Respecting toys and activities in the setting

[hazel lol]

Hi
Does anyone have any ideas, theories for encouraging children to respect toys and activities please.
Thanks
x

[Heidi]

Originally Posted by hazel lol

Hi
Does anyone have any ideas, theories for encouraging children to respect toys and activities please.
Thanks
x

We just explain it simply. We look at the toys and explain that they cost a lot of money and can't afford to keep buying them. We explain that if a piece of jigsaw puzzle is lost or broken it means that noone can enjoy making up that jigsaw puzzle and it may be their favourite one.

We explain we all like different toys and we all need to look after everything so we can enjoy them for a long time. We ask them all to look after toys i.e. dressing up clothes need to be taken back to the rail or dressing up box and not left on the floor where they can be trodden on and ripped.

We find just explaining to them, getting them involved in looking after their favourite toys etc and praising them when we see them picking toys up, putting things such as dressing up clothes where they belong works.

Having realistic expectations of the children is needed also - toys and equipment occassionally does break, get worn out etc and I wouldn't want any child to worry about that. I include them in that as well, I ask if they see a broken toy - please take it to an adult, we may be able to fix it , if not it's unsafe or too old and needs to be thrown out.

[hazel lol]

Thanks Heidi.

We have tried explaining, and encouraging tidying and praising, but sometimes, activities are knocked over, displays damaged, drawers emptied for no particular reasons. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme, reason or schema attached.

Thanks again. Perhaps we need to observe more, have closer interaction or think about the toys we currently have out! Perhaps they are not interesting enough for the characters we have at the moment!!

Thanks

[Heidi]

Originally Posted by hazel lol

Thanks Heidi.

We have tried explaining, and encouraging tidying and praising, but sometimes, activities are knocked over, displays damaged, drawers emptied for no particular reasons. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme, reason or schema attached.

Thanks again. Perhaps we need to observe more, have closer interaction or think about the toys we currently have out! Perhaps they are not interesting enough for the characters we have at the moment!!

Thanks

I know what you mean - it is heartbreaking sometimes when something doesn't last long. We have taken children from 2 years of age for some years now, and it is difficult for them to understand the implications of what they have done. A three year old will know that when they rip a book - part of the story is missing, but a 2 year old won't.

In our book corner we provide varied books - novelty - sound buttons, mirrors, wheels, cloth books, holes with 'stringed' figures to travel through, piano keys, torches, wind up books. To go with this we provide soft toys to match. books - postman pat, fimbles etc and safety mirrors. We find younger (as well as older) children seem to be drawn to these board books and on the whole the paper copies fare better.


.....but there'll always be an early mathematician/scientist that loves taking things apart - never to go back together again!

[Ruthierhyme]

Excellent thread

The drawer empyting, pulling apart displays in passing could be considered destructive if there's little positive interaction with the activity - maybe due to frustration, concentration of play, communication difficulties, anger, engaging attention. Good thread here

Role play & discovery play see upturned, emptied drawers & hurried gathering of resources - knocking things out of the way in that process.

Modelling good behaviour as Heidi's given ideas for & social learning theory may help with others, a pdf from Hull.ac.uk

Book tearing or paper shredding play is a huge sensory experience - the audible rip of paper, the control of shredding & separation, the smell, texture, sight & knowledge of accomplishment - but disfigures what we know is information - sometimes valuable, sometimes not so - book tearing search

Throwing pdf is an excellent read

Photographing constructions / crafts if models are displayed in public reach is a work around or procedure that can safeguard children's self worth/value/esteem. And acceptance, that displayed resources & equipment are a risk for destruction helps everyone know that in that event, soloutions are possible or have already been found.

If you've identified a particular set of drawers that are emptied, would a temporary change of content help awareness of what a drawer does/its role in your setting? Mini road map lining & cars maybe in a contained activity, if it attracts greater attention taking the drawer out to empty it more appropriately may assist learning. Or maybe larger labelling images to help know what's inside. Talking lids/labels/voice pads or similar, stuck to the front may distract attention from emptying - self recording or maybe pre-recorded 'What's inside this box today .. Rooooar . A way to broaden storage box/drawer use & awareness in the setting could be a talking photo frame, adapt it to use images of your own resources and where they can be found.

Maybe move things around a little if you find the room has become less engaging.

Let us know how things go xx

[hazel lol]

Hi everyone.

Thanks for your input. We are currently undergoing many changes and so things have already been moved around and routine is different. We have taken on-board the labelling issue and are looking at your other ideas.

It may be a transition thing having just gone from a community centre setting to a purpose built building where there is access to a lot more toys/equipment during the session. But respect seemed to be on its way out before we moved.

We are still trying out lots of things.

Thanks again.

x