyone pay attention! look at me! blah blah blah!" All the children want to be the one the teacher points out as the "best". This technique keeps things positive and the teacher gets exactly what they want! Everyone wins!

Praising the children for a job well done is a great idea, however make sure you don't give them praise unless they deserve it. If they give only a half hearted attempt at something don't tell them they have done a good job, encourage them to try harder and to really do a good job and then praise them for it or just leave it and move on without praising them. Children know if they have done a good job or not and if you praise them for everything they do even if they do a half-hearted job then the praise becomes meaningless. Don't be afraid to tell them that they have done a rotten job of something by giving them a comical thumbs down with a funny sound effect. The children will laugh and realize they need to try better, in this way they will feel proud when you praise them because they will know it is real.

Using different voices can be funny for the children but don't overdo it! Too much of it becomes distracting and makes it hard for the students to focus on the vocabulary that you are teaching which may make them lose interest in the class and start to misbehave.

It is great to be funny and make the children laugh but make sure you don't go too far. You want the children to think you are funny but to remember that you are a teacher who deserves respect. Don't become an idiot who is completely undeserving of respect and is only there to entertain them and for them to verbally and physically abuse.

Everyone has some students who demand more attention than the average child. These children can often prove to be disruptive and just a general pain. Since it is attention they are seeking give them attention in a useful way, bringing them up to help do the hello song, holding the f/c, getting them to come up and be an example or help model something, etc.... Use their desire to have attention to your advantage.

Every class is different and so teachers must adapt to each class. If you are having problems with a class then think about what role you may be playing in the problem. Are you winding the children up and then getting angry at them for being too excited? If students are out of control and acting silly then the teacher should take on a calmer role in order to avoid aggravating the situation.

Knowing your students personalities will help you find the best way to deal with that particular student. Many of the most difficult students are difficult because they don't respond to common standards of behaviour management. The better you get to know the student the better chance you have of finding the best way to reach her and effectively deal with her misbehaviour. Or, more accurately the problem that is causing her to misbehave.

Getting to know the kids that cause problems in class and befriending them can make them behave much better for you when they are in class. It also puts you in a position to deal with them more effectively once you get to know what approach works best with them.

Keep things moving along at a good pace, not rushed, but don't let things drag on too much before moving onto the next activity - the younger the children the more important this becomes! Down time often translates into behaviour problems!