Looking for something and a question

[Rea]

I read something about getting children to line up. It was a piece questioning the reason and the futility behind it. I've searched the forum but havent had any success.

Does anyone know what I'm looking for and can point me in the right direction?

I felt my head was going to explode yesterday listening to our Deputy!!! :wacko: :wacko:

 

One more thing, has anyone been told by anyone that we mustnt tell children to say 'please' and 'thank you'? I was told we mustnt do it because the child might not have those words at home :blink:

I'm not going to stop, just wondered what everyone else is being told.

[louby loo]

Interestingly we were told at recent training that actually children do need to line up! The reason behind this thinking was they need to be able to line up quickly for a swift evacuation of building [good point]

 

We were told to incorporate this within games and song time though and not for washing hands etc.

 

 

Please/ thank-you. We do, and as part of British culture it is what we do in our setting. I fully understand that in some cultures it can be seen as begging to say please and if necessary we do adapt the actual wording.

 

x

[finleysmaid]

we line up when we exit the pre-school (for whatever reason!!) it is in our risk assessment....so we know that all children are in 2's and any 3 will be at the end. We would be unable to move safely down a pavement if we didn't !!...however if we are on the fields etc then i don't really worry as long as there is an adult at the front oand another at the rear.

Please and thank you is about respect for others/paying attention to the speaker,listener/accepting rules and boundries etc etc etc! I don't care what other think i will still expect these responses...call me old fashioned but in my opinion this world would be a better place if people had more manners....i get SO cross when i let people pass in cars and they don't say thank you :angry:

[Guest]

I stand to be corrected but there is not a single culture where a form of 'social grace' does not exist (Please enlighten me, if anyone comes across a culture that exists without...) .... :blink:

 

.....and not only that, a small aspect of successfully functioning in this society is to be respectful and that goes a long way! :wub:

 

Well, I like the masses (well Rea, loubylou and finleysmaid) shall continue...onwards and upwards!

[blondie]

we too encourage the children to use please and thank you when appropriate - my best way is at snack time when i ask the children whether they would like milk or water - the ones that say please are able to choose the colour of their cup whilst those that dont are given a cup without any choice - i always ensure i say well done for saying please too :0)

[blondie]

ps i also remember reading something about it not being worthwhile asking children to line up and sorry i too cannot remember where it was x

[Guest mukerjee1]

Manners are also a useful way of expressing yourself. I recall one young man aged five, who when asked by a frustrated TA if he had ever learnt to say thank you replied that he had been told to say thank you to his mum for his baby brother, but what he had really wanted was a puppy...'

[Panders]

Surely it can only be for the best to learn and use the social cultures of whatever country we reside in to get along with our fellow man. Once our doors are shut and we are in our own home culture that is a different matter.

 

With regard to queuing/lining up,are we to teach our children by example that we can just have a free for all? That we can just barge our way to what we want regardless of anyone else or safety?

[flowlow]

Funnily enough was on my update for positive behaviour and was told that we shouldn't be getting children to line up unless there is a good reason (for example apparently lining up for going out on a walk was a good reason but lining up for washing hands was not!) we were also told that please was not essential and for a child with behaviour problems we should not say please because and I quote 'that it was like begging them to behave' however we should say thankyou. Sorry should only be used if we know for certain that the child understands the underlying concept behind the word!!!!

 

Can't help wondering if that is why everyone is so rude these days!!!

[lashes2508]

Manners cost nothing but mean everything ! and I will always expect it from children and adults alike. as for the line up thing I too read this recently was it Teachertom site -will check now - it referred to children having difficulty and many children don't know what it means to line up - easier to group them and stops the pushing and shoving

[Inge]

FORMER CHILD , standing in line..

 

was on FSF addicts... way way way down!!

[lashes2508]

aha you were my other suggestion Inge - well done

[blondie]

my best one was when at snack table a child said water when asked what they wanted to drink - i said and whats the magic word - they replied abracadabra lol - my fault i suppose lol x

[finleysmaid]

FORMER CHILD , standing in line..

 

 

Humm not sure i agree with much in this article....but perhaps my pre-school children are a different breed? :blink:

We rarely have pushing, they don't line up for long times, they know it is to keep them safe, they only do it if we need them to, we play little games if we have to wait, my sen children are added last so that they join when we are moving!

I guess you need to do what is right for your children and your setting. Ours is on a high street they need to know how to walk on pavements safely holding hands (either with friends or with parents!). I don't have a problem with children waiting sometimes....we all need to learn that we have to wait for some things

[SueJ]

I don't have a problem with children lining up / queuing - think of the learning opportunities - ordinal number, prepositions, following instructions, becoming aware of the customs of others (queueing is after all a very British disease and hopefully learning about some British customs in the UK isn't a wholly bad thing!)

 

As for please and thank you - what is so very wrong with learning some social graces

 

Dan Hodgins the man behind the article is an AMERICAN - perhaps its a culture clash - they don't quite get queuing over the pond :lol:

 

Oops my inner Xenophobe creeping out there

[lashes2508]

perhaps it could be part of our teaching of cultures and understanding of the world - right kids today we are going to learn to line up as it is part of our culture but to make sure you have an understanding of the world and other cultures we are going to let you push shove and basically be indifferent to those around you especially at airports , euro disney and anywhere else you may think you need to queue or line up - unfortunately not everyone will have the good manners we taught you but there are exceptions to the rule - when in Rome ..........

[lynned55]

I can remember many years ago now that we shouldn't insist on children saying please and thank you as in some languages the equivalent word just doesn't exist. Well this was on a course and it made my blood boil then and quite frankly still does now.

Please does exist in the English language and that is what I am speaking as i live in a country that speaks it and should use it along with the words thank you a lot more often. Really, it's no wonder so many people are so rude now. I wouldn't insist on a child saying it but as with my own children I cant help it, if they say please or thank you I automatically say Good boy/girl and just as automatically 'What do you say' pops out if they dont. I have frequently had excuse me, pardon me or even sorry on occasions!. But surely this is all part of learning and it is a crying shame that more people dont learn it. I HATE bad manners, saying please or thank you costs nothing yet can make such a difference. Honestly I am just turning into a grumpy old woman!!

 

I'm not even going to comment on the queuing thing, But just to add lashes is correct - when in Rome and all that.

[Rea]

Thanks Inge, exactly what I was looking for. Brilliant, I may adapt that or something

I dont have a problem with lining up per say, but our deputy made the children line up and then kept saying 'in your line', 'get to the back now you've moved', 'wheres the line'.... It went on and on and another staff member started telling the children we can have straight lines, wiggly lines, curved lines etc, because she could see my face! :huh:

[apple]

I fully understand that in some cultures it can be seen as begging LoobyLou can you tell me which cultures this is seen as? Just curious

Along with please and thank yous we also encourage our children to say 'You're Welcome' :-)

Lining up - sometimes it is necessary to save the argy bargy brigade. They certainly have to be able to do it when moving into school - surely that is what the powers that be, meant when they talked about 'school readiness' in the revised EYFS!