Least Amount of Adult Involvement

The protocol least amount of adult involvement directs you to keep your actions and engagement with children as simple, brief, and direct as possible, only enough to resolve any significant problem that interferes with the basic well-being of the total environment.  In this sense, the least amount protocol functions along with the protocol well-being of the total environment, to maintain the total environment in close harmony with laws of nature.  So, just following these two protocols alone will significantly guide you quite well in all your interactions with children.

In practice, the least amount protocol directs you to disengage from interacting with children, even before you have assured a full resolution of the problem at hand.  In low priority fantasy situations, for example, only a brief moment of eye contact and patient waiting may be sufficient.  By contrast, however, resolving high-priority situations of physical violence will require more time, energy and attention.

In showing materials, the least amount protocol applies to keep your language and actions as brief and simple as possible, just enough to start the child in the right direction to intelligently use the materials on his own in an intelligent and purposeful manner.  For example, after showing the basic movement in some piece of work, turn it over to the child with a safe word phrase, such as, “Would you like to do the next one?”  Then, get up and move away to leave the child free to continue entirely on his own.