Potty Talk
Inappropriate words are not uncommon in the day care environment. As a child’s vocabulary grows its inevitable that they will pick up some colorful words. This behavior usually coincides with potty training, about age three, and can be influenced by the older children in your care.
It’s important not to over react. Toddlers and preschoolers generally forget these words if you don’t pay any attention. If you make a big deal it reinforces that kind of talk. Older children are real pros when it comes to this behavior.
Ignoring really means no attention at all, but if all else fails you may try what is called ‘active ignoring’ where you make a casual statement like “If you need to talk like that, go in the bathroom and talk as much as you want to yourself, because we don’t need to hear those kind of words in our day care. Sometimes when they have permission to do something, it isn’t as much fun spoken anymore.
Older children try their skills with rhymes and silliness usually takes over. Keep calm, don’t over react, and make a simple statement like “Do you need to use the bathroom?” It won’t take them long to learn that you don’t allow Potty talk. Offer to help them learn the correct words to the rhyme and turn the undesired behavior into education and fun for everyone. Little ones normally don’t know the meaning of what they are saying; only that it brings a reaction from their older friends and adults.
Some children use potty words in conjunction with a friend’s name. I just remind them that the child has a wonderful name and please use it. If they don’t stop I ask the child to please go to their bed area and rejoin us when they can call their friends the correct name they were given by their parents.
If the problems persist you should take note of who is playing with whom and maybe mix those playmates up a little bit. Sometimes changing playmates will change their focus, and also change the behavior for the better.
I try to keep track of when the problem is happening and which children are a part of it. This may be very helpful down the road especially if more help is needed to correct the problem. A newsletter can be sent to all the parents in your day care bringing some attention to what’s going on. Ask them watch for this behavior at home and let them know what you are doing to address it. Now when you have to address the issue with the child’s parents alone they will have had time to process it and it won’t be a surprise to them.
I hope these tips help you as your children’s vocabulary increases.
Patti Jo Lawrenz
pjltips@aol.com
