Problems in nursery?

[Maya]

I have been in childrensroom ab15 years of my ab25 in the church. Sometimes teh childrensroom can be very quiet,but sometimes wegetmore callenging kids there.

It is very important that the kids get a good experience beeing in the childrensroom.

Why it is sometimes so difficult?

1 Maybe the child did not get enough sleep. Sometimes the time just flies on Saturdays...

2 Not enough time to wake up. I think everyone can understand this!

3 Family had to leave in a hurry. Many children hate stress and especially stressy parents.

4 Child is getting sick.

5 Child is extra active with or without a diagnose.

6 It is exctreemy difficult for the child to be away from his parents.

There is very little those working in the childrensroom can do in most of these cases. Mostly it is parents that should see to it that the child gets enough sleep, and that the morning is peaceful and calm. I know what I am talking about I had 4 kids and we were always calm and on time and.... not!

It is very important for the person working in the nursery that she is firm enough, but not too firm. I think the best way to introduce a new child in the nursery is, that the child first comes and plays a little while in the childrensroom, maybe one of the parents is with... it depends very much on the child how many times the parent should be with... some kids say bye to the parents the second time some after a year...

Important is that when the child has been left in the childrens room the parents should keep away and not pop in every now and then, most kids get disoriented of this and think it is time to go. A little crying never hurt anyone... but enough is enough. Some kids just need to know their parents are there when they need them. Then it is best to take the child out of nursery instead for teh parent to come in...but then you can decide with the parent if the parent wants to be with today...

Once I had a very sweet little boy in my class. He did not want to stay. He cried often of anger for many minutes and tried to escape through a door. But after a while we decided that the parents would keep away, they had important lessons to be in. It was hard on us all, but it worked... and by the time he would be moving he loved to come to the nursery and would not go at the closing time!

A real icebreaker was as I took some montessorimaterials in use in my childrens room... the little boy was so interested in making drops with a dropper or pooring rice from a can to an other.... that he forgot to cry.

An other time I had a extra actrive 3 years old. He pulled down all toys from shelfes and stepped on them and smaller kids..... I found out some "toys" just for him. I tok to smal bowls and had some pearls in one of them. Then I showed him how to pick one pearl at the time with a tooth pick and set it in the other bowl... the boy who NEVER sat quiet more than 2 seconds sat quietly for 30 minutes and picked up the pearls!

A hint : when you do a thing like this you have to present it to the kid that is t is only for a BIG kid like him, show him first what to do, dont talk while showing...ask if he wantst to try... and then keep the other kids away so he can consentrate. And watch for the toothpick...

In fact, after this he was able to sit quietly at the lessontime too... which he never before had been able to do.

A very good thing is to have things in the nursery that interest the kids. Has it ever happened to you that the kids just take a toy out of the box.. hold it a minute or so, stydy it a second then leave the toy on the floor. Then they take the next toy... and after a little while all the toys are on the floor laying around... Did the child play with them? No not really just studied and when he learned the functions he was ready to throw it away. The child has an inner need to learn things.... this urge pushes him forward. If you then find something the child is interested in like poring water from one small can to an other... sorting by colour, form.... droppers functions... take rice from a bowl to an other with a spoon... watch rice and pearls in a bottle as you turn the bottle.... learn to use pushbuttons in a quietbook type activity... kids just love that.

Not only they love that but they get their inner urge of learning fulfilled and this makes them satisfied and calm them down.

I been working in nuresry under leaders that do not want any waterpooring or rice... too much work to watch that the kids dont poor the water over them... aso...and under leaders that have really liked this stuff. I have to say that the nursery with this type of toys was much better than the usual toy nursery. I always had some usual Toys toolike legs and something usefull.

It is true that this type of working is really demanding for adults. Often I was quite swet, as I had to be aware of what hapens and where, all the time and I had to be a link between the small and the "toys" on the shelf. Many needed help in carrying two small cans of water to the table so he could work with it... and then help to get it back again.

Wery important is that everytime a child chooses something from the shelf... you see that the child gets to the table with it ok...and that when he is finnished that he takes it back on the shelf... NEVER allow an other child take over before the "toy" is back on the shelf, or soon there is no one that takes the "toys" back on the shelf but yoy!

The lesson... it do not need to be long, just something the kids will remember! Use stories, let the kids takepart in the lesson, in one way or an other. Dont be afraid of a bit caos sometimes, learn to handle it and calm it back down again. Lessns grow longer as children learn to sit on their places. The all smallest have even been sometimes allowed to wonder around and the older kids do usually understand that the littleone is too little to be able to sit quietly a little while, but as the child grows more attempt should be done to keep the child on his place for the short period of a lesson.

[Alaskagain]

Excellent post, Mailis!

I love working in the nursey! It is a calling I have had several times, but not currently. Although i do enjoy the calling I have now, too.

One thing that reallly worked for us, especially in transitioning the new 18 mos old into nursery that were having 'separation anxiety'. We would set the room up early, and then when time came for the little ones to arrive, we would have some activity going on already. Spread a quilt on the floor and sing songs, or show a story with the flannel board, or even parade around the table with drums & shakers, etc. If it is something to grab their attention as they first come in the door, they will forget the parents in the hall.

One child had a terrible time letting go of mom. She sat with him for several weeks, and then she and her husband practiced at home. Mom would leave little one with dad in the living room twice each evening, and say "I will be back soon", and then leave for 20 or 30 minutes. Then she would come back into the room, and say, "See, I am back!" On Sunday morning at the nursery door she told him "I will be back soon", and he still wanted to sit on my lap all during the class time, but he did not cry. When class was over, she came to the door, and said "See, I am back!" It took a few more weeks for him to really settle in, but I thought she was so smart for thinking of that.

[Maya]

I too love the nursery.. getting too old for it ...

Really good suggestions Alaska!

[LegendadryPerc]

I am one of those parents who can't leave a toddler with somebody else for hours without at least checking on them. I am also very aware how peeking in the door can disturb more than just my kid. I made the comment that they should have one way windows on the nursery doors, and lo and behold, the very next sunday they did! I have had several kids in nursery since then, with different nursery with different philosophies (like how long a kid can cry before parents are notified:eek:) and it has worked so well for me and many many other parents to be able to check on their kid without disturbing the class!

oh, and sometimes I think we forget the goal of nursery and primary. It is not to get the kids to be ok away from parents, or to get the kids to sit still with their arms folded for a certain amount of time, it is to teach them about our saviour. Sadly is this not only sometimes overshadowed by the logistics of it all, but the logistics are so culturally not spiritually, based. I would much rather a kid not follow the cultural norm, and feal the spirit and love going to church, than to enforce the cultural norm, and have the kid go to church only grudgingly, or hate going to church. Sometimes I think we forget our goals. (I am not saying anyone on here does, just my biggest issue with primary)

[WillowTheWhisp]

One way windows would be a brilliant idea. I'm not sure if it would be allowed here though.

[MorningStar]

One thing that helps me - I never sneak away from my kids so they won't cry. I don't want them to think that I might just disappear any old time. I always tell them goodbye, give them a hug and kiss, and tell them I'll be back soon.