Free Play Rules

[Crystal]

I dont have any special rules during free play that don't apply to our entire day.

Play nice, safe and fair. Everyone has fun and is respectful.......

YES!!!! This!!!!!

[Crystal]

I know Chrystal posted about "this doesn't sound like free play" but I wanted to respond also.

Wow! After about 6 rules they started kinda blurring together. I don't seriously know as an adult if I could remember all those rules. I'm not joking either-that is alot to remember. I don't know if I could remember all those if I had made them unless I had a sign hanging up with them written down.

Some of them seemed to repeat themselves also, maybe that is why there seemed to be so many.

No kidding!!!!!

[Blackcat31]

That doesn't sound like "free play" at all.

"free" doesn't mean you can do as you wish. We live in the land of the free but we can't steal from each other or knock each others house down.

What specifically do you see wrong with any of the "rules"

Ok, I am going to intervene here and add that the free-play rules that Nannyde has posted are nothing new to what she has said before. This topic, at least between the two of you ladies has been discussed many times before, if I remember correctly, so I think it probably doesn't really need to be rehashed again.

Nan~ I think you are VERY good at what YOU do and YOU have a good thing going for YOU (and the parents who knowingly buy your services) and I respect that.

Crystal~ I also have a tremendous respect for you as I am also in the field of Early Childhood and fully understand what DAP and all the things that ECE teaches us today. What it all means and its importance.

We can both agree that Nannyde does things a lot differently than any "teacher" or EC theorist teaches us to do so it is pretty much a given that you two will NEVER agree on any of your chosen methods for caring for or teaching kids, so I think it is best if the two of you simply ignore each other or just stop quoting each other.

We all get it. You two are about as opposite as two people can possibly be so let's just let sleeping dogs lie.

I normally do not get involved (although as a mod maybe I should more often....) I don't know, I just hate stepping on other people's rights to express themselves and have an opinion, but seriously my inbox is full of PM's saying "I wish Nannyde and Crystal will stop replying to each other and all the drama etc etc" ..
.....so I am basically just passing on the message.

[Mary Poppins]

I always join in with the kids during free play time, not so much to enforce a million rules but to gently teach them how to play and how to play nicely. We focus on having fun, being imaginative and yes, sometimes it gets messy and loud but the kids love our free play time.

Then we all clean up, regardless of who played with what. I think it's important that they learn to help out their friends this way.

I have no set rules, just basic safety things I enforce depending on the circumstances of what we're doing and no one toy "has" to be used or not used a certain way. I believe in letting the kid's imaginations take over while learning how to share and play nicely and I am basically there as a mentor to help them do just that.

Plus, I love playing with the toys, too. After all, they are MINE!

[Crystal]

With all due respect BlackCat (and you know I do respect you) I have never debated with Nan about her "toy" rules. I didn't even know this list existed until she linked to it. I read it, I was shocked, and I responded. If she doesn't want to be disagreed with, and she KNOWS it will be disagreed with, then she shouldn't post it. And, honestly, why should I have to ignore something I completely disagree with? I imagine you would never ask that if it wasn't Nan I was disagreeing with.

And, hey, I have a sneaking suspicion that she enjoys the debate

[Blackcat31]

With all due respect BlackCat (and you know I do respect you) I have never debated with Nan about her "toy" rules. I didn't even know this list existed until she linked to it. I read it, I was shcoked, and I responded. If she doesn't want to be disagreed with, and she KNOWS it will be disagreed with, then she shouldn't post it.

Although, I have a sneaking suspicion that she enjoys the debate

I may be wrong about you two discussing this particular issue before and I apologize if I am, as I am not siding with either one of you. I just know that the way you two run your programs is NEVER going to be the same and I know that you will never convince her and she will never convince you that the other is right, so I feel like the "debate" between the two of you is kind of moot.

You like blue and she likes red. Simple as that.

I agree that we all have a right to share and express our opinions, I just think it should be towards or in response to the thread OP and anyone and everyone else besides between the two of you. (Sorry, I DON'T mean that snarky )

It just seems that you two are so opposite that conversation is pointless. You aren't going to help her see the light and you will never see hers......kwim?

[daycare]

ok so here is my take on Nan's rules.

I have a PHB that looks like I am Hitler.....Do I follow it to a T, NO, but it is there for those that will try to take advantage. It looks bad in writing, but when you think about it, without those rules, I would not have control over my business.

I think it always looks worse on paper than it really is...or in words in this case...

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

Simple and applicable to more than free play. My rules are:

Be nice to people and things.

Be gentle with people and things.

Be generous with people and things.

My 3 to 5-year-olds handle these rules well, and if they see a classmate not following one they are known to correct them in a sing-song voice the way I say it. ::

[MizzCheryl]

my rules...

Be safe
Be kind
Be neat

sounds simple right?
But if you think about it that pretty much covers it all. I say Lil johnny is it safe, kind or neat to throw that?
NO!
I can get really specific with these rules.
Running in side?
Not safe, go back and walk.
Disrespect your friend, not kind!
rebuild their tower, Please
Knock down your playmate?
Not safe or kind.
Help them up and comfort them till they are feeling all better. Then when they feel all better they will let me know and you can go play.

[SilverSabre25]

I can sum mine up similarly to Clueless. Be kind to/respect yourself, to your friends, and the space around you.

And please don't make soup with Little People.

[Country Kids]

ok so here is my take on Nan's rules.

I have a PHB that looks like I am Hitler.....Do I follow it to a T, NO, but it is there for those that will try to take advantage. It looks bad in writing, but when you think about it, without those rules, I would not have control over my business.

I think it always looks worse on paper than it really is...or in words in this case...

Thats the thing though Daycare, if you start putting to much into something, alot of people can't take it all in and it all becomes a blur to them. Also, I sometimes have to go back through mine because I personally can't remember everything I put into it.

I think sometimes thats why people don't read them or just initial because
its overwhelming to them to see so much in print.

[daycare]

Thats the thing though Daycare, if you start putting to much into something, alot of people can't take it all in and it all becomes a blur to them. Also, I sometimes have to go back through mine because I personally can't remember everything I put into it.

I think sometimes thats why people don't read them or just initial because
its overwhelming to them to see so much in print.

Do have to agree with that 100%..... This is why I simplified my Admission agreements...

[nannyde]

First, you say that this is a "partial list" of the rules....I can not even imagine there being more. I am not copying all of the ones you linked to here even, but these specifically I think are borderline absurd:


Blocks only at the block table. NO other toys on the table. so, no toy animals, props to use with blocks?

No toys above the shoulders. Ihave never understood why providers do this.....yes, I realize it can fall down and hit them. it's a good way for them to learn how to build stable structures that don't fall.

Block towers.. build wide then build high. No tower height above shoulders. same as above.

Take block towers down don’t knock them down. Don’t take your friends down. I'll agree on the not taking friends down. As far as knocking their own down, well, Half the fun of using blocks is knocking them down.

One hand on cars or anything with wheels. No two handed walking/running behind cars. One car in one hand at a time. No running two cars at one time in each hand. do you really enforce using only one hand on a car? what a waste of time.


NO DUMPING we've discussed that on before....I won't go into it further.

No repetitive clicking of toys. Not even sure what this one means? Can you please explain?


No carrying around heavier toys. Pick toy out of bin and pick a piece of floor to play with it.


Two kids only on each big toy (like kitchen or doll house) I cannot imagine limiting the kitchen to two kids....we have some fab tea parties and restaraunt play with much of the group at one time.

No “roar”ing or other loud animal sounds or monster sounds. seriously? they cannot dramatic play animal sounds?

No “stacking” large heavy toys on top of small toys. Stacking needs to have the base be broad and the top not be top heavy. I think this is one they need to learn on their own, from experience.


Play all “non fixed” toys on floor. Fixed toys are kitchen, doll house, tool bench, block table and the toys that are with those sets. I have never really understood the no table thng you have there, could you please explain it to me?

No dropping toys. When you get them out PLACE them on the floor. When you put them back PLACE them in the bin or slot.
Do you mean intentionally dropping them? I cannot imagine that it never happens accidentally, so you must mean intentionally?


I get to define “play” though. Well, of course you do.

I don't have time to do all...... here's a few:

Build wide then high ... take down: You like build high-knock down. I like "build wide... build high.. then TAKE down". "build high-knock down" takes a few seconds. "build wide.. build high... take down" is much harder and takes a lot longer. All of my kids from VERY young new walkers can "build high-knock down". They are master knocerdowners from the time they can walk without ANY experience at child care. "Build wide.. then build high off of wide... then disasemble one by one" ... now THAT takes some effort and gets progressively better as they become more competent. It's great exercise and nets phenomenal blockers. happyface

"one hand/one car": that's to combat running behind cars. I've had too many crashes into new walkers to allow running behind cars. That's just my personal preference mixing in age one to fives. It is easily accomplished by the "one hand/one car" rule. They "get" it around fifteen=eighteen months.

The "floor based play" has also been written out specifically here many times. That should answer your table quesitons.

Partial list: I didn't add things like "no licking" "no spitting on toys". The list is partial because it doesn't address every possible playing issue.


I think that answered most of your questions. We are just completely different and that's cool. I don't understand how or why you do what you do. I don't even try. You lost me a long time ago with "art supplies always out for thirteen month olds" :: We are so far apart we aren't in the same universe.


I think your concerns are pretty simple to figure out. I advise searching this board to see where providers would have specific play issues.

For example you asked about no roaring. Search the word "roar" and you can see a number of posts about it. Here is one: https://www.daycare.com/forum/showth...highlight=roar

dumping and dropping: https://www.daycare.com/forum/showth...highlight=cars

and on and on...

There are SO many examples of providers issues with the behaviors that my rules speak to. To understand "why" I have the rules... read the forum here and stay in touch with working providers of all levels of experience.

[daycare]

Thats the thing though Daycare, if you start putting to much into something, alot of people can't take it all in and it all becomes a blur to them. Also, I sometimes have to go back through mine because I personally can't remember everything I put into it.

I think sometimes thats why people don't read them or just initial because
its overwhelming to them to see so much in print.

oh and the kids don't have to read the rules either, so I don't thin any of that applies to them..... Unless your baby can read.......hahah I hate those gimmicks...

[Country Kids]

oh and the kids don't have to read the rules either, so I don't thin any of that applies to them..... Unless your baby can read.......hahah I hate those gimmicks...

Very true-::

I know though if you here to much "don't do this/don't do that" your ears start tuning things out.

If there are like 5 basic rules I think the kids are more adapt to doing them, then trying to learn 15 and can only remember 1/3 of them.