You Can't Play - Exclusion of Others in Preschool

I posted this image on my Instagram and Facebook page a few days ago.  I learned really quickly that the topic of exclusion of children from other children is a controversial topic.  I believe that it is a much more in depth topic than one Instagram post or one Facebook post can dive into so I have been compiling resources for all of you (and me) to further dive into the topic of excluding children.

Here you can find an excellent podcast from Daniel Hodgins and Amy Ahola on the topic of exclusion of children and they reasons a caregiver that has built relationships with the children in their program can support all children when exclusion happens in the early childhood setting.

I came across a blog post from Teacher Tom  that explains that, if a caregiver/teacher knows the situation, exclusion can be supported in some instances.

Here is another podcast from Dan and Amy about exclusion and many reasons behind why children exclude, or if children should have the right to decide who they want to play with.  They also discuss social development and the play stages as it relates to this topic and the natural development that is happening when these big feelings and emotions come up.

I came across this podcast episode from Kisha Reid and Barbara Sheridan  and they chat about social inclusion and exclusion in early childhood programs and forest school programs.  

I came across this website and article that details the many reasons why children may exclude others. The second part to this article talks about what you can DO to support the children when exclusion happens.

When it comes down to it, the questions that come up around this topic are VERY complex and it comes down to knowledge of child development, brain development, social development and the relationship the caregiver/adult with the children.  When these things are all considered, the caregiver can best support all of the children in a way that is gentle to all parties involved.