Are you struggling with…
· Bullying and bad behaviour at playtimes?
· Losing valuable learning time sorting out playtime disputes when children come back into the classroom?
· Children who don’t know how to play?
· Lunchtime supervisors who aren’t engaging with the children?
Positive Playtimes
Positive playtimes programme is a whole school approach that supports children in being more tolerant, friendly and kind. Getting your behaviour management systems sorted at the start of term is essential to providing children with a secure, bully free environment that fosters happy, calm and peaceful playtimes.
Assembly at the start of the school year
At the start of the academic year, schools generally have an assembly welcoming everyone back and reinforcing the school rules which might have been forgotten over the 6-week summer break. It’s really important for every member of staff to be invited to this assembly so that the children see that all stakeholders know the rules an that everyone is working together.
Children will often think that MSA’s (Midday Supervisory Assistants) don’t know the school rules so will try and lead them in a little dance! This is also a way of building respectful relationships both inside and outside in the school playground.
Rules
Review your School Rules and ensure that you have Rules displayed inside and outside.
Edventure’s Rules and Playground Manners cover the 4R’s of
1. Respect for self
2. Respect for others
3. Respect for property and the environment
4. Responsibility for all your actions
Rewards
Rewards can take many formats and I have developed a range of attractive and easy to
use rewards with Edventure, which schools regularly tell me are effective and easy to
implement. These include:
Reward Tokens: “Star Child,” “Caught Being Good,” and “Great little helper,” are
all positive reinforcements for children. Playground Star Award Certificates, Green Reward Slips: these are all linked to the Playground Rules and all available from
Edventure.
The Great Play Award: This is a special certificate that is given out in assembly to a child who has kept the rules and values of the school. Alternatively, it can be a plaque
or just a sticker. Teachers choose criteria for selection from week to week and ideally
choose different children each week.
Sanctions
Is it bad or bored behaviour?
If it is the latter then it is time to invest in your playground and play equipment.
If you are struggling with the former then I would suggest you tighten up your incentive
and sanction systems.
Edventure’s Red Sanction slips prove a good deterrent and if used effectively can be a useful tool for MSA’s, teachers and Senco’s to track those children who are finding playtimes challenging.
As with all incentive and sanction systems, there needs to be a baseline and ceiling.
Otherwise you will find some teachers and MSA’s giving out rewards and sanctions like
confetti!