Summer Safe Play Rules And Explaining It So They Understand

[Sunshine44]

I would not be very happy if my child fell and say broke an arm because they were standing on the teeter totter and the provider did nothing, just let them do it. I would be ticked off. It would be something that could have been prevented had the proivder made her use the equipment how it is meant to be used. Just sayin'.

Kids should be kids, yes...but there is a reason we are the providers, the adults. We have to make rules for the children to keep them safe. I won't risk someone falling and breaking something because they are using something incorrectly. If that's the case, why not let them stand on the table and learn to balance there? If they fall, oh well. I mean, kids get hurt enough just using things correctly these days.

[Blackcat31]

I would not be very happy if my child fell and say broke an arm because they were standing on the teeter totter and the provider did nothing, just let them do it. I would be ticked off. It would be something that could have been prevented had the proivder made her use the equipment how it is meant to be used. Just sayin'.

Kids should be kids, yes...but there is a reason we are the providers, the adults. We have to make rules for the children to keep them safe. I won't risk someone falling and breaking something because they are using something incorrectly. If that's the case, why not let them stand on the table and learn to balance there? If they fall, oh well. I mean, kids get hurt enough just using things correctly these days.

FTR: My tetter totter is a small plastic one in which the kids would only fall an additional few inches in comparison to their height. Not the big kind you see on a public playground or a park.

[ammama]

I feel so lucky that i'm in Canada, and we don't have the problem of being sued for everything! I don't have to worry about the medical bills, since our public health plan covers all things like that.

I really try to limit my rules, especially outdoor rules. Kids need to learn their own physical limits, or we end up with these major risk taking 10 year olds who don't really understand that jumping 20 feet from a tree will break their leg, or worse.

I supervise closely outside, and stop behaviors that might hurt someone else (like throwing sand at someone, for instance, pushing etc), but I let my dck's climb trees (none venture more than 3-4 feet off the ground anyway), go up the slide, scale the fence, even go backwards on the sidewalk. I very rarely get minor injuries, and have never (knock wood) had anything even remotely serious. If they are doing something that is risky, i'll spot them (as unobtrusively as possible) in case they fall.

If there is something that repeatedly bothers me or I just don't feel that I can adequately supervise to prevent someone from possibly seriously hurting themselves, I will remove it, or change it somehow to make it safer.

[daycare]

I guess for me I dont feel its my job to teach the kids about taking risks.....thats why parents need to spend time with thier children.... But as we know that is a whole different thread......

[Crystal]

I would not be very happy if my child fell and say broke an arm because they were standing on the teeter totter and the provider did nothing, just let them do it. I would be ticked off. It would be something that could have been prevented had the proivder made her use the equipment how it is meant to be used. Just sayin'.

Kids should be kids, yes...but there is a reason we are the providers, the adults. We have to make rules for the children to keep them safe. I won't risk someone falling and breaking something because they are using something incorrectly. If that's the case, why not let them stand on the table and learn to balance there? If they fall, oh well. I mean, kids get hurt enough just using things correctly these days.

I wouldn't just let a kid fall and break something. I spot the children when they do this. I am right there to catch them if they fall. Like blackcat said, I also let the parents know, before they enroll, my philosophy of care and education, and cover the playground aspect of it with them. If they don't feel it is safe, then they move on.

Oh, I do let them stand on tables, the ones outside, ! They jump from the picnic table all the time.

[Meyou]

I'm with the let kids be kids group on this one. I run a very active, outdoors-as-much-as-possible program and my kidlets are tough cookies! I NEVER take families that aren't healthy, outdoors loving, active families that do things with their kids. Those kids and parents just don't fit in here. I want kids that run fast, jump high, climb like monkeys, get filthy and brush off a scraped knee with an "I'm OK!" and keep going. And I want parents that WANT that old school, play outside, get dirty mentality for their kids.

My parents wouldn't dream of suing me anymore than they would dream of blaming me for a skinned knee.

I make sure everyone is safe and noone is doing things that aren't age appropriate but I let them play. If 2 year old DCG wants to try and climb the little tykes slide she can go for it. If she's too scared to try until she's 3, that's ok too. If someone scraps a knee from running on the sidewalk we brush it off and have hopping contests until the stinging stops and we can run again.

Different rules work for different groups. As long as the kids are having fun and everyone is safe it's all good for me.

[Cat Herder]

My own kids jump/climb/swing from their 30ft high treehouse. They fly through the woods on their zipline. They swim freely in the river with their large breed dog. They wrestle on the trampoline, own/use power tools and shoot each other with paint guns. They are mine and I foot the bills...

That being said, they KNOW HOW to behave on a public/school playground. I taught them myself. I always had a big grudge on for those parents who let their kids be hellions at the local park. They ruined it for everyone and should have been kicked out.

The daycare kids are almost bubble wrapped . I had a 3yo kid doing head to floor somersaults, on a toy free gym mat, without shoes and bite his own lip. That alone cost me 2 phone calls, 3 emails, 1 text AND 1 hour of paperwork. NOT worth it. ::

Can you imagine the drama if he had bitten his lip doing a face plant while running UP the slide on my watch.... I just view it as preparing them for school and local parks and call it a day.

[Meyou]

My own kids jump/climb/swing from their 30ft high treehouse. They fly through the woods on their zipline. They swim freely in the river with their large breed dog. They wrestle on the trampoline, own/use power tools and shoot each other with paint guns. They are mine and I foot the bills...

That being said, they KNOW HOW to behave on a public/school playground. I taught them myself. I always had a big grudge on for those parents who let their kids be hellions at the local park. They ruined it for everyone and should have been kicked out.

One of my biggest pet peeves are children with no manners and no clue how to behave in public. My kids and my dck's know if there are other kids at the park we behave like little ladies and gentlemen and save the hellion behavior for home!! :P