Who’s afraid of a little noise?
What does the noise level in your program say about you, your children, and the learning taking place?
A lot!
When I first started teaching, make-and-take workshops were all the rage. I know, I’m dating myself. One of the hot topics for make-and-takes was behavior management strategies. There were so many workshops on how to make a behavior management chart, how to make an incentive board, and how to make visuals that let children know the expectations.
One of those visuals was the very popular traffic light that showed children the status of the noise level in the room using a clothespin. These traffic lights were in so many early childhood classrooms.
The idea behind this visual was to help children see the noise level without the teacher needing to say anything.
- Green – everything’s fine.
- Yellow – it’s getting a little loud.
- Red – too loud. It’s time to turn the volume down.
You might still find these traffic lights in some early childhood or elementary classrooms, but they have largely gone out of favor.
Quiet or Noisy?
One of the fallacies of room arrangement is thinking that there are quiet areas and noisy areas in an early childhood classroom. If you’ve ever set foot in a toddler room or a preschool room, you know it’s ALL noisy!
In theory, it’s a great idea to organize your space by noise volume. Put noisy areas next to each other and quiet areas next to each other. For example, Blocks and Dramatic Play are noisy areas, so they should be placed side-by-side, while the Library and the Writing Center are quiet areas, so they should be next to each other.
Then reality kicks in. You realize that even in the most organized early learning spaces, children like to move around. Children like to talk or sing while they are playing.
Do you really need to define your space by noise volume?
What is Most Important?
Developmentally appropriate practice tells us that young children need hands-on, active experiences to stimulate learning. I’ve never seen a quiet room when children are engaged in hands-on experiences.
I think that’s a good thing!
In my opinion, if children are engaged in their play and are on-task, the noise level should increase. That doesn’t mean that yelling is OK. It just means that the more excited children are, the louder they tend to be. If they’re excited about what they are doing, then chances are, they’re engaged in their learning.
It’s time to reframe our perspective on noise in early childhood learning environments.
Instead of saying “It’s too loud in here,” we should be saying “I can tell you’re enjoying what you are doing.”
Instead of saying “Shhh…” or “Quiet down,” we should be saying “I’m glad you’re having fun.”
It’s okay to remind children to use their inside voices, but before you do, make sure you’ve modeled and taught them the difference between inside voices and outside voices.
One Caveat to Red Light, Green Light
There are children who are sensitive to noise. If you have a child in your program who falls into this category, then a different strategy is warranted. Noise-cancelling headphones might help this child, but before trying this, have a conversation with the child’s family. Review their IEP. Find out what strategies are helpful for this child.
It may be a trial-and-error process to find a strategy that supports the child who is noise-sensitive while also accommodating the noisiness of the other children.
Focus on the Needs of the Children
When you focus on what children need, it’s easier to structure your environment to accommodate their needs.
- Noisy
- Messy
- Active
- Engaged
- Playful
These are the things that matter. These are the things that indicate you’re meeting the developmental needs of children.
At the end of the day, you can enjoy some peace and quiet while you’re on your way home, in your car, sitting at a red light.
What are your thoughts on noisy early childhood learning environments?
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