24 secrets of daycare teachers—steal their tricks!

We’ve all been there. Your kid sprays water in the face of a sweet little toddler at the splash pad. Mortified, you demand your kid apologize. But because it’s simply a learned response, saying sorry is actually pretty meaningless to little kids, says Clusiault, so it won’t prevent the behaviour from happening again. “Children learn that after they say it, they can carry on and everything is fine,” she says. Instead, Clusiault facilitates a conversation between the kids involved that includes asking if the other kid is OK, how it made them feel and what the instigator can do to help make things better. Sometimes all it takes is a hug, she says, but an important step toward empathy means holding kids accountable.