Playground Etiquette

What is playground Etiquette? As an Early Childhood teacher on playground duty, I was a vigilant and keen supervisor of all the children playing. I would scan the playground for risks, injuries, and issues that developed in the children's play or unkind behavior and quickly help positively reinforce and resolve the problems.

But as a mum, I am faced with a dilemma when taking my kids to a playground. I am still a vigilant and keen supervisor making sure I focus to support my very active one-year-old twin boys as they challenge themselves, develop positive risk-taking, and explore their environment building new skills. But where I have struggled is the lack of supervision and behavior of other children towards my own.

My boys are still quite young and other children view them as babies so they are often drawn to them. Not only do most children think babies are cute and want to interact, but when there are two of them they are really curious. What baffles me is when they are nasty or hurt my babies and the parents don't intervene. I feel uncomfortable and awkward as it is not my job to parent other children's kids and it would be overstepping often upsetting the parents and children. In this day and age everyone has different parenting styles can behave in any manner they feel appropriate, but not when it affects other children.

I make sure that my children are well supervised so that they do not hurt or get in the way of others. I am teaching them boundaries and playground etiquette such as to move to one side when climbing the stairs or ladder so others can get past. To share the playground equipment and areas so that others can have a turn. That sand is for playing not for throwing and that we go down slides, not up them. This is all to make sure that it is fair and fun for every other child there as well as instill politeness and awareness of others in my children.

I understand as children grow older it is easier for them to need less supervision, but when they are unkind or hurt my children and the parents arent supervising it makes me mad. All I can do is move my boys away and tell them to stop. But I feel frustrated that there is a lack of playground etiquette by some parents and children that ruins the experience for others.

I have been in multiple situations now where an older toddler has hit my boys for no reason and the parent has done nothing or older kids have said 'go away you are not allowed to play here to my boys. Being one-year-olds they have no idea and it is more hurtful for me to hear this unkindness than them, but they are happy, friendly boys and don't get into the other children's faces so it makes me sad in these situations.

I think playground etiquette is important for us to instill in our children so that from the start they are learning to get along with others, be kind, and aware of sharing spaces and the world we live in. I urge you to really think the next time you go to a playground with your child and make sure you are helping them learn these important lessons too so that it is a fair, fun, and safe experience for all children.