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CHILD GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT * 2 HOURS * LEVEL 2

Infant and Toddler Temperament 

Temperament Q & A Question #5

Page 14
Debbie Hasbrook, M. Ed.
Debbie Hasbrook has worked with children and families for 37 years. In that time she has been a home provider, teacher, center director, Regional and State conference presenter and Adjunct faculty at a number of colleges in Washington State. Debbie's education includes a Master of Education, Montessori Preschool Degree and several certifications.
We have taken some time to speak with Debbie Hasbrook, M. Ed. regarding infant and toddler temperament. She has worked with this age group for many years and has some very helpful and valuable information to share as a parent, grandparent, trainer, and child care professional.

Question #5
Tell us about an experience you had with an active or feisty child. As an experienced educator, what tips do you have for working with this temperament type? 
Over the years, many feisty children have been in my care. I have found the ones who were the most challenging, also had a charming smile, a twinkle in their eye; they were highly intelligent and had a joy for life that was contagious. Often these children became the leaders of the group, and will forever be in my heart. Three of my children were feisty, and we laugh together and share many stories about the things they used to do now that they are all grown-up with families of their own. Here is story about a child I cared for named Jennifer.

​Jennifer was a three-year-old ball of fire. She loved to snuggle up and read stories. She also liked to jump off the tables, eat play-do and paint her whole body. She had a language delay, but she learned the alphabet almost on her own and began sounding out short words at 3 ½. She made up a language that only she and her sister understood. However, we would often hear her singing songs speaking the words clearly. She was a very picky eater and when offered a food she didn’t like she would say “yuck” and toss it across the room. Jennifer conquered toileting early, and she was excited when we did the potty dance for her. So much so you could hear her in there singing it for herself when she took herself to the bathroom. When it was time for a nap, she would collect her blanket and ask you to rock her. 

The first thing we did was to observe her. We discovered that she preferred to play in her own world, only occasionally with other children. If the children invaded her personal boundaries, she would lash out by pinching or biting. Wanting to interact with other children but not knowing quite how, she might grab a toy from a child laughing as the child would chase her. To her it was a game. We discovered that she had the need to be a leader. When we transitioned outside, or if the children were walking together outside she made sure she was ahead of everyone.

So what did we do? We gave her plenty of time during transitions. We incorporated music and songs into almost every request. If it was clean-up time we would sing a clean-up song that included her name, and cleaned up with her. She thought it was a game. When we moved from one place to another it was a dance or active movement activity, and she was up front leading the way. When she played with other children, we would use proximity and either play along or stand close to assist if needed. When it was time to eat the teacher would sit next to her and chat as the food was served. When she would say “yuck” the teacher would take a bite of the food and say "yum." Then the teacher would say, “Try it, you might like it.” This would at least get her to taste it, sometimes she surprised herself. When she looked as if she might get ready to throw her food we just explained that she could put it in her napkin. Sometimes the napkin would get pretty full, but at least it wasn’t on the wall. We believe that the texture of the food was a factor influencing whether she would like it. 

Through observation and planning for what we knew were Jennifer's triggers we were able to help her learn to self-regulate, give her ways to express herself appropriately and, for the most part, play with others without too many issues. 
We validated her successes and learned to appreciate and value Jennifer’s contribution to the class. This made her day better, and our day a lot less stressful.