JacquieL Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 We have a new Head and she is keen for our nursery children to change into a PE kit, leotards or shorts and T-shirts and pumps, for their physical activites. At present we just remove shoes and socks and jumpers etc. if they are doing movement /dance, or using our indoor physical play equipment. We have never felt changing to be necessary, and it would be very time consuming when we only have them for 2 1/2 hours each day. I would be grateful for comments on this. What do you all do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 life's too short to get children changed for PE. the nursery teacher before me used to and it apparantly took 45 mins to change and change back again for a 15 mins session. our nursery is in a portakabin and it difficult to get them toiletted, chnaged etc etc and then walk them to the hall. so when i took over i decided not to bother changing for pe. i feel that as the FS curriculim talks about physical development as a whole and not as pe i am justified in standing my ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 and if she's adamant, ask her to assist you at every session!!!! and give her the ones who will be..........challenging!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 My daughters nursery does this in the summer term for the children who will be starting school after the holidays. The idea being I guess to get them used to doing it independently by the time they start school. I find that lots of parents have a tendency to 'help' their children get undressed and dressed at home, so this is a skill some children don't learn. I personally do make my children attempt it themselves, even if it takes longer. I would rather my daughter spent her time at nursery doing other things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 At my children's school in both nursery and foundation classes the children just change their 'bottom halfs'.i.e put on shorts, jogging bottoms take off shoes and socks or put on plimsolls. Time is of the essence! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 In the schools I've worked in, Nursery don't get changed. In the school I worked in last year, in reception we had varying degrees of getting changed! At the start of the year we just took our shoes off in the hall and placed them around the edge (myself included) then as the year progressed we changed for PE once a week, the other time still just being shoes off time, unless it was outside when they put their pumps on. This year I have a mixed R/1 class but I took over in January, so not sure what they did in that first term. The kids wear pumps inside anyway takes forever and I hate it, but it's a whole school policy, so often we just take off cardigans/jumpers and go in (already wearing pumps). When we do get changed it does take quite a while, but they need to get used to it, especially my year 1s! I wouldn't think it was important in Nursery. I don't even think it's that important in R either. But that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 HI My feelings are that this is prbably unnecessary, although there could be a place in the summerterm and for children who have their 5th birthdays in Nursery as a preparation for school (I'm assumimg here that children move to another setting ie school in September!). It can be a very daunting experience to have to take a set of clothes off and then put others on and you would need to amke sure everything is named. I enevitably end the school year with my reception children with a selction of unclaimed clothes and no doubt children have items that don't belong to them too. how successful you are at getting parents to name clothing will depend on your parents! Its another very time consuming job naming items in school. Otherwise I operate much as Nichola has described. When I worked in a nursery we were not lucky enough to have our own hall or a large enough space for physical activities without clearing the nursery substantially. So we did not change clothes too! Nor was the flooring suitable for bare feet. I'd avoid it if you can but you may need to be flexible and meet halfway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Hi During the last half of the summer term we get teh rising 5's children (the ones going to school in september) to bring in a PE kit. 75% of the chidlren could not get changed themselves last year and I think it will be about the same this year. Some times we go out to play in our PE kits and sometimes we do a planned PE session in the school hall. The reception teacher said when they went into reception most of them were able to get changed on their own and this helped tremendously. One of the ELGs is to get dresses/undressed. Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mundia Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 We only remove shoes, socks and jumpers in nursery. Mind you this can be quite a feat of engineering, as most of our children come from warmer climates, they are frequently dressed in 4 or 5 layers, so even getting down to bare feet often involves the removal of shoes, socks, trousers, tights and more tights. So at the beginning of the year, we just stick to jumpers, bringing in bare feet a little later on. I personally hate pumps, the children cant grip on apparatus in them and over the yers I have seen far more accidents as a result of slipping in pumps than I have in bare feet. Jacquie, could you ask your Head what her reasoning is for this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 Hear Hear well said mundia I don't like pumps bec they 1. are never the correct size (usually belonging to jhonny's older sibling 2. not all children bring them 3. have nothing(clasps etc) to enable it to grip the foot in a firm grasp. I beleive that in this country children spend far too much time wesaring shoes and not all can afford good quality ones thatdon't lead to later problems. Children's feet and bones are still being moulded and shaped when young as they are still soft. Children need time and opportunities to walk without shoes as this is good for them and for ther posture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 6, 2004 Share Posted June 6, 2004 I agree with the pumps thing. I hate the fact my current school insists that the kids change into them when inside. First off it's a total pain and takes up at least 30 minutes every day. Secondly why spend a fiver on pumps that you are going to wear all day and 30-40 quid on a pair of shoes you wear to and from school and at playtimes! Seems a complete waste of money, what's wrong with them wearing shoes inside. I know it's to keep in the inside of school tidier, but I just don't think it's worth the hassle. Also I agree, I hate them wearing them for PE- bear feet is much more appropriate, and I think I may bring this up in a meeting, see if I can change this, because I do agree with their unsuitability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacquieL Posted June 6, 2004 Author Share Posted June 6, 2004 Thank you all for your thoughts. I am so glad that you are all sensible and let commonsense prevail. I just hope that I can win this argument. After all why change what works well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 hi all, we also offer the chance for the children begining school in september the opportunity to bring in their PE kits on a wednesday afternoon session. we have always found this a great help in encouraging them to change for themselves. I have 20 children in on that session and it only takes 10 minutes max for them all to change, and 5 mins to change back, (although some go home inside out and back to front!) We are commended on this by the parents and the primary school, who say that the children from our setting can always dress and undress themselves for PE at school, so this gives the teachers more time to help those who have not attended a setting or have never had to dress themselves. Also, the children love it, they feel a real sense of achievement in doing it for themselves. I will always do PE kits for the school leavers, i feel its well worth it. ruthie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 I can see it regualr changing for PE working for the rising 5's. My nursery chidlren get changed into colour groups for sports day as we take part along with KS1. Chidlren then get adequate practise in changing into their clothes themselves. Sometimes I think it is their only chance to do this by themsleves. I have to encourage some of my parents not to dress their children themselves but to give them the time and opportunity to do this for themselves. I find that families with younger children and babies seem to always be in a hurry and have less time to allow chidlren to dress themselves. I can appreciate the trouble it must be for mums and dad with 2 or 3 little ones to organise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts