Boys - Too Rough

[Guest]

Hi everyone,

 

i really cant believe im up this early during half term ........i do have a reason tho airport run!! anyway just wanted to ask everybodies opinion on boys playing power rangers etc. I have a small number of boys in my class and I have to speak to them near enough everyday about calming down because all they want to do is pretend to fight each other. I let this go on to a certain extent because its their way of role play however it always goes toooooo far. Even when new things are brought out or introduced to the boys they always seem to go back to fighting. Has anybody got any ideas or suggestions that I could use in linking in with the boys interest but trying to steer away from the fighting. Any suggestions would be fantastic.

 

thanks kate

[Guest]

Hi

 

Do the boys have plenty of opportunity to play outside ? Some children, and particularly boys because of their natural exuberance, need to have lots of opportunities to play outside, to build and create with a range of open ended, moveable materials, explore through digging in the soil, sand and with water etc. There's a good publication from the DCSF, available through National Stratigies web site free, called "Confident, capable and creative: supporting boys' achievements".

 

I also believe in supporting and providing for 'super hero play'. Maybe try to set up some 'ground rules', created with the children in order to keep themselves and others safe and happy. Perhaps exploring why some superheros sometimes fight - surely it's usually to save someone or to prevent something bad from happening. Maybe by looking deeper into it with them may encourage them to modify their fighting.

[Guest]

I agree, their interest lies with super heros so even tho new toys may be a distraction for a short while it is not what they are intersted in

so with it, build super hero gadgets with junk mark, make a super hero story

we have ground rules about play fighting, no real fighting, both parties have to agree to wanting to play fight and if necessary (for my sanity) they go outside if running and noise becomes to much.

We have free flow any way

 

we even had sand men (star wars) in the forest, with sticks being used as light sabers and tree climbing as space ships

 

they are still learning and so many goals are covered and their learning can be scaffolded

 

in my experience of super hero play is that they do grow out of it but the more it becomes a no no the more and longer the children are interseted in continiuing the play

[Guest]

Well we took a different tack on it today, we had wooden meccano out (not new it was out for self choosing before half term) but today most of the older boys were fastening it together (on their own, good manipulation and use of tools etc) but then shooting some of the younger children who then retaliated with the plastic snakes we had out.

 

So I declared a gun/meccano amnesty and explained that I was the police (woman) who didn't like to see friends shooting each other and could they all come and put their weapons in my bucket, one of the snakes was put in too not sure they understood the 'amnesty' but they did seem to take on board not shooting their friends or whipping them with snake tails.

 

Rachel