The Learning Ladder A Reading and Writing Curriculum for Early Care and Education Teachers, Children and Families

Safe Classrooms

As children learn such skills as walking, running, jumping and climbing, accidents can begin to happen. We can prevent injuries by making sure that our classrooms are organized so that children can move and play freely but safely.

Safety Rules

Another way that we can prevent injury is to ask children for their help in creating classroom rules. Use your classroom's circle time to talk about your rules and to get their ideas. Here are some things you will want to keep in mind:

• Talk about the reasons for a rule. Instead of the rule: We keep our hands and our bodies to ourselves, you might want the rule: Because we want to keep everyone in our classroom happy and safe, children keep their hands and their bodies to themselves.
• Find ways to say the rules in a positive way. Instead of the rule: We don't yell in the classroom, you might want the rule: We use our "inside voices" in the classroom.
• Make sure the rules have directions for areas in the classroom. For example: Only four children are allowed at the water table at the same time.

Finished the reading? Go to the activities for Part 3.

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