discipline ideas

[firsttimer]

I am a first time VBS director. We anticipate having about 40 kids from the surrounding community that are unchurched and unknown to us. Does anyone have any realistic discipline tips to have in place before we encounter problems?

[MissElle]

Discipline's a tricky one. Usually what I do is I have one person come with me, and pull them aside after a class or session if they've had negative behavior. This way there's a witness, but they aren't humiliated in front of their friends.

Also, try suggesting an alternative behavior. I had a younger kid who kept jumping off the stage today during music, and I asked him to show me how he could do the motions to the song. He was very intent on showing me how well he could do the motions. I verbally praised him a LOT and he was good for the rest of the time.

[jruckman]

The best approach is adequate staffing. I have at least 1 teacher or helper for every five or six students, and I have 1:1 staffing available for some special kids who I know will need extra help to make it through (we have a few who have autism spectrum disorders). Staff (including teen helpers) need to know that they are empowered, and in fact are expected, to step in quickly to redirect unacceptable behavior. Get to them before they jump off the stage for the second time, and as MissElle did, redirect them!

I've also talked in advance with some of our regularly-attending kids about inviting friends who don't have a church home and how they can plan to be of assistance to their friends (and any new kids) by helping them understand what is expected of them (appropriate language, appropriate behavior, etc....) and to be good role models during VBS.

Do you have members of the congregation who work in the local schools and may know the new kids? Having that "insider" knowledge helps tremendously; recruit them to help teach or register kids at the door and then be available to give a "heads-up" for a leader who needs to keep a closer watch on a particular kid. Also, placing that school employee in a position where the kids who don't know your church, but do know that person, can see them may help set a standard for how kids are expected to behave. Does that make sense?

Our kids program (after school one day per week during the school year) even put on their registration form this year a place for parents to indicate if that child has any kind of adaptive plan in place in school to help identify kids who might need a little extra help at church kid activities (if the parents wanted to disclose that). I'm not doing that for VBS, but it's a thought.
Janet

[kidstime805]

These are good ideas! In addition to adequate staffing, plan a realistic schedule that doesn't require too much sitting still time and that provides activities that involve kids. Also, the first day of my class I always briefly explain what I expect from the kids (listen when others talk, keep hands and feet to yourselves), and also what they can expect from me (I'll plan interesting things to do, I'll be ready every day to help them discover messages from God's Word).

[brutgers]

Praise always helps, as does rewards (this year we are giving out tickets to be redeemed at a prize booth) but after a very upsetting realization that some adults in our church refuse to deal with our naughty children...I poo pooed the adults and cracked down. We have a simple plan universally. Three strikes and you are OUT! You are led out by an adult to finish the time with your parents or some equally boring adult :)! In the past few months we've only lost two kids (course one of em was mine : P ). The children are free to return the next day....always forgiven and welcomed home.

[youthgumc]

We had several boys - one in particular - who were disruptive. I put them all in the same group (ame ages) with a very strong male co-leader. He happens to be a high school basketball coach, so the boys looked up to him. They needed that male presence and modeling - problems solved!! My new goal for next year is to have a male leader/helper in every group!! I think all kids need a healthy male example and a healthy example of men and women working together!