Transcript for Creating Classroom Getaway Spaces for Children
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JEFFREY TRAWICK-SMITH (Expert): Research shows that all children, but particularly children with special needs, will engage in more positive behavior in a classroom if they are able to get away now and then, and be on their own. So there needs to be some kind of private space in every classroom for children to escape active classroom life. Now I need to point out we’re not talking here about the time out area, we’re talking about a pleasant, cozy comfortable space—a soft space, maybe with some pillows, maybe some stuffed animals, a few books to look at, you know,a cozy space for children to get away. And then, caregivers can watch, and when they see that children are showing signs of stress, when they see that children are becoming a little bit aggressive, when they see children are growing tired, maybe at the end of the day, they can invite them to take a break in these warm, comfortable spaces. One researcher found that the most soothing kind of getaway space to create is one where children really do feel completely alone, where they feel like they’re really separated from the rest of the class, but where there’s a space that allows them to peek out into the rest of the classroom, so that they can kind of stay in touch with what everybody in the classroom is doing.
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