A Few Words on Whiners

Whiners! Every early childhood classroom has one. Whining can certainly try a teacher's patience - even drive a seasoned veteran teacher over the bridge. When an infant whines, we know that is important to listen to the sound of her cries; when a toddler whines, we know he may not have the vocabulary to express his feelings any other way. But when a preschool-age child whines, we become quite annoyed and just want it to stop. However, if we don't carefully deal with the underlying reasons behind why a child whines, we may unintentionally do more harm than good in our attempt to stop an annoying behavior from becoming a habit. Take a breath, calmly hold the child's hand and ask him or her to please stop using a whining voice. Then take a minute to think...before you respond.

So why IS this child whining?

• The child may want attention but lacks the social skills to participate in a positive way
• The child may not get enough sleep and could be overtired or getting sick
• There may have been a big change in this child's life - such as a new baby was born, a move to a new home or school, or possibly a change in the family members who live together in the home
• Someone in the child's life may only listen and respond to whining - in other words - it works at home!
• The child has not been shown how to try to express his or her feelings and desires with words

Do you know of another reason? Please write us!

Do you have a great tip to share about how to nip whining in the bud without damaging a child's self esteem?

We'd love to hear your ideas and to share them with other early childhood educators!