Preschoolers and role modeling

I am focusing on preschoolers. Preschoolers are being introduced for the first time to the school environment. They need to learn to follow simple directions, socialization, etiquette, hygiene and how to follow rules. It is very important that the environment that they are in is a safe and clean environment. Preschoolers do not have very long attention spans and need to be reminded of rules repeatedly. Remember some have never been introduced to rules before, it is an entirely new concept for them.

In our room we have the rules posted, next to each rule is a little picture that represents that rule. Every morning we go over those rules so that they are reminded of what they are and what is expected of them. Now obviously, seeing as how young they are they are going to forget and even test boundaries. Therefore it is our job to make sure the area is safe. The playground equipment is checked everyday for damages. The ground is looked over for anything that might be dangerous for the children.

We also model proper hygiene for the children. Before every meal we wash hands. When we leave the bathroom we wash hands. We even have a little song that we sing while we wash our hands to make it fun and to make sure they are washing thoroughly. When we sneeze or cough we do so into the crook of our arm. It is important to us that they learn this because sneezing into their hands only spreads germs. When the children leave for the day we have a cleaning checklist that the staff signs off on. The health of our children in so important, I take it very seriously. My own son’s health was damaged because of an unclean environment.

Another important thing we do is practice our emergency drills. Twice a month we practice our drills, someone is the “leader” and the “ender”. We all meet in a specific area and have a roll sheet to make sure everyone is there. Our staff also meets once a month to go over any updated emergency information. We have information sheets and also do role play. We want our staff to be calm and collected during an emergency so that we can focus all of our attention on the children and their safety.