At the playground, kids burn off energy, make friends, and have fun, but playground safety and fun depend on proper playground etiquette. I follow these five simple rules whenever taking the girls out to play and I've found they go a long way to avoid dampening their fun. They help everyone have fun while staying safe and teach our children important life lessons!
1. Monitor Your Children
Once your kids race off to play, it's tempting to snag a bench and check email, chat with other caregivers, or relax. What happens, though, if a child falls off the swing, is bullied by another kid, or chases a butterfly down the street or out of sight? Monitor your kids and avoid becoming too distracted. As a bonus, your attention boosts your child's self-esteem and shows them that you love them and are proud of their climbing, running, and playing.
2. Promote Sharing
Sometimes when we visit the playground, a kid will hog the swings or skip to the front of the line for the slide. It's annoying, and this behavior affects our fun. That's why I encourage my girls to share the equipment and take turns. When they aren't sharing, I give them a warning, and they know we'll leave if they continue the behavior. When another kid doesn't want to share, I'll encourage my girls to switch activities so they can continue having fun or, in appropriate cases, I'll ask their caregiver to step in.
3. Follow Equipment Age Limits
When my younger daughter was a toddler, she begged and cried to go on the big slide by herself. However, it was way too high and fast for her. On the other hand, we saw a teenager try to squeeze himself into the baby swing yesterday, and I had to ask him to stop before he broke it. Proper equipment usage is essential for playground safety and fun. Before you visit the park, set ground rules so your kids know which equipment they can safely use. If your kid is the one trying to use equipment that's too small, remind them to stick with equipment that's their own size so the playground stays safe and intact for everyone. This also helps to keep the bigger kids from playing around smaller, easily stepped on children.
4. Deal Properly With Aggressive Children
One time, my kids and I visited a park where a boy kept hitting everyone. We ended up leaving earlier than planned, which was unfortunate. Has this ever happened to your family?
Encourage your kids to stand up for themselves without resorting to violence. They can tell the aggressive kid to stop and walk away if the bully continues the aggressive behavior. Also, you can calmly talk to the child's parent or caregiver as you all cooperate to keep the playground safe for everyone. If the aggressor turns out to be your child, leave immediately to show that behavior will not be tolerated and so everyone stays safe.
5. Pick Up Your Litter
I always take snacks when we visit the park; I don't ever want to be caught empty-handed. We always pick up our cracker wrappers and juice boxes, though, because it's our responsibility to keep the park clean. Bring a plastic bag for your trash and other park litter (don't forget the hand sanitizer!).
With these five rules of proper playground etiquette, your kids can stay safe and have fun as they play. What other etiquette rules do you encourage your kids to follow on the playground?
Find more about the author: Kim Hart
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