Wishing You Well

 

The Safe Place TEACHES; Time Out PUNISHES

Parents and teachers often confuse the Safe Place with Time Out. The Safe Place uses times of upset as teaching moments so children can practice active calming. Time Out seeks to punish. It is rooted in using external force to govern behavior and removal to try and motivate children to behave.

Unfortunately, it seems like the same children are always stuck in Time Out. Many of these children do not seem to be phased by removal. They are not being motivated to behave any differently.

When a child is being hurtful (or calling for love), think of this list below. It is the beliefs that Dr. Becky Bailey based the Safe Place on:

1. Children want to be successful.
2. What's helpful to one child may not be helpful to another.
3. When feeling powerlessness, children tend to withdraw or act out.
4. Children want to feel in control of themselves, but may not know how. This is a scary feeling!
5. The desire to belong is what motivates children to make helpful choices.
6. Upset is an opportunity to teach self-control.
7. Choice and Free Will are important! Children can elect to go to the Safe Place and choose the strategies they find helpful.

For information on how to create a Safe Place in your school or home, visit Shubert's Classroom.

To see Safe Places that other parents and teachers have created, visit the Safe Place Pinterest Board.