Ep. 84 Teaching Children to Listen: Behavior Reflections with Melissa Leach

In this episode of Reimagine Childhood from the Early Childhood Christian Network, host Monica Healer welcomes literacy change leader Melissa Leach, owner and president of Leach Literacy Training, to discuss why young children "won't listen" and how educators can teach listening and behavior skills developmentally and with grace. Melissa emphasizes that it's not a child's job to be engaged; it's the teacher's job to engage them, consider children's backgrounds, and teach expectations rather than assume they already know. She shares practical tools including nonjudgmental "behavior reflections" (stating what a "mirror" sees using "you/your") and the "4 Rs": Reflection, Reaction, Redirect, and "Remember I said." They also address barriers like time and adult discomfort, encourage partnering with families, and recommend restoring classroom joy through teacher-led singing and playful transitions while holding onto the "pre" in preschool.

00:00 Welcome to Reimagine Childhood

02:07 Why Kids Don't Listen Yet

05:04 Teach Behavior Not Punish

11:22 Behavior Reflections Tool

17:15 Summer Conference Promo

17:38 Conference Season Highlights

19:39 The Four Rs Framework

21:41 Overwhelm to Joyful Classrooms

32:08 Reimagining Preschool and Final Takeaways

Find Melissa at her website - https://www.leachliteracytraining.com/

Here is a link to the website with free printables that Melissa mentioned - https://kizclub.com/#gsc.tab=0