Pros and Cons of this little project

[RedDragon]

I'm thinking of making a "Child of the month" in my Setting.

It would include a picture of them on the A3 poster I would make, they would receive a certificate and a little gift (maybe a bouncy ball or a large marble - you know the type of prizes that teachers give out).

They would get to be "Child of the month" due to kindness to others, sharing etc

Do you think it will work?

Has anyone else done it?

Do you think the children not chosen will be upset?

etc etc

Your thoughts please :D

[LisaMcNally09]

I can see the benefits of this. In my dd's nursery they have a child of the month!

However I can see how others might get upset too.

COuld you not have say 4/5 different catergories of awards. Like 'Most kind' 'Most helpful' etc..

Just an idea...hth:D

[huggableshelly]

I tried child of the wk and found it hard as the children became too competitative being overly nice causing even more issues and some children are only 2 days a wk.

I now use a credit card same as the mindees schools, they gain a stamp in a box (50 boxes on the card) for helping, being kind etc and all go at their own pace gaining a certificate once their card is completed that is displayed in my hallway then taken home at the end of each term. It works well for the afterschoolies, I dont use them for the preschoolers as they still enjoy their sticker charts and too young to understand the credit card idea.

Good Luck with it though, its worth a try!

[mama2three]

my initial thought is a month is a very long time for a child - maybe child of the week?
but beware , when they used to do this at my sons beaver group ( many moons ago) he used to win it most weeks , he listened , helped, was polite etc....the other kids just switched off , if anything their behaviour got worse as they thought there was no point in 'conforming' when they couldnt compare with connor. Eventually when the leader got wise to this and started to 'share' it around it completely lost its value as the best behaviour wasnt always rewarded.
dont know what the answer is though - i think it depends on the mix of kids you have?

[youarewhatyoueat]

Personally i'm not keen on this as it would make the others feel less worthy, are you doing it because the children are not being nice to each other and you need to find a way to encourage them?
As a parent I would like the reward for being nice to each other to come in the form of praise or a happy face drawn on a white board, something simple, and also instant, and something that you can tell mum when she arrives at pick up, I think that goes a long way to encourage nice behaviour.
What are you going to do if the same child wins each month?
You will soon find out which family has the competitive streak as this will become obvious with the child that wants to win.
Children should learn that it is normal to be nice to each other and we do it because we want to not to get a reward.
I think you may get a variety of answers to this.

[sarah707]

My partner tried this at his school... he gave out a small certificate, a special badge to wear and the child had a special tray (he's a chef).

It was fine for a couple of weeks, then one of the children chosen didn't want the special tray because it made her different from her friends.

The head stopped it after that as apparently a parent complained her child hadn't been chosen yet and was getting upset because he was always sooo good :rolleyes:

I'd say get parents on side and make sure they know their little poppet will have a turn before your start it :D

[RedDragon]

What great replies!!!

The main reason I am doing it is because I have loads of space in my new Playroom and I wondered what I could fill it with lol

The children I care for are all fantastic - not 1 of them is nasty, they all share and are kind to each other - I'm very lucky in that I don't have any bother from any of them. Any problems that I had when they first joined have all been sorted and we have a lovely calm setting.

So, no, it's not to improve behaviour just something to do to be honest.

Maybe I should fill the space with a big picture - I saw The hungry Caterpillar on a wall and really liked it so I might do that instead :thumbsup:

[angeldelight]

What great replies!!!

The main reason I am doing it is because I have loads of space in my new Playroom and I wondered what I could fill it with lol

The children I care for are all fantastic - not 1 of them is nasty, they all share and are kind to each other - I'm very lucky in that I don't have any bother from any of them. Any problems that I had when they first joined have all been sorted and we have a lovely calm setting.

So, no, it's not to improve behaviour just something to do to be honest.

Maybe I should fill the space with a big picture - I saw The hungry Caterpillar on a wall and really liked it so I might do that instead :thumbsup:

If you have lots of room why not get the children to do their own family tree
Draw a tree for each child and let them draw or use real pictures of their families to put on the branches
We did this and it was a hit with parents and children

Angel xx

[devoncm]

What about being picked for helper for the week? help with snacks and choosing activities etc, they do this at my dd school though its just for the day so everyone has a turn, you can make a badge they wear for the day and could give them a certificate at the end?

[Mouse]

If you want to fill the space, you could chose a child each month for an 'All About Me' display.

Agree with the children in advance which month they will have, then there is no arguing about whose turn it is. They can decide what they want to have on the display, based on their interests. All the children could contribute to the display, but on the theme chosen by the selected child.

It would mean each child had a 'special' display, but everyone is involved in it, so no one feels left out.

[RedDragon]

Mmm, some good ideas,

I like the All about me-think I will go with that :clapping:

You clever lot!!!

[Rubybubbles]

don't like the child of the month idea:blush:

bUT LOVE THE ALL ABOUT ME:thumbsup: Maybe the children could bring in photos of pets, toys ect?

[Tired]

please think very hard about child of the month.
My DDs school has star of the day. She is in year 2 now. Not once got it.
She is a good girl, the type not to stand out. Reports and parents evenings always say she is responsible, grown up, well behaved etc.

But she has NEVER in year R or 1 or so far in year 2, got it. She once said to me "I'm no good, however hard I try its never good enough" This made me cry.
A reward system should not make any child think this about themselves. She has low self esteem, despite all the praise we give her at home, and I think this is a major part of why.

If you do this, please make sure you do not miss out the good children, just cos you expect them to behave.

[RedDragon]

Yes, OFSTED said the only thing they could see that I needed to improve was communication between myself and parents. I do my part - newsletters, daily diary, Learning Journal, text messages etc but I don't always get a lot of feedback. It's not for the want of trying :rolleyes:

So, that might be a way around it - get the kids to bug the parents into bringing in pics of homelife.

My Development Officer suggested making a booklet with pics of things that are a comfort to each child - but how can I if I ask the parents and they don't bring things in?

So yes, that is going to be a good thing to focus on.

[The Juggler]

there's a lot of pros and cons about reward systems - too much to go into here. However, in a small setting it might be more noticeable for example if a more challenging child got the award despite behaviur issues or didn't ever get one because of the same.

What about the same number of awards as there are children in your setting. They could all be for different things - most helpful, most smiley, or whatever, then each child gets rewarded for something different every week?

[Lady Haha]

I still swear by my flower charts!!!! And if you have enough room, I would do it!!! There is never any competition between the kids here, they are too busy concentrating on their own chart! I used to get the sulks from others when one got on their flower, but then I told every one it would be nice to clap and congratulate that person instead and they would move up a place on their own chart for being so nice! They all clap and cheer now when some one gets on the flower and it's so nice to see!!!

Sorry, rambled about my flower charts again.....I need to get out more:laughing: