September, 2023
All About the Respectful Rhino
Did you know the Respectful Rhino was created WITH children in 2019 to help improve behaviors in the classroom and at home?
Along with the Kind Koala, Listening Lion and the other Behavior Buddies, the Respectful Rhino has been an integral part in not only teaching children about respectfulness but engaging children to improve their own behavior.
In our classroom, the Respectful Rhino loves to visit students at their desks while they are working hard in school or when someone shows respectful behavior to peers or adults. Our Respectful Rhino even goes on sleepovers to children’s houses when they have met a behavior goal (we love to use real or printable marble jars for this)!
The Respectful Rhino storybook is now available on Amazon for purchase or can be viewed on Youtube at no charge.
Click here for free printable literacy activities to go along with the book. If you would like to use a marble jar in your home or classroom, click here for a free printable.
July, 2023
HAPPY SUMMER?
We hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing, happy and safe summer. But let’s be honest, while summer seems like it should be a fun filled season, it can also be a time of stress for families. The lack of structure and routine can be difficult for children, forcing us parents to parent much harder than usual.
When summer brings on behavioral challenges in your home, these very frustrating moments can be viewed as an opportunity to help children grow and learn. Children learn in the home first, and look up to us to help them grow into good humans.
Here is a FREE RESOURCE to help you manage behavior in your home. It also pairs with our Behavior Buddies Book Collection and Workbook set.
Happy parenting and best of luck… we all need it!
February, 2023
GOT ADHD??? LOTS OF US DO!
As adults with ADHD, we’ve found our ways to cope. We use checklists, keep notes in our iPhones and use a calendar to stay organized. But for children that haven’t yet developed these skills or have the ability to, life can be a struggle.
How can we make school successful for children with ADHD? It’s no big secret that school can be a super challenging experience for children with ADHD. ADHD can provide learning challenges, behavioral challenges and emotional challenges for many children. With ADHD impacting 6 million children ages 3-17 (www.cdc.gov), we need to seek and find better solutions to support children with ADHD in the classroom.
It is essential that children gain a strong foundation of learning in the early years. With ADHD getting in the way, this can be a struggle for many. The Behavior Buddies ADHD bundle was designed to support children with specific challenges related to ADHD. Effort, self-control, patience, and focusing are just a few of the qualities that the ADHD bundle teaches and instills. Please check out our much loved ADHD bundle (linked here). Also, here is a link for our freebie, the Self-Control Shark motivational visual (linked here).
January, 2023
TAKE A DEEP BREATH
You hear your kids fighting (again!) and your blood starts to boil. Then, you lose it and model the worst possible behavior in front of your children. When you cool down, your sense of guilt is at an all time high and you wonder how you let them get the best of your emotions. Please don’t fret, you are not alone. This parental rage happens to the best of us. Remember that tomorrow is a new day and your kids will still love you. The next time that you feel your anger rise up (because it will happen again) remind yourself of the following pointers.
When your kids are fighting…
- Step one: Take a deep breath and tell yourself that they are kids and still developing as humans.
2. Step two: Walk over to them (avoid yelling from afar) and get down on their level. Calmly let them know that their behavior is unkind and disappointing to you.
3. Step three: Separate the kiddos so that they can have a physical and mental break from one another (a quiet break on their bed, the couch- or any place where they aren’t able to make eye contact with one another). You can also call this a “time out break”.
4. Step four: After everyone has cooled off, it's time for a quick debrief (don’t be long-winded as they will likely tune you out). Speak to them calmly and try to be a model of how you want them to act by explaining that their behavior is unacceptable and unkind. Then, have them give each other a true hug.
5. Step five: Use a kindness chart to build and promote kindness in your house. Click Here for a free, printable Kind Koala chart. Pair this chart with a koala stuffie they can earn for a sleepover and watch your whole household vibe change.
Visual and tactile incentives show children that we adults care and in turn, provide the reinforcement they need to improve behavior. Best of luck to you!
August, 2022
GETTING BACK IN THE GROOVE
Beginning a new school year can evoke a wide range of emotions in all of us. Teachers are working fervently to make sure that their learning space is perfect before little humans walk through the door. Parents might be feeling overwhelmed, confused and anxious due to new back to school routines, procedures and an annual onslaught of school emails. Children are also feeling the excitement and nerves that go along with big changes in their life.
Here are a few tips to help you and your family get through the first month of transitioning back to a new school year.
- Maintain a running ‘to do’ list and implement a structured morning routine for your family. This free morning checklist will help you and your children feel organized and ready for the day.
- Move your child’s bedtime 30 minutes earlier. With an overwhelmed brain, they will need time to relax in bed and process the day before getting a good night's sleep. Extra sleep will help them feel refreshed for their next day of new beginnings.
- Cancel activities for the first couple of weeks of the school year. This will allow more time to catch up on the day as a family and finish any last minute back to school items that come up.
July, 2022
WELCOME WONDERFUL HUMANS
Thank you for visiting our Behavior Buddy Blog! The purpose of this blog is to support parents and teachers who may be struggling to help our future generation show positive behaviors. Here’s a bit about us without boring you too much.
The Good Human Project was formed a few years ago when we teachers (and moms) saw the need to create resources that would effectively engage our students in thinking about their own behavior. After sleepless nights, wondering how to help our students and children improve their own behavior, the Kind Koala was born. A stuffed Koala was purchased and tallies went up on the chalkboard to see who could earn a visit with the Koala.
Soon, everything changed in terms of classroom climate, relationships among students and even the relationships between us and the children. We couldn’t believe how much one animal with a cute name impacted behavior. Then, we soon realized we needed to improve Listening with a Lion and Independence with an Owl. Now there are 30 different Behavior Buddies that have been created with children in both school and home settings. It has been a thrilling process and we cannot wait to share our Buddies with the world. Please CLICK HERE to download a free printable featuring our Behavior Buddies to begin promoting positive behaviors in your home or classroom!
