2 yr old Daycare

[beachgurl_1988]

I work in a daycare center with a class full of two year olds. I am all by myself with 8 of them everyday. While I have 2 or so 'tame' children, the rest are wild, crazy, screaming and fighting. While I know that this is normal for 2's, I just need to know how to get them to mind me as the authority figure. The previous teacher just left for a new job and so I have taken them over. The old teacher just let them run around and had not much of a schedule.

My center does not approve of Time Out, we have to put the child at a table with something like a book or toy, and 'redirect' them away from the negative behavior. Yeah right! Our day is relativly structured, I come in at 9:30, do diapers, and put the children into 'centers'  (legos, puzzles and waffle blocks) at 10:30 they have a half hour of outside time, then diapers/potty, lunch and nap. After nap, diapers, and snack. Then we do centers, or music time or something like art/playdoh etc.

The problem is they do not respect me as an authority figure. They are constantly climbing on shelves, hitting, jumping off the tables. By 6:30 they make me want to quit my job!

Any advice is muchly appreciated!

[braveswaves]

its a shame your daycare doesnt approve of timeout.  it really works for us.  we dont smack but time out is good and only for 2 minutes at a time.

[beachgurl_1988]

Most of the kids at my daycare are in the early two age group. Meaning they are fresh from the toddler room and have just turned two.  The others, probebly about 3 or 4 of them are older, closer to 2 1/2. The first one to turn Three doesn't do so until like, March.

None of the Kids are showing intrest in the potty. At first I would take them to the bathroom and have them try and sit on the potty at every diaper change. However, most refused to sit on it, and the other ones have no intrest so i have nixed that so they only do so when they show an intrest in it.

[foam970fed002]

Good luck to you... I've been there and done that. I didn't take over that age group tho... I was with the 9-18 month olds. Are these kids potty training as well? I assume that these kids are about to turn 3 and just not listening. It's tough, I would try and get them to sit and listen for circle time, read a book out loud to them and talk a little about it. Of course use an age appropriate book... maybe something with animals, so you can make the sounds and hopefully they'll follow along and make the animal sounds... do more music time... have them dance around. Maybe even have a time where you make the animal sounds and act like the animal... kids love animals and will probably work.

Keep reinforcing the rules and keep telling them that jumping on the shelves and tables isn't safe. Maybe if the kids like doing that all the time, you need some sort of soft play equipment in the room that they can jump on and climb on. I know they had them in the center I worked in, and the kids loved it, and it was safe for them!

good luck to you