Purposes

1. Support children to behave and socialise in an acceptable ways.
2. Help children to understand the needs and rights of others.
3. Provide clear boundaries and rules of conduct which are concise, easily understood and can be seen in action
4. To ensure club is purposeful, calm and controlled, where exciting things can happen in a disciplined manner and children can play and learn and for play workers to assist.
5. Children are guided into positive behaviour patterns; those that find this difficult are supported in changing behaviour, “You gain our attention by doing the right thing”.
6. To teach children to be more self regulatory in their behaviour and with each other.
7. To encourage acceptance of responsibility for child’s own behaviour.

Rules

In any area of the club rules should be

• Negotiated with the children at their level and not simply imposed.
• Illustrate positive examples (avoiding “notes and don’ts”) e.g.” keep your hands and your feet to your self”.
• Be easily seen an action “ we allow other people to speak without interrupting” avoiding blanket or impossible targets to meet e.g. “ we always do our best”

Consequences

In any set of rules there should be a clear set of consequences attached to the rules which should have tangible results both for the child who keeps, maintains and enforces the rules as well as the one who fails in some way to keep to the agreed rules. Consequences should

• Be immediate as is reasonable
• Be directly attributable to the individual
• Praise should be consistent and fair as well as precise.
• Sanctions are similar, remembering it is not the child we are critical of but their behaviour.” what you are doing is not acceptable”

REMEMBER WE ARE TRYING TO HIGHLIGHT THE POSITIVE, DRAW ATTENTION TO THE BEHAVIOUR WE WANT TO SEE, ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO MODERATE THEIR OWN BEHAVIOUR AND SET STANDARDS.

Praise  *

Star of the day                 Certificate

Stamps  / stickers           A note in the contact book

Choosing time

Sanctions   *

If we are trying to draw attention to the positive and away from negative it is no longer appropriate to write the names of the rule breakers on the board. This practice draws attention to the negative, becomes a game in itself and does little to help a child avoid that behaviour again.

Help with equipment                   Missing outdoor play time

Note home

ALWAYS ALLOW THE CHILD TO EXIT THE SITUATION WITH DIGNITY AND THE PLAY WORKER TO MAINTAIN THE AGENDA

Serious misbehaviour like the following may result in exclusion

• Persistent violent play
•  Bullying
• Racist taunts
• Persistent verbal taunts
• Spitting
• Mistreatment of building equipment
• Theft
• Persistent disruption of club

A first note is the warning not to repeat the behaviour.

A second may warrant missing 5 minutes play and a note home

Then move to writing to parent asking for support

A decision may be reached in an individual case to report to the parent on a regular basis on a child’s’ behaviour. In all instances be clear with the child and their parent that the purpose is to alter behaviour for the better. The play worker senses that there is an inordinate amount of time spent regulating this particular child and they still choose to disrupt-discuss this on a one to one basis. Acknowledge you have noticed.

Show that you recognise what it is they are doing and that they so far have shown that they do know what is expected but are choosing not to, and that in future you do not expect to see this repeated. Should they persist then change the rules on the first incident go to a time out and / or move to note home or informal report.