Reply to Playground supervision of school aged kids (5 and up)

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Reply to "Playground supervision of school aged kids (5 and up)"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is OP.  Thanks for the input.  DD is only 2 so I'm not familiar with how it is with older kids.  The playground we regularly go to is for younger kids, like under 5, and these kids tend to be pretty well supervised.  Maybe 20% of the kids who come to the playground are on the older side and they are much less supervised. [b] A repeat scenario I've seen is where an older kid (like 5 or 6) is being annoying, but not dangerous to a much younger kid and refuses to back down when reproached by the caregiver of the younger child.  For example, blocking the one slide on the playground so no one can use it.  When it happens to me and DD, I ask politely at first for the kid to stop and if he doesn't, I tell him he's not being nice and take DD away.  [/b]It's kind of an awkward situation because most kids who are so much younger are not going to stand up to a five or six year old and the caregiver can do only so much.  It's one thing if a five or six year old is on a playground with kids their own age, but what if they're with kids who are much younger?  Does it still make sense to let them play mostly unsupervised?  I'm not trying to lead anyone to a certain answer; as a FTM of a young 2 year old, I'm still new at this and trying to figure things out.[/quote]

I have an almost 5 year old who does like to climb up slides and might be "blocking" it from time to time. I think it's good for him to use the play equipment as he likes and good for other kids/parents to ask him to move over, make room for someone else coming down the slide, share the space, etc. Kids that age are still working on the concept of taking turns, sharing space, etc. and they need to learn to navigate social interactions like and practice positive responses. It's totally fine to say, "excuse me" or to directly ask a kid to move over so your 2 year old can slide. Also a good idea to diffuse conflict with humor or fun (as a PP suggested, present the bigger kid with a "ticket" to pass, etc.) Imagine, if your child was old enough to engage with a 5 year old, how would you hope she would resolve the situation? Then model that behavior. I know sometimes dealing with bigger kids and their dramas/social experiments can be annoying, but it's part of playing in public spaces. Consider it all part of the learning experience for your 2 year old. [/quote]

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