As an Early Childhood Inclusion Coach one of the main concerns/frustrations I hear from preschool and kindergarten teachers is: my student won't nap and he is disrupting all my other students!
I generally will go into the classroom and try to support all the students by walking around and giving out stamps, stickers or smellies to students who are quiet but if that doesn't help I move onto creating individual quiet boxes for those students who are struggling with rest time.
Students are allowed to have their quiet box as long as they are quiet! Of course I give reminders, as I would for any student, but if their volume continues to raise and they won't be quiet then I take the box away and try again the next day, or return it once they are quiet. Honestly, putting together a quiet box I have yet to take away one from a student!
What I put inside my quiet boxes depends on the student and their interest. Some things that I have put in the box include:
- coloring books and crayons
- stickers
- books
- beads and string (to make necklaces)
- sensory tools/fidgets
- pipe cleaners
- puzzles
- crayola no mess markers and paper
-Wikki Sticks
- Train
- Stuffed Animal
-Pete the Cat Stuffed Animal
- Anything that interests the student!
The one thing I try to stay away from is technology as the quiet box, such as iPad or iPod Touch, UNLESS all they are doing is listening to a story. Personally, I think of an iPad/iPod as a reward that can be very motivating. In that case I would suggest using the iPad or iPod if they can remain quiet for 40 minutes then they would get 5 minutes of iPad time at the end of rest time.
The main question I get from teachers is how do I explain this to all my other kids, it's not fair? I understand the frustration but try to help teachers realize that asking certain students to be quiet for 45-50 minutes is nearly impossible!
This is a quote I think that all teachers should live by! Each time I have given quiet boxes I tell the class as a whole that this is something that they need to help them be quiet and it's their tools. Once I tell students this they are perfectly find with it and questions stop! If the questions don't stop from peers I would suggest rewarding students who were quiet during rest time with a stamp or sticker at the end or in the middle of rest time.
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