We aim to provide a safe, positive and reassuring environment within which all children can play and learn. We work alongside parents through daily 2-way communication to encourage good behavior respectfully and supportively. Children grow, change, and develop rapidly during the years they spend in our daycare and their behavior and our response to it, must adapt, understanding the child’s current understanding, abilities, and home environment.
Our behaviour policy Aims and Objectives
Together we aim to encourage and teach our children to behave in a socially acceptable manner and to understand the feelings of others, understanding that children may sometimes not be aware that their actions are of unwanted behaviour and that they can hurt others.
We will do this by:
• Providing an environment where adults and children positively acknowledge and respect each other and have an awareness of how important it is to build each individual’s self esteem.
• Appropriate limits are set and consistently enforced by adults. If appropriate limits are crossed a period of reflection will be used to review the appropriateness’ of these limits for all age groups.
• Positive reinforcement of caring, sharing attitudes and behaviours are practiced at all times.
Throughout their time with us we aim to manage children’s behavior positively by:
- providing a safe, nurturing environment with consistent approach towards expected behaviour
- praise and encouragement, building children’s self-confidence
- encouraging children to take responsibility for their behavior
- being good role models and encouraging older children to model this good behavior towards younger children
- discussing the need for good behavior including ‘inside voices’, ‘walking feet’ and ‘gentle hands, to ourselves’ to keep everyone safe and happy. Children generally respond better to rules when they understand the reasons behind them.
In the Toddler class we use distraction to redirect negative behavior. If a child is engaging in play in an unsafe or unfriendly manner (throwing/damaging toys, not sharing) they are moved to another toy and shown how to use it safely. We also introduce a time-out system for the older toddlers where children are given the opportunity to reflect on their behavior and calm down before re joining their friends. A ‘time out’ is 1 minute per year of the child’s life.
As children get older and can understand and control their behavior to a greater extent, we introduce a ‘traffic light system’. Children start the day on green, if they are given a warning their name is moved to yellow and they are given the opportunity to improve their behavior. If this does not work they are moved to red and given a time out and the opportunity to reflect on their behavior and rejoin their friends once they are calmer and ready. If children are able to finish their school day on the green traffic light they are given a stamp or sticker to encourage their positive behavior as this is always our focus.
As a result the children at Fun and Play are respectful, well behaved, polite and kind children, who engage well with play and learning, ready for their next step as they begin school. They are responsible and kind and confident to make the right choices as they mature through our pre school.
