Growing up is not about having fun all the time. It is also about teaching kids to become responsible individuals. One of the most challenging tasks a teacher in a daycare centre may have to undertake is teaching kids to clean up their own mess. But since these educators are after the total wellbeing of your kids, they will exert the best effort they can to ensure that your kids will grow up to be very responsible in the future. Here is how daycare centres teach hygiene routines to your kids.
Make cleaning fun
Teachers do that by choosing a specific song that kids can use when cleaning up the classroom. They can call this as a ‘dedicated clean up song’ which can signal the kids to start cleaning up the room once they hear it. The song should be long enough to allow kids to finish their chores inside the classroom. It will also become more fun if the teacher sings the song together with the kids.
Assign specific tasks
Cleaning up includes different roles that every child must be familiar with. Never expect that kids can do the same chores every single day over and over again. There are specific tasks assigned to a certain group of kids which they should work on for the entire week. Different set of tasks will be assigned every week thereafter making sure that all kids will be given the chance to do all the chores expected for them to be familiar with.
Post signs that encourage hygiene
In daycare centres, visual aids are not simply used to help children learn their lessons. It can also be used to help them set a cleanup routine. These visual signs are posted all around the classroom with the goal to encourage kids to tidy up their places and clean up their mess. It will also teach them to be responsible after oneself. Visual signs are likewise placed in activity areas where papers, crayons and all other materials need some cleaning up after each use.
Inject play into the cleanup routine
Children easily get bored with a single task. After a couple of minutes, they can end up leaving their assigned task when they find it so taxing already. The good thing about daycare teachers is that they know how to inject play with this responsibility. They can simply use common play activities like ‘Simon Says’ to let kids do their task. They can shout “Simon Says put pieces of paper in the recycle box” and kids will definitely follow.
Make the experience rewarding
Aside from setting the clock to signal kids when it is time to start and stop their cleaning chores, teachers can make cleaning more fun by simply rewarding kids who finish their tasks before time. The reward can be anywhere from extending play time after class hours to giving simple tokens of appreciation to kids. Using stamps that say ‘good job’ are also used to praise kids for what they have accomplished.
They are very specific when giving praises to kids
Having mentioned the importance of praising kids for accomplishing their cleaning tasks, it is also crucial for daycare teachers to make sure the praise is very specific to what has been done. Teacher A may tell Student B “I love the way you have arranged the books in the bookshelf” or “Thank you very much for making sure that the playing materials have been organised in the play area.” Specific praises will help kids feel more responsible because they will realise they have accomplished something at the end of the day.
With the presence of clean up routines in a daycare classroom setup, you can be sure that your kids will become more responsible in life later on. The best daycare in Vaughan value the importance of such routines for your child’s overall development.