Rewards, Sanctions And Timeout

[Guest]

I would appreciate some simple ideas I can whip up quickly between now and Monday for timeout and chances. I was thinking of a timeout mat, but depending on the severity of the misdemeanor, I normally like to give 3 chances then they're on the mat.

 

E.g. Hitting, biting etc etc would be instant timeout, whereas not listening, sharing, using equip properly would be 3 warnings then time out.

 

Any ideas for a visual chance chart would be appreciated. Perhaps one where the child physically moves their name along something

[Susan]

We used traffic lights for this.

[Guest]

A visual chart seems a little harsh, I would think a chart that all could see would not help a childs self esteem. We do have a system and policy which allows for timeout but have not had to use it this school year as it generates paperwork and a parental meeting to explain why it has been used, I would prefer a system which would look at why the child is hitting, biting etc and an environment which emphasises acceptable behaviour and plays down the negative. I've just noticed you are in reception so maybe things are different in school but it seems odd to be looking for sanction systems before the term and new children have even started.

[Rea]

At playgroup they had a sheet with smiley and unhappy faces on particular to that child. When something warrented a smiley he was shown one being put on his sheet, likewise an unhappy face. He knew, but no-one else did. I think there was areward at the end of the week if he got mostly smiley faces.

[Guest]

Max321. You make me sound harsh! I don't think it's odd looking for a system before term starts as i want chn to know there are expectations of them and if they don't do as they are expected then there are consequences. There will always be the day to day praise and recognition of good behaviour. Hopefully I wont need to use it often, but if I do it will be an example to other chn

[Guest]

i'm in nursery, and we just give a verbal reminder, then a warning, then time out, which is on any handy chair, so that no chair becomes the 'naughty chair' - you know what children are like!! it's always a good idea to start as you mean to go on, as reception may have been to a preschool where behaviours you don't want have been acceptable, or there have only been a few children and lots of space and enough resources for each child to have one, and reception is usually 30 or more and 2 staff!! thus children may need support to share etc. that's been my experience in reception anyway. x

[Guest]

In our reception class the children all self-register by putting their name on the sunshine each day, good behaviour/effort etc can mean they will be moved up to the rainbow, behaviour warranting a warning might result in them being moved down the raindrops, if they end up on the grey cloud that means time-out.

 

I too have struggled with the 'publicness' of displaying children's names in this way, but I also think children do need a visual cue to link to the consequences of their behaviour - we try to give them visual cues for everything else.

[clairew28]

Does your school have a behaviour system?

We also use a traffic light system and the children's names are on pegs which allows for easy moving. They all start on green, they get a verbal warning then if persist they get moved to orange and if carry on they move to red. Unless they do something major they go straight to red! Once on red they do time out and move back to green! Likewise if they are on orange but make the right choice with behaviour they move back to green.

I feel this visual system works very well and children respond well to it.

In my previous school we had the same rules but with a cloud system- sun, light grey cloud, black cloud!

 

Obviously we also have a positive behaviour system in place as well

 

Hope this helps x

[Guest]

In our reception class the children all self-register by putting their name on the sunshine each day, good behaviour/effort etc can mean they will be moved up to the rainbow, behaviour warranting a warning might result in them being moved down the raindrops, if they end up on the grey cloud that means time-out.

 

I too have struggled with the 'publicness' of displaying children's names in this way, but I also think children do need a visual cue to link to the consequences of their behaviour - we try to give them visual cues for everything else.

my daughter had something similar in reception last year. over the week if they had displayed good behaviour they moved through the planets until they reached the sun. Anyone on the sun by Friday got Golden Time. They had a thinking chair underneath the thunder cloud for any time out needed.

 

I haven't got much room in my class on walls or in terms of space to have something as lovely as that, or the thinking chair. So will probably use a mat for thinking time and perhaps a traffic light system for the chn to move through when they have their warnings. At the moment we have 4 sessions a day, so each session i will class as a fresh start-see not that harsh really!!!

[Guest]

Does your school have a behaviour system?

We also use a traffic light system and the children's names are on pegs which allows for easy moving. They all start on green, they get a verbal warning then if persist they get moved to orange and if carry on they move to red. Unless they do something major they go straight to red! Once on red they do time out and move back to green! Likewise if they are on orange but make the right choice with behaviour they move back to green.

I feel this visual system works very well and children respond well to it.

In my previous school we had the same rules but with a cloud system- sun, light grey cloud, black cloud!

 

Obviously we also have a positive behaviour system in place as well

 

Hope this helps x

Yes it does-thanks very much. I like this idea and have just about the ideal place for it in class. We do have a behaviour policy and system in place, which is very similar to yours-the 3 strikes and your out if you like. Also behaviour such as hitting, biting etc warrants straight to time out. And then persistent behaviour we move through agreed sanctions which involve me(Deputy) the Head and also parents.

[lbarwell]

We use traffic lights as a whole school behaviour system, children who show really 'wow' behaviour go on the gold star (and get a gold star to wear) If an adult sees a child wearing a gold star then they stop and ask them what they got it for etc, we also send a certificate type thing home to let parents know what they got it for. On Friday's assembly all children who recieved a gold star are encouraged to stand up and get applauded. If children display negative behaviour we give them a gentle reminder about how to behave, if they do it again they get a warning, and a third time they go on the red and an appropriate sanction is put in place. For my class (reception) they sit on a 'thinking chair' for a couple of minutes to think about their behaviour- I find this is enough of a sanction. If a child goes on the red 3 or more times in one week then they get sent to the head teachers office and a letter gets sent home. Hope this helps,

 

Lx

[clairew28]

I have always liked the idea of children moving up as well but in reception I just cant get my head around what I could use as a reward. Golden time would not work in my room as we can primarily child initiated! Unless I do certificates which then lead to a price if they gain a set amount!? Hmmm I am going to think some more about this!

X

[Guest]

Our school does a system of house points, but not sure how that works in total as I am starting in sept and haven't been told specifically about this. The golden time in reception at my daughters school wasnt like the trad one I had in ks1. Their treats varied from playing with bubbles, to using the parachute, watching a children's programme, eating buns- so anything but choosing! Golden time wouldn't work for me as my Friday afternoons are set aside for our enrichment activities- but that's something else not related to rewards.

[Guest]

We use traffic lights as a whole school behaviour system, children who show really 'wow' behaviour go on the gold star (and get a gold star to wear) If an adult sees a child wearing a gold star then they stop and ask them what they got it for etc, we also send a certificate type thing home to let parents know what they got it for. On Friday's assembly all children who recieved a gold star are encouraged to stand up and get applauded. If children display negative behaviour we give them a gentle reminder about how to behave, if they do it again they get a warning, and a third time they go on the red and an appropriate sanction is put in place. For my class (reception) they sit on a 'thinking chair' for a couple of minutes to think about their behaviour- I find this is enough of a sanction. If a child goes on the red 3 or more times in one week then they get sent to the head teachers office and a letter gets sent home. Hope this helps,

 

LxYes thanks. Helps loads. I plan of having a star of the week who will get to take a puppet home for the weekend and record activities in a book. I think I'll also do team points and the winning team choose a prize from my basket e.g. Pencil, rubber, bubbles etc. and then any children who do well I have a special note home book of certificates, stickers, stamps and so on.

[Guest]

Max321. You make me sound harsh! I don't think it's odd looking for a system before term starts as i want chn to know there are expectations of them and if they don't do as they are expected then there are consequences. There will always be the day to day praise and recognition of good behaviour. Hopefully I wont need to use it often, but if I do it will be an example to other chn

 

sorry my friend I didn't mean to sound so self opinionated and self righteous, I spent a long time studying the effect of preschool practice on childrens self esteem and the long term effects of these for my dissertation and I really feel that acknowledging misdemeanors with a visual chart or some such could have a long term effect on a childs morale but I guess it is better for you to think about consequences before you get situations occuring. Each to his own and I hope you find a solution that works for you, from the replies it sounds like my opinions are in the minority anyway.

[lbarwell]

That's a really lovely idea. We have something similar, Benjamin Bear the class bear who goes home with a child who has worked particularly well, either academic or socially on Friday for the weekend. Another whole school approach we have are house points, children are split into 4 houses throughout the school, and are awarded house points for good work/behaviour/being helpful etc. Then on Fridays assembly we add up the points for the week and the winning house gets an extra playtime on the trim trail or the adventure playground. At the end of the term the house with the most amount of points gets awarded the house cup.

[lbarwell]

Whoops that didn't quote properly- I was referring to "I plan of having a star of the week who will get to take a puppet home for the weekend and record activities in a book"

[Guest]

 

Another whole school approach we have are house points, children are split into 4 houses throughout the school, and are awarded house points for good work/behaviour/being helpful etc. Then on Fridays assembly we add up the points for the week and the winning house gets an extra playtime on the trim trail or the adventure playground. At the end of the term the house with the most amount of points gets awarded the house cup.

I think this is how my new school works on the house points

[clairew28]

We also have a house point system... Children are rewarded house points and they are marked off on their individual card, when they get 10 they get a certificate in assembly on a Friday! When they get 10 certificates they receive a bronze special certificate 20 is silver and 30 gold!

This also works well!!

 

I like the special golden time idea with bubbles, parachute etc!!

 

Our traffic light system is also used through out the school but altered slightly for the older children.

X

[Guest LornaW]

Two great articles here

 

 

http://www.earlylearninghq.org.uk/earlylearninghq-blog/the-leuven-well-being-and-involvement-scales/

http://www.alfiekohn.org/parenting/gj.htm

 

 

Also HighScope Conflict Resolution and they do a great DVD called Its Mine.

 

For me a visual chart is like public humiliation and demotivating! These children are still very young and it is my job to explain why some behaviour is not acceptable and how it makes others feel. I would always give children a warning first and then give them options. Any sanction should be at the time not in the future.

 

Lorna

[Guest]

I think I must have been really lucky with my Reception Class children so far! I haven't needed any specific system of sanctions. We do reward positive behaviour - the children move their names along a number line and when they get to number 20 they get a sticker (very motivating and also good for maths, eg 'I only need to move 3 more to get to number 20' etc). If a child is misbehaving, we speak to them about what they are doing and why it is not appropriate. If they repeat the behaviour, they sit by the teacher for a minute or so. Before they go back to playing, we always ask them to tell us why they have had to sit there to ensure they have understood. It is simple but seems to work well for us.

[Guest]

 

 

For me a visual chart is like public humiliation and demotivating! These children are still very young and it is my job to explain why some behaviour is not acceptable and how it makes others feel. I would always give children a warning first and then give them options. Any sanction should be at the time not in the future.

 

I would presume you dont advocate time out then, as the child would be seen and therefore interpreted as public humiliation! I didn't post on here to get into a debate on this subject, but for some ideas that have worked- so I'm not going to get in a debate. Whilst moving through the chart the child always has options and will always be praised for the doing the right thing. They will always be told as to why their behaviour is unacceptable.

[lbarwell]

Nicely put! I think it's best to use what ever methods/sanctions you feel appropriate. Some children need only a verbal reminder and they correct their behaviour, others may not necessarily understand you and need the visual clue to help them understand that what they have done is not acceptable and why. Personally, from using the traffic lights system we have never had any ridiculing of a child who has moved onto red as we clearly explain what it is for and that to make fun of any child who is on red is not a nice thing to do, but to instead help them move back onto the green. The children feel a huge sense of achievement when they have moved back up the lights and they are rewarded accordingly.

[Guest tinkerbell]

Each to their own and following the schools behaviour/reward policy.

I have been lucky too in my Reception/year1 class, last year, with children who respond well to the rules we have made together at the beginning of the year ,these rules are displayed and sent home too.

On the odd occasion I have asked a child to sit for 2 mins away from the sitution that they were not coping in eg spoiling a game,being unkind etc I have talked to the child about the incident and we have come up with a solution....if the child is still finding it difficult to stick to the rules I would talk to the parent and ask if they could help.

Some years are trickier than others it all depends on the mix of children .One year I had a little girl who found great enjoyment in running out to tell the parent of which ever child had had a 'difficult'day all about it.Despite me starting each session as a brand new all is forgiven.In circle time I talked to the children about learning from mistakes and moving on ...and not telling tales about children who are learning,some find it harder than others.....The father made a complaint against me saying his daughter had been told by me not to tell parents anything that goes on in class!!!

 

Tinkerbell

[millhill]

Sanctions: I have a system with a sun, cloud and star. All chidren have a peg with their photo on which is pegged onto an yellow circle (they are the sun rays). If they break our class rules (which they made) they get a warning, if they continue they have a second warning, if they continue, their peg is put on the cloud and they will have time out. For time out, they sit on the carpet where they can see our class rules poster. For hitting, biting, kicking, they will go straight on the cloud. Once they have had time out, we talk about the situation and what they could do next time instead.

 

Rewards: 2 children are placed on the star at the end of the week, they are chosen for behaving well throughout the week (tidying up, being a good friend, being extra helpful/kind etc.) One child is given a 'Talk bag' which is a bag for them to put something in from home for 'Show and Tell', the other is given the 'Art Box' which is full of sparkly collage bits, they can make a collage with for 'show and tell'.

 

I also have a 'Star of the Day', their name card is placed on a special star of the day poster on the wall and they get to feed the fish and sit on a star shaped cushion for all carpet sessions the following day.

 

Our school has team points, and these are given for good behaviour at the end of the week.

 

I also have a trophy for the best sitting row (at carpet time), I have a tick chart, they get ticks throughout the week and the row with the most tick wins the trophy.

 

I used to work in a pre-school and nursery where there were no set sanctions for children and this was ok. But once I worked in a Reception class without any real rewards or sanctions and it was a nightmare. So I decided to put all these strategies into place once I had my own class, and they work very well.

 

Parents are informed of the rewards and sanctions from the start, and they are very supportive.

[Guest]

Lorna W - thank you for the links. The second link regarding the phrase 'Good job', which reflects on the impact that adult praise has on young children's long term emotional development is very thought provoking, and is an area I explored whilst studying. We also touched on aspects of safeguarding with regards to 'rewards' and the potential implications of 'creating' children who are 'programmed' to constantly seek to please adults. I must admit I personally do constantly praise children (both effort/'work' and behaviour) , and I'm aware I need to learn more about alternatives to this in order to both raise children's self esteem and ensure that the environment is not constantly disrupted by some children's unacceptable behaviour - BUT, that also has long term benefits for the children, not just short term for the setting !?

 

Where I'm currently working they 'praise' children for making 'good choices' - having explained previously what constitutes a good or bad choices.

Really enjoying the different perspectives/views on this topic.

Edited August 28, 2012 by Guest

[Guest]

My daughter goes to a school where it seems the whole school policy is that their reward for being good, punctual, having good attendance etc is the actual act itself. She's just come out of reception and never came home with stickers, certificates and so on. The reception teacher set up the planet reward system mentioned earlier on in the thread.

 

I did go on a course once where they weren't advocating rewards and that chn should choose to do the right thing for the right thing's sake. I totally agree, but isn't it nice to have something to say you've achieved that? To stand out from the crowd and be a good example?

 

I know I like to treat myself to something when I've reached a goal, achieved something, like buying a nice new top when I've lost some weight!!!!!!!

[Cait]

I agree, it's nice to have someone say, 'wow! Well done you! Stick at it!'

 

As a society I believe we have to learn that there are on consequences for bad behaviour. It's not nice to grab a toy from another child, in the same way that it's not nice to grab someone's handbag when we're older, there has to be a limit on expectations of behaviour. There's even a goal about understanding that there needs to be rules in order for everyone to get along together.

 

I think we all have to setup the sanctions that work for us, with our team of adults and children, one that we can stick to and apply without fear or favour to all adults and children in our settings. We need to know that the rules are consistent and fair and make sense.

 

So whether we use wall charts or time out spots or whatever, it needs to be in a justifiable, well thought out and reasoned way. We don't treat anyone, adults or children in a way we wouldn't want someone to treat us, or our children, in any given situation.

 

[Guest]

as reception may have been to a preschool where behaviours you don't want have been acceptable, or there have only been a few children and lots of space and enough resources for each child to have one

 

WOW really!!

 

I used to work in a pre-school and nursery where there were no set sanctions for children and this was ok.

 

why do schools have such a downer on pre-school/nursey?

 

Its not a free for all where the children do as they please and see no consequences to any behaviour they display. Pre schools and nurseries(not all) do have systems of rewards and systems to address unacceptable behaviour just because the children are not publically humiliated....which you will why is it seen as letting them get away with bad behaviour. In my nursery we focus on positive behaviour they are rewarded instantly no matter how big or small there good behaviour is.....if they use unacceptable behaviour they are reminded of the good behaviour and we talk about the impact the bad behaviour has on others(age appropriate to the child). Rewards should be instant which in most non-school nurseries and preschools they are our children don't have to wait all week to get a reward for good behaviour!

 

Oh and they don't have enough toys for one each they learn to share in preschool and nursery too.....shocking huh!

 

I hate the whole class reward system of golden time(you were so good on Monday have a nice day on friday :mellow:) .......the good kids just get it without any sort of recognition for their behaviour where as the kids who have misbehaved with these public humiliiation reward charts not only get humiliated while they sit on the thinking chair, again while the teacher draws their classmates attention to the fact they are there, then again and again by every passing adult has to add in why they are dissappointed they're sat on the chair and just for good measure they get it again when they miss golden time

[millhill]

I don't have a 'downer' on pre-schools and nurseries. I worked in a pre-school for 8 years and managed it for 5. My point was that we didn't have 'set' sanctions, as we took children from 2 years old and a set sanction system would not be appropriate for children so young.

 

Why should children be rewarded instantly? Do we as adults always get instant gratification for our efforts? Children who behave well throughout the week get a special reward at the end of the week. What's wrong with that?

 

I hate the whole class reward system of golden time(you were so good on Monday have a nice day on friday :mellow:) .......the good kids just get it without any sort of recognition for their behaviour where as the kids who have misbehaved with these public humiliiation reward charts not only get humiliated while they sit on the thinking chair, again while the teacher draws their classmates attention to the fact they are there, then again and again by every passing adult has to add in why they are dissappointed they're sat on the chair and just for good measure they get it again when they miss golden time

 

I don't do golden time, neither do I continuously taunt a child for being in time out (or allow children or other adults to do so).

 

I rarely have to use my sanction system, but when I have, it has worked and most children do not to repeat their behaviour. And as I said previously, working in a Reception class with no set sanctions was very difficult, just talking to children about the wrong they had done to others didn't seem to matter to some of them. Children of this age can find it difficult to empathise with others, as research shows they are generally self-centred at this age. So a little talk about their behaviour sometimes does not get through to them. Occasionally we have to resort to what is referred to as 'public humiliation' (or putting their photo on a cloud and some time out from whacking another child) to make them feel upset about what they have done.

Edited August 28, 2012 by millhill