27 April 2023 , 14:10
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At every stage in a young child's life comes the moment they stumble across a word or concept they ought not to know about.
A nightmare for parents and teachers who inevitably have to deal with the curious questions that follow such discoveries, it can be tricky to know how to react.
But one educator has warned you shouldn't always tell youngsters to not say or repeat inappropriate words as soon as they utter them. Instead, the teacher recommends caregivers take a very different approach - or risk making matters worse.
Sharing why your first instincts might not always be helpful, @missteachyy created a TikTok devoted to the topic.
In the video, the teacher explained: "So a child says something inappropriate in your class.
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"The worst thing you can say to that child in front of your entire class is, 'don't say that.'"
As she pointed out, such a response is likely to spark interest from the rest of the class, who then ask the first child to repeat the word and explain what it means. Even if the youngster can't answer the question on the first go, they're likely to seek out advice from an older sibling or friend, and soon everyone has learned something you'd rather they did not.
"It's true," the teacher continued. "Humans are strange because we're all intrigued and want to learn more about things that we shouldn't necessarily know."
Reiterating her point, the pro said: "If you shout out to a child 'don't say that' you're igniting a very scary forest fire in your classroom.
"If you really want to handle that situation just pull that child to the side and say, 'what you just said… do you know what that means?'
"Because I have news for you – a lot of time, kids will shout nonsense that they know is not necessarily right to see how you react, but they don't even know what it means.
"Be really casual about it. It is all about your reaction."
Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below