Toddler Room blues

[dulciean]

Hello all! Just looking to share and maybe get some support- which you guys are so good at giving!
Ok- well I am three months in to my new position- assistant in the toddler room. I am enjoying the job- being in a NFP centre is great- the ethos/ pedagogy is fantastic. However- the room I'm in is chaotic to say the least!
The room leader is sweet and young but very inexperienced and seems well in over her head! she hasn't had the chance to develop her leadership/ communication skills. The other assistant is an hilarious older man with umpteen years in the industry- but whose second language is English and he is also techno/ computer phobic! The two of them have struggled along for some time but the room standards have dropped and dropped and now I'm in there to help sort it by " gentle example" aargh- this is so hard! I was room leader in my previous position and now need to strike a balance between leading/ following/ not being a know - it-all!
Anyone working with toddlers ( fefe?) please send me some insight/ tips/ hints on how You manage and motivate your room. What are the key elements for having it run as smoothly as possible?
I was so spoilt working in the Preschool room for so many years- back to the learning curve for me!

[fchaudari76]

WIth tods as well as most other age groups routine is vital and esp with tods discipline
My previous job the tods were also chaotic and just ran amuck really. I taught them that when in circle time we sit nicely and if you cannot you get moved. Within 2 weeks yep they sat down legs crossed hands in laps perfectly.
We made proper lines to go outside hands on shoulders, if you ran you went back and walked out again properly.
Classroom rules were clear and revised each day and if they didn't follow they knew the consequences.

It would be hard going from being GL to assistant but regardless go to the GL and say you have ideas and could you have a trial period of 2 weeks to see if there would be an improvement ... if there is I am sure u will have both on board

Personally I think ppl leading in toddler rooms need to be experienced otherwise the room just goes nuts! its a super hard age group to deal with!

[justathought]

sounds like military school with all that discipline and walking with hands on shoulders (same as hands on head's really) in a line, I'll say no more.

[Lorina]

I was working in the toddler room as a room leader, for the past year and a half... Like you mentioned Dulciean, at the beginning it was a night mare... Children running a muck, throwing toys around, room a mess, it took a month or so to get it how I wanted but in the end the toddler room was enjoyable.

I'll back Fefe up on this and say that having a consistent routine is the most essential in the toddler room! At this age, the children will want to expect what comes next... I'm not saying you cant be flexible, that's all well and good but a consistent routine needs to be established.

Also, outside time is a very important factor for this age. Toddlers have a lot of energy and the only way they can release it is by outside play. How much outdoor time do you get? I found that having our outdoor time after morning tea was extremely helpful. With experiences planned on the curriculum it was not problem for me to st these up under the verandah itself for the children to be engaged in.

I also noticed that the more children are bored the more likely chaos will start, so make sure you rotate your experiences and add a variety of experiences such as messy, sand and water, creative, dancing, building for the children to engage in...

Toddlers will be toddlers they are angels one day and devils the next...lol... Being firm and telling them what is acceptable behaviour and following through on consequences is important... Toddlers even though they may be little they are very smart and are capable of finding out your weak points.. So when dealing with behaviour it's important to follow through with what you say...

Anyways, hopefully this gives you some confidence, maybe you just need to adjust your room routine as well as the environment in order to get the chaos under control...

If you need help with a routine, let me know...

Cheers ,
L.A

sounds like military school with all that discipline and walking with hands on shoulders (same as hands on head's really) in a line, I'll say no more.

Do you have any suggesstions on how to handle toddlers behaviour?

Justathought, I've noticed that almost all posts that you have written so far are very negative and from what I've read from your posts you've seem to have a lot of built up frustration regarding the Childcare industry. Every time you seem respond to a post it's never positive and with not much contribution..your'e entitled to your opinion however this forum is all about establishing a network to support one another in this Industry which will benefit us in one way or another... I'm sorry but you are more than welcome if you can make a supportive contribution although you might have had a bad experience in Childcare. I would appreciate your understanding.

[fchaudari76]

sounds like military school with all that discipline and walking with hands on shoulders (same as hands on head's really) in a line, I'll say no more.

justathought - Maybe you should refrain from saying anything as LA mentioned nothing you seem to say is positive or beneficial to anyone. You seem to like undermining other peoples processes and beliefs and it helps no one.

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It was making a train and yes to some people it may seem military and harsh but the way these children were before I took them on it was a bootcamp experience to get them on the right track again. To them it was fun, we made a train made chug chug noises and tooted like a train to go outside. Once they were out they could run around to their hearts content.

As LA also mentioned routines are always flexible, we always did group time sometimes 2, one in the morn one in the arvo, it was the action and consequence that never changed and was non negotiable (esp with the kids who really needed it).

Tods get bored quick so you have to plan well for the day and week, you cannot just leave them hanging while you "set up" an activity. Everything should be ready to go ... if they have to wait too long for things then they get naughty! Have different experiences each week, I used to have indoor and outdoor experiences just so that outside wasn't just for playing it was also for exploring and looking at trees and leaves and other things too, sometimes outside painting, drawing with chalk on the ground etc.

Limit what you have out on the shelves, if they have too much they end up just playing with something for 2 mins leaving it and then moving on to something new. I used to make sure work was put away before going onto something new and when we were done everyone helped tidy up. It gave the children a sense of responsibility and they actually really enjoyed helping to pack things away and did it well.

[dulciean]

Thank you LA & Fefe for those great responses- I was nodding my head whilst reading your wise words. I see moments through the day where the transitions are sloppy and allow for the children to melt into chaos as they wait to be moved to group time or other experiences. I have seen some improvements in the room- now there's three of us in there (16kids)it's a bit more manageable! I like the idea of a "2 week" trial to introduce some ideas I just Know will work- without looking like I'm trying to take over!
LA we have a routine of sorts, but I would Love to have an example from you to look at!
As for you justathought- I think the others have covered how I feel about your posts in general!

[fchaudari76]

My day used to be something like this

Open - 9am: outside play
9 - 9.20am: Circle time
9.20 - 9:45: Wash hands & have morning tea
9:45 - 10:45: work cycle
10:45 - 11:15: Music or outside gross motor activties
11:15 - 11:30: Circle time for yoga/exercises, stretching, songs (whatever really) .. wash hands
11:30 - 12:00: Lunch
12:00 - 2:00: Rest/Sleep
2:00 - 3:00: Afternoon craft, storytime, show-and-tell etc
3:00 - 3:30: free play
3:30 - close: outside play

[dulciean]

Thanks fefe- some of my Rooms's routine looks a bit like this outline, so the foundation is there.
Where are you working at the moment?

[fchaudari76]

I am working at Indooroopilly Montessori Children's House so the routine is a bit different to the one I posted as the children have a Montessori work cycle from 9:45 - 11:00

[cate8]

Fefe, I love your idea's and commonsense approach, awesome!! Routine and structure are vitally important to give little ones a sense of security and idea of what to expect in this big confusing world

[dulciean]

Just dropping in to catch up - my toddler room has settled a bit! I implemented some subtle changes - transitions are more effective using my tambourine and songs to get them gathered for various group / intentional teaching/ meal times etc. also have had a girl working with me with experience in the toddler age group -noticed a big change when she and I worked together( unfortunately it was temporary) . It's October so the year is creeping to an end- will hopefully have these strategies and more in place to get ready for the stream of new children graduating up from the babies room next year!