So i know someone posted a video about how kids need to be kids... I never got to see the video, as my computer would not play the video.

However, I have been having all kinds of issues with outside play when we go to the park.

I am pretty strict about the rules at the park/outside play and I do feel bad, but I dont want to risk any child getting hurt on my dime.

I had a parent complain to me this morning that they don't understand why the kids are not allowed to walk up the slides at the park. Why cant they run on the black top and etc...

How do I go about explaining in detail that the way kids play at home is not the same way that they can play here?

Have any of you had this issue? Do you send out a news letter? I don't want to come across sounding like hilter, so I am asking what your summer rules are for outside and how do you explain to the parents that while under your care, different rules will always apply?

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Umm, why can't they run UP the slide? Seriously! That is my biggest pet peeve. I do not allow my kids (even my own children) to go up slides. You go DOWN the slide, never up. Ugh. I'd tell them that for one going UP is dangerous and rude.

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Yes! It's just common curtesy.....just like getting in line.....you go to the BACK of the line....not the front!

That's a pet peeve of mine too!

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Thats the thing, we as providers get it.........looking at it from a parents prospective they dont get it..... They think I am being too strict and I am not allowing the kids to play..

I would like to type something up about why it's necessary for the parents to have face time with thier children, because here they are under strict rules which does not allow them to be "JUST a KID" and have fun. I try to make it as fun as possible, but there are just some things that I wont bend on no matter what. I mean if the parents want to allow their children to jump off the swings while in mid air, then they need to do that on their time.....

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Just shaking my head. One answer for both questions:

It's an accident waiting to happen. You do trust me to care for your children and keep them safe right?

Your care, your rules.

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You don't have to give them any detail of why. The answer is really simple.


The kids can get hurt when they are with you. They can't get hurt when they are with me.

It's one of the HUGE downsides of having your kid in public. If they want them to have the freedom they have when they are under parental care then they need to make sure that the child is under parental care.

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Exactly what I'm trying to get across in my news letter. Lol
I should have studied English better. It's a very hard language to read write and understand.

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In an effort to be consistent I teach my lil dc kiddies the same rules that our local elementary school uses.

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can you share those rules with me? I want to make sure that I am not being over the top about the rules I have made.

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"What's okay for one is not okay for many"

This is something I realized during the past year when I found myself making and enforcing rules I never thought I'd make.

It's okay for one child (playing in their backyard for example) to climb up the slide...but when many children do it, it's not okay, not safe, doesn't work, etc.

The same principle applies to many things...which are "daycare rules" in my house, where my DD is required to follow them during daycare time but free to do her own thing when it's not daycare time.

To explain it to parents, I would just tell them that rules at daycare are different than rules at home, for the safety of everyone. That the parents can make or not make whatever rules they want when the kids are in their care, but while in daycare, rules must be different.

(I'll admit I don't get why you won't let them run...most schools even let kids run on blacktop AFAIK...sure there are scraped knees waiting to happen but that can happen on grass too)

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Why no running on the blacktop... last year I had a dck runnin on the black top, tripped over her own two feet, fell and knocked her two front teeth out. NO more, if they want to run, run in the grass where it will soften the blow. Yes they still might get a litle hurt, but it will not be as bad as if they feel on the blacktop.

At my kids school both elementary, Jr and highschool, they also not allowed to run on the blacktop.

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At Daycare these are the rules. At home you have such and such a rule and that's ok. Here, we do it this way and that's ok too. I even let my own kids walk up the slide when we are not in daycare. They know daycare rules and home rules and it's never been a problem.

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This is taken from an old Elementary School PDF ....but it comes in handy. It is the best I have found as an example so far. This will be a long post.

RULES FOR PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT

Horizontal Ladder/Monkey Bars
a. Students take turns swinging underneath in one
direction. Students may not go on top of the
bars or sit on top of the bars.
b. If there is more than one child crossing on bars,
a line must be formed.
c. No pulling or pushing on the legs, arms, etc. of
any child on the bars.

Obstacle Course
The obstacle course is made
up of 6 events (hurdles,
climbing wall, chin up bars,
balance beam, horizontal
ladder and running track). It
is designed for up to two
students at a time to compete against each other
or to use solo.
a. No more than two students should be on an
event at a time
b. Students must go in the same direction on the
course
c. There should be no contact between students
on the course.
d. No sitting on top of the horizontal bars,
climbing wall or chin up bars.

Chin-Up Bars
a. Both hands must stay on bars at all times.
b. No shaking the poles.
c. No pulling or pushing on legs, arms, etc. of
students on bars.
d. No more than 2 people on a bar at a time.
e. Students waiting should count to 60 slowly to
gain access to bar.
f. No use of the bars will be allowed if there is
water underneath them.
g. No sitting or crawling on the top of the bars.
h. No swinging from side to side or bumping into
others on the bars.

Sand Area
a. Sand must not be thrown at any time.
b. Respect others’ sand creations, and do not
destroy them.
c. Sand must be kept inside the sand
area.
d. Walk. Don’t run, in the sand area.

HANDBALL AREA PLAYGROUND RULES

Ball Wall / Handball
a. No closed courts or games.
b. First person on the court calls the game and
rules.
c. No hitting/throwing ball over the wall.
d. If there is a problem with any part of the game,
a vote is taken to decide the ruling.
e. Ball must be hit/thrown within the court.
Anyone hitting/throwing the ball outside court
lines is out.
e. Game Rules which cause confrontations among
players and disrupt the recreational aspect of
the game are NOT allowed. These include:
Cross Country or Outside Courts -
throwing the ball from outside the designated
court lines.
Peggies or Pink Elephants - hitting people
close to the wall with the ball
Champions - when everyone in line is allowed
to go in the court.

BIG TOY AREA

Big Toy
a. No chase, tag or running is
permitted in the Big Toy
Area.
b. Students should not throw
sand or wood chips
c. Students should slide DOWN the slide. No one
should go up the slide.
d. No pushing or shoving is permitted
e. Students cannot block or hold up students from
using the equipment or sliding down poles or
the slide.

Rock Wall
a. No jumping off of the wall.
b. No pushing or kicking
c. Students should not sit on top of the rock wall

Twirling Bars
If there is a line of children waiting, the first person
in line may count to 10 twirls for the person
twirling. After 10 twirls, the next person may take
a turn.
a. Death Drops is not allowed.
b. Standing on the bar or “no-hands” is not
permitted.

Slide
a. One person can go down the
slide at a time.
b. Slide down, sitting, with feet in
front.
c. Climbing up the slide is not
allowed.
d. Do not block or prevent others
from sliding down the slide.

Swings
When there are children waiting, they
must stand in front of the person on the swing and
far enough away to avoid being kicked by the
swinger. The first person in
the line counts to 30 (one
count per swing) for the
person swinging. After 30
counts, the person swinging
must get off and it will be the
next student’s turn.
a. Must swing in the same direction.
b. No jumping out of swing.
c. One person on a swing at a time.
d. No going from side to side or twisting in a
swing.
e. No pushing someone in the swing
f. No holding hands while swinging.
g. Grabbing feet, etc. is forbidden.
h. No climbing on poles of swings or standing
between swingers.

BLACKTOP AREAS AND COURT GAMES

Basketball
Basketball is a game between two teams. Each
team has a basket. The object is to get the
basketball into the basket. Doing so earns the team
2 points each time The ball can only be moved by
the player dribbling (bouncing the ball) as they
move or by passing (tossing the ball ) to another
player. Players cannot make contact by hitting,
pushing or intentionally bumping into other players.
a. Basketball can be either a full court game or a
half court game depending upon how many
people want to play and how many courts are
available.
b. No pushing, intentional bumping, or
rough play is permitted.
c. Any fouls or disputed play should
be resolved by a jump ball or vote
of players.
d. Only a basketball will be used for
the game of basketball.

Four Corners
Four corners is played on a four square court. Four
players start on each far corner with a fifth player in
the center junction of the four squares. The object
is for the outside corners players to move from one
corner to another by exchanging with another
corner player. If the Center player gets to the
outside corner before an outside player does, the
outside player is out and the center player takes
that corner. A new player comes in to be the new
center player.
a. “Slidies” and “killies” are not permitted.
b. Disputed plays are to be voted on by all players
in the court and in the line.
c. Any time two players end up at the same
corner, the player who was originally at that
corner remains and the other player is out.

Four Square
Four square is a court game played with
a rubber ball. Each of the four squares
are labeled A, B, C or D. Square A starts
the game by bouncing the ball in their
own court and then bouncing it into one
of the other courts. The player in the other court
must then bounce the ball into another player’s
square. If the ball bounces outside the square or
back into the player’s own square, that player is
out. When a player is out, they go to the end of
the line and the first person in the line moves into
the D square.
a. This game must be played with a rubber ball.
b. Disputed plays are to be voted on by all players
in the court and in the line.
d. No “cherry bombs” or “inside corners” is
permitted.

Jump Rope
a. Long jump ropes are to be used with groups of
3 or more. Short jump ropes
are for individual use.
b. Jump ropes should never be
tied or twisted around any
part of a student’s body.
c. No “hot peppers” unless the
jumper requests it.

Nationball / Dodgeball
Nationball and dodgeball are very similar games that
involve one team inside the court area and the
other team outside the court. The outside team
has one rubber ball (dodgeball) or two rubber balls
(nationball). The object is for the outside team to
throw the ball at the players inside the court. If a
player inside the court is hit by the ball they are out
and go to the “out” line at the far end of the court.
If a player inside the court catches the ball without
dropping it, then the first person in the “out” line
can enter back into the game.
a. Only a rubber ball can be used in this game.
b. No “head hunting” (throwing at a person’s
head) or “knock outs” (throwing at a person’s
feet to knock them out from under them) is
permitted.
c. No closed games unless a Playground
Supervisor determines the game is too
crowded.

Tether Ball
a. No swinging, sitting, riding, or hanging on rope
or ball
b. No throwing rope; must hit ball
c. No kicking ball with foot
d. No wrapping rope at the top of
the pole so it can’t be hit.
e. No closed games
f. All students standing in line to
play must stay out of the playing circle.

FIELD AREA RULES
The field areas are primarily used for games and
activities that involve kicking or throwing a ball or
running. Unsafe activities such as tackling, body
slamming, dog piling, slide tackles, or sweeps are
not permitted anywhere on the field areas.
Tag and chase are not permitted because they
often end up in pushing, tripping, tackling or
fighting. These are behaviors that hurt or injure
others. Therefore, tag and chase are not allowed on
the playground.

Flag Football
Only one game of football is permitted. Football is
only permitted at lunch time and only flag football.
There are two teams with each member of each
team wearing a different colored set of flags. Once
the football has been hiked, the team can run or
pass the ball. If the person with
the ball has their flags pulled or
the ball hits the ground the play is
stopped. The object is to move
the ball into the goal end for your
own team.
a. No closed games
b. All players must wear flags
c. Only a school football can be used.
d. The game must stay within the football area
and cannot “wander” around the field.
e. No tackling, tripping, dog piling or other unsafe
contact will be permitted..
f. All flags and the football must be returned to
the Field Ball Cart at the end of the lunch
period.

Kick Ball
a. No closed games
b. All players on the team that is up must line up
in their kicking order behind the home plate.
c. Only one kicker at a time.
d. The ball must be rolled to the kicker, not bounced.
e. The runner is out if tagged by the ball or if the
ball is thrown to the base to which the runner is
headed before the runner is there.
f. The ball cannot be thrown at the
runner.
g. The runner cannot leave the base
(take lead offs) until the ball is
pitched.
h. No sliding into the bases.
Soccer
a. No closed games
b. No tackling or slide tackling is
allowed.
d. No body slams or pushing is allowed.
e. Touching the ball with the hands or forearm
(except by the goalie) results in the other team
taking the ball out to the sideline

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"Why can't they climb UP the slide?"
Umm...BECAUSE they could very easily get kicked in the face by kids who are sliding the CORRECT way... hahaha

Have had this happen, actually, when I first started...I was CONSTANTLY taking kids off the slide. I now have no slide. lol

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My oldest child had to get four stitches in her chin from going up the slide backwards at preschool. She fell "just right" to split her chin. It was an accident that easily could have been prevented. It also happens to be one of my biggest pet peeves at the playground.

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Not sure if you were quoting my post lol, I wasn't really asking why. I was being sarcastic. If you weren't quoting my post...sorry!

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No, I was quoting what PARENTS were asking the OP and the obvious answer (which I know everyone SHOULD already know!! ) lol

I actually didn't even realize your post had the same question. ha! Sorry..

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Gosh Cat... I'm seeing FORTY "no's" here.

You mean when they go to the public school somebody tells them NO? How's that gonna work?



I thought you guys weren't allowed to do that in your State? How can the public school get by with having that in their policies?

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I get what your point is about safety, but I am in disagreement here. I do let the kids go UP the slide, I let them run on cement and I let them stand up on the teeter totter and balance it like a scale. I allow them to take risks. I take the risk of someone getting hurt. BUT, I or another adult spots them on the equipment when they do these things, we direct the flow of traffic on the slide, and we provide safe equipment with LOTS of cushioning and a good sized fall zone underneath it. As far as running on the cement, well, I cannot prevent them from falling, but in 14 years I have never had a child with more than a skinned knee.

I think there are far too many rules in daycare, and I think by trying to enforce all of those rules, providers burn themselves out and make their job much more stressful than it needs to be.

I also think kids NEED to try these things out....they are learning to climb UP, to balance, to "get back up and try it again" instead of giving up on everything.

I know most will really disagree with me, and I respect that everyone does it their own way. I just do it differently.

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Although I dont allow them to climb up the slides, I completely agree about too many rules and burn out.

I found myself saying no all the time and getting really stressed out about it. (Burn out!)
Everytime I am about to say no, I ask myself "why?" and then if it is just not that big of an issue I let it go. It is hard for a control freak like me but it has helped a lot and the kids have more fun too.

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What are the ages of your kids?
I am also the only one here so I can't assist Johnny on Susie in standing on a teeter totter.
I wish I didn't have to be this way, but just as nannyde said they can hurt with parents they can't get hurt when they are with me.

I've only had that one small accident and it cost me over $3000.00
Then I was not so strict about the outdoor rules. After getting taken to court and having to go through all if that, never again.

I teach the kids how to balance on things, but I don't allow them to play with toys or the equipment the wrong way. It's to be used the way it is intended.
When it's not DC I allow my kids to play at free will.

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I am with Crystal on this one too. I used to have "playground rules" and found that playing outside was more work than it was worth...now we have "safety rules" like no throwing sand at someone, no hitting them with the bats, no pushing, no shoving etc....

I let them run on the concrete and blacktop. When they fall or get a skinned knee....they learn to not run so fast next time
I let them walk in front of someone swinging. When they get bowled over...they learn to pay attention to where they are walking.
I let them climb up the slide. When they get kicked...they learn to not climb up or at least pay attention when they do.
I let them stand on my teeter totter too. When thye fall off...they learn it is more fun to sit on it and use it right.

NATURAL CONSEQUENCES. Best techer in the whole big wide dangerous world! FTR: This is in regards to my kids big enough to understand cause/effect and natural consequences. My littles have different play equipment that teaches them the same things on a smaller scale. We also have a safe fall zone and developmentally appropriate toys for all ages.

I grew up running on concrete, playing dodgeball, picking teams, actually winning AND losing at games, and playing teetherball....those are the things I learned the most from as a kid. By participating in those things and experiencing natural consequences, I also learned what I was made of.

Which is the one thing kids now days, IMHO are lacking.

Crystal is right about everyone doing their own thing and doing things as they see fit. There is no right or wrong. Just wanted to say she wasn't alone.

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My kids, right now, range in age from 2-7. I care for children from birth - school age, but my babies have all gotten older and won't leave for awhile.

I get what you are saying, I don't think you are "wrong" for having the rules that you do, I just wanted to share the way I do things.

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Trust me I would rather my kid go to your DC than mine based off the outdoor rules. Lol. I hate it. Lol. But a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do to keep everyone safe and all the parents happy!
I hate rules lol

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This is exactly what I was thinking!

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I grew up that same way too
My daughter when she was 6 was suspended for doing cartwheels.
Yes really! They said she could kick someone in the face and it was not safe.
I live in sue happy CA

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It's all good until it happens ONE time. That's all it takes.

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For me, ONE time and it would STILL be all good. Unless I was shut down for it, I'd continue to allow the children to play and be kids. It's a risk I take. The kids will have to comply with enough rules when they go to school, I choose to allow them to be children here. I am cautious when allowing them to play these ways, and am never neglectful of supervising, so for me I'll take the chance at someone trying to prove me neglectful if a child gets hurt.

I totally understand others choosing to enforce strict playground rules, but I'll keep taking my chances.

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Lol I hated that saying growing up:

It only takes one person to ruin it for everyone else!

And now I am the one saying it

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You are right but, I think this is where the sifting out the "right" families for your program comes in. I discuss this stuff with my dcp's during the interview. We are careful to make sure we are all on the same page. I had a dcb (5 yr) fall out of a climbing toy the day before kindergarten and break his wrist. I wasn't sued nor expected to pay for the medical bill (although my insurance would have covered it). The child's family had medical coverage.

We also have a close enough relationship that she is honest about what is normal for her child and what is expected out of me. I honestly cannot deal with people who's first instinct is to sue over something that happens in the natural course of life. This would have been a completely different story had I not been supervising or was allowing him to play on a toy that wasn't meant for his age. He was on a Little Tikes climber.

I get that it only takes once, but in all my years of doing child care I have had more than one accident and never had a parent want to sue me or viewed it as anything but what can happen in a normal child's day of playing. My own child had one of the most horrific accidents I have ever seen when he was 6 and another daycare child did it to him. I did not expect the parent to pay for my child's accident. The difference was the intent, IMHO. The boy didn't set out to injure my child. They were/are friends.

I also never intended the dcb I had to get hurt either. I was doing everything I could to make sure his play environment was safe. Aside from having him sit in one spot and not move, there wasn't anything I could have done to prevent his injury. The parents trust me in that regard.

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I would not be very happy if my child fell and say broke an arm because they were standing on the teeter totter and the provider did nothing, just let them do it. I would be ticked off. It would be something that could have been prevented had the proivder made her use the equipment how it is meant to be used. Just sayin'.

Kids should be kids, yes...but there is a reason we are the providers, the adults. We have to make rules for the children to keep them safe. I won't risk someone falling and breaking something because they are using something incorrectly. If that's the case, why not let them stand on the table and learn to balance there? If they fall, oh well. I mean, kids get hurt enough just using things correctly these days.

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FTR: My tetter totter is a small plastic one in which the kids would only fall an additional few inches in comparison to their height. Not the big kind you see on a public playground or a park.

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I feel so lucky that i'm in Canada, and we don't have the problem of being sued for everything! I don't have to worry about the medical bills, since our public health plan covers all things like that.

I really try to limit my rules, especially outdoor rules. Kids need to learn their own physical limits, or we end up with these major risk taking 10 year olds who don't really understand that jumping 20 feet from a tree will break their leg, or worse.

I supervise closely outside, and stop behaviors that might hurt someone else (like throwing sand at someone, for instance, pushing etc), but I let my dck's climb trees (none venture more than 3-4 feet off the ground anyway), go up the slide, scale the fence, even go backwards on the sidewalk. I very rarely get minor injuries, and have never (knock wood) had anything even remotely serious. If they are doing something that is risky, i'll spot them (as unobtrusively as possible) in case they fall.

If there is something that repeatedly bothers me or I just don't feel that I can adequately supervise to prevent someone from possibly seriously hurting themselves, I will remove it, or change it somehow to make it safer.

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I guess for me I dont feel its my job to teach the kids about taking risks.....thats why parents need to spend time with thier children....lol But as we know that is a whole different thread......

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I wouldn't just let a kid fall and break something. I spot the children when they do this. I am right there to catch them if they fall. Like blackcat said, I also let the parents know, before they enroll, my philosophy of care and education, and cover the playground aspect of it with them. If they don't feel it is safe, then they move on.

Oh, I do let them stand on tables, the ones outside, lol! They jump from the picnic table all the time.

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I'm with the let kids be kids group on this one. I run a very active, outdoors-as-much-as-possible program and my kidlets are tough cookies! I NEVER take families that aren't healthy, outdoors loving, active families that do things with their kids. Those kids and parents just don't fit in here. I want kids that run fast, jump high, climb like monkeys, get filthy and brush off a scraped knee with an "I'm OK!" and keep going. And I want parents that WANT that old school, play outside, get dirty mentality for their kids.

My parents wouldn't dream of suing me anymore than they would dream of blaming me for a skinned knee.

I make sure everyone is safe and noone is doing things that aren't age appropriate but I let them play. If 2 year old DCG wants to try and climb the little tykes slide she can go for it. If she's too scared to try until she's 3, that's ok too. If someone scraps a knee from running on the sidewalk we brush it off and have hopping contests until the stinging stops and we can run again.

Different rules work for different groups. As long as the kids are having fun and everyone is safe it's all good for me.

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My own kids jump/climb/swing from their 30ft high treehouse. They fly through the woods on their zipline. They swim freely in the river with their large breed dog. They wrestle on the trampoline, own/use power tools and shoot each other with paint guns. They are mine and I foot the bills...

That being said, they KNOW HOW to behave on a public/school playground. I taught them myself. I always had a big grudge on for those parents who let their kids be hellions at the local park. They ruined it for everyone and should have been kicked out.

The daycare kids are almost bubble wrapped . I had a 3yo kid doing head to floor somersaults, on a toy free gym mat, without shoes and bite his own lip. That alone cost me 2 phone calls, 3 emails, 1 text AND 1 hour of paperwork. NOT worth it.

Can you imagine the drama if he had bitten his lip doing a face plant while running UP the slide on my watch.... I just view it as preparing them for school and local parks and call it a day.

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One of my biggest pet peeves are children with no manners and no clue how to behave in public. My kids and my dck's know if there are other kids at the park we behave like little ladies and gentlemen and save the hellion behavior for home!! :P

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