One way #ECE {r}evolutionaries have come to talk about when a child is “flooded” with emotion is by saying, “They are on the red train.” But what is the “red train”? And how is being on the “red train” different from “run of the mill” frustrations a child may experience, and/or emotions they may display because they are still learning to self-regulate?
I’m not 100% sure when we started calling it the “red train“…but it was while Barbara Avila and I were talking about the peaks and valleys of a strong emotional response (see image).
It was a way to convey when teaching and learning can AND cannot take place. Meaning, if the child (or you for that matter) is on the “red train“, then our efforts to teach are in vain.
How is being on the “red train” any different from “run of the mill” frustrations a child may experience and/or emotions they may display because they are still learning to self-regulate?
Basically, the question is, how do we differentiate between a child’s actions, which are:
- part of the typical developmental process of learning to self-regulate
- a strong reaction to unpleasant requests or situations, and just a short-lived frustration
- them wanting what they can’t have and “choosing to be naughty”, or
- them actually having jumped the track and are now on the “red train“
Well, it would be great if children came with a manual, or even a decoder ring, so we could differentiate the intention behind many of their actions.
But until such time, here are a few ways to help you determine if a child is on the “red train“, and in such case, realize they are unable to hear/benefit/process the lesson you are trying to teach, no matter how many times you repeat it.
Quick side-note…there is also a blue train, which you can learn more about in my Pre-K Teach and Play Podcast episode 37.
- Children are on the “red train” when (if they could) rate themselves a four or five on some sort of escalation or arousal index. For example, something like the Incredible 5-Point Scale created by Kari Dunn Buron and Mitzi Curtis (2003). Click here and here for examples and variations of this 5-point scale. Click here for a blank escalation stage form that can be used by teams to devise a plan of action.
- Children are on the “red train” when their bodies are inundated by multiple stressors, sequentially or simultaneously. Click to download a handout of common early childhood stressors, which may be causing the child’s body to be “flooded” with emotion and putting them on the “red train”.
- Children are on the “red train” when they no longer have the conscious control over their thoughts, feelings, or actions – they are in fight or flight mode…or they’ve gone to the “basement brain” as Dan Siegel would say. You’ll know, because this is when you’ll experience some of the most challenging and seemingly irrational behaviors. Click here to download a tip sheet about a whole brain approach, and here for a few strategies for teaching children about their brain.
Discerning or recognizing the difference between “typical reactions” and when a child is flooded with emotion and needs help off the red train takes practice.
It also requires a different approach or a shift in our mindset, one that allows us to benefit from our knowledge about early development.
The mindset shifts include:
- Shifting focus from managing children’s behaviors to teaching them to self-regulate
- Shifting from thinking the child is acting out to understanding their bodies are responding to stressors
- Shifting from thinking the child wants something to recognizing they need something
- Shifting from trying to teach when they are riding the red train to helping them process and get back on the green train
And when it comes to knowledge and an understanding of early development, click here to explore 10 things everyone should.
MORE Resources
- Pre-K Teach & Play podcast episode on the difference between wants and needs…it may help you better understand a child who is on the “red train.”
- Six tools for your toolbox on supporting the social-emotional health and well-being of children (access to an interactive handout from the 33rd annual DEC conference in Portland, OR, from my session, “Why Can’t They Just Behave“)
P.S. Remember…even a good day, young children won’t be able to STOP, THINK, and then ACT…they are young and we need to teach these skills.