behaviour strategies with nursery/reception

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The thread that ljjh recommends has got some great ideas on it.

Have you talked to the class teacher/mentor/whoever is observing you about why the children aren't listening? That's probably the first thing to think about, so here are some suggestions...

1. Have a row of 5 or 6 chairs at the back of the carpet, for a group to sit on each day (I use table groups to organise this so all children get a turn). This can help by splitting up certan combinations of children, and also it removes the temptation for children at the back to drift off/fiddle/chat as they are very visible.

2. Spot children who are listening - draw a smiley face/sunshine on one side of your whiteboard, and write names of children who are sitting nicely under it. On the whole, children respond to positives which can often prevent the chatting starting. When my kids come on the carpet, I write 2 or 3 names up and give very clear verbal praise as to why I'm pleased with them. Then every few minutes (silently) I pick up the pen, and write another name or 2 while I'm talking - I find that wrigglers/chatters tend to stop as soon as I reach for the pen in anticipation!

3. Have you thought about the timing of your carpet sessions? Remember that concentration spans of children are roughly linked to their age, so 5 year olds concentrate for about 5 minutes before they need you to re-engage them. So try breaking your carpet sessions in to 'chunks' of different activities if this could be the problem?

4. Hands on activities are most likely to engage little ones - using fingers, whiteboards, holding something linked to learning can really help. If you're reading a big book, how about getting the children to clap when there is a full stop and wiggle their fingers for capital letters - this encourages active looking and listening.

5. Get yourself a special cushion/mat to give to a child you spot doing really good sitting and listening.

Sorry to go on, lots of thoughts there, but if you have any more specific concerns I'll be hapy to help. Positive praise and being hands on/interactive is usually the key to successful carpet times!

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behaviour strategies with nursery/reception

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behaviour strategies with nursery/reception

TES Behaviour - Forum

behaviour strategies with nursery/reception