naughty step

[Elkie Mawdsley]

My mindees mum has written into the handover book that she has been using a naughty step at home and asked me to use it here too. It is my understanding childminders should not use this behaviour method. I instead explain the reason the thing he was doing was wrong and how it made the other person feel etc. Is that right?

[bunyip]

It'll be right for a few years until the next fashionable method kicks in.

Personally, I prefer The Boot Fairy method.

[AliceK]

We don't have a Naughty Step (although judging by the fact that most children call it that they obviously have one at home) but we do have a Time Out Step. I do ask children to go and sit there if I feel their behaviour warrants some time out and then I will go and speak to them about their actions after a short period of time. I don't see anything wrong with it. If a child is lashing out at other children for instance it does them and everyone else some good to be taken away from the play and have time to calm down. With my own children if their behaviour gets out of hand I will send them to their room but that isn't an option with minded children so they get sent to Time Out.

xxx

[mum67]

Bunyip, could you send the boot fairy over to my 3 year old grand daughter please.

[Kidston]

I sit my daughter out and plan to do the same with middies. Every nursery I have worked at we did too. I wouldnt call it the naughty step but just calling it sitting out.

[mum67]

You could ask mum to try the sad/happy cloud. Works a treat at my nephews nursery. A photo of the child is placed on the sad cloud and the teacher says "aww look now you have made me and Miss xx sad and all the other children are sad too (they all put the sad faces on for effect) shall we see if you can make us all smile again soon" within minutes the child is doing their best to be back on the happy cloud again. It's brilliant.
Parents see a lot of naughty step on nanny 911 and think it is the way to go.
Can't wait for that woman to have her own children and see how she deals with them.

[watford wizz]

I would just explain to mum the system you are already using and use the same method with all the children. Otherwise using different systems will be very difficult for you and the children. I use time out, wait for a genuine sorry, discuss action and solution offer a hug and reassurance that it's the behaviour not the child that's wrong, consequences if needed, so this can be used anywhere, anytime I think children would find it difficult to wait till they got home to the "naughty step" although am aware this is often what parents do.

[Simona]

My mindees mum has written into the handover book that she has been using a naughty step at home and asked me to use it here too. It is my understanding childminders should not use this behaviour method. I instead explain the reason the thing he was doing was wrong and how it made the other person feel etc. Is that right?

A very long time ago parents could ask a cm to smack their child...eventually this was forbidden as cms refused to do so
Your policy is your practice statement...I am sure parents may disagree with some practices but they may have to 'compromise'....some parents may ask for their children to be given rubbish food but it does not mean we will follow that.

Is there any evidence that the naughty step actually works?

[bunyip]

I doubt whether there is empirical evidence that any behavioural technique works enough of the time to regard it as scientifically reliable.

Those who favour such research/psychology/evidence-based method would do well to remember that one can modify the behaviour of lab rats using electric shocks, though my own utility bills are already big enough without having to zap my mindees every time they mis-be-time-out or whatever the Thought Police allow us to call it this month.

Let's be honest, if you go back far enough, you'll find that the prospect of hanging* never stopped children from stealing sheep or picking the odd pocket, so I wouldn't hold out too much hope that any sort of step or even such cruel and unusual measures as employing the word 'naughty' is likely to be all that effective.

*NB. Bunyip does not recommend capital punishment as a behavioural technique. (According to my risk assessment I just don't have enough space to keep all the bodies.)

[FloraDora]

Just google naughty step and you get pages and pages of why it shouldn't be used.

Your parent signed your behaviour policy, if it is working for you with this child then you should be confident and discuss your behaviour strategies/ policy and state thats the way you are going to continue, you don't have to do the same as at home.