Getting ready to go outside

So I need to get a handle on this before the snowsuits come out this year. I am having a hard time with my group getting ready to go outside. My 3 little ones 16 mos, 18 mos, 21 mos have suddenly "forgotten" what we do to get ready and I find I am repeating myself tons and getting frustrated. When it is time to go outside the kids grab their shoes, splash pants and hats and do what they can to get ready. I help them as needed and we go outside. Well the past couple of weeks the little ones are getting bored and they start running around while they wait for their turn or while they wait for the other kids. I am getting frustrated as this is now taking 3 times as long as I have to round them up a few times and their sandy shoes are now putting sand all over the place. My setup doesn't really allow for a gate at the door which would help but it isn't an option. Any other ideas? We have a song that we sing but this has lost it' magic as of late. I am giving stickers to kids that get ready quickly/by themselves...other ideas?

Oh yes, this annoys me too!! I get my older child to help me get the little ones ready and then she gets ready with me. I make the children who are done sit in front of my fridge while they are waiting. I ask what they want to sing and we sing tons of different ones until we are ready. I have also given them books to read while they wait. Other times it's just a stern "you are ready. sit here until the rest are ready" :)

Summer, Fall and Spring I get the kids ready 1 at a time (they put on what they can in the meantime) but in the Winter I will usually get everyone's ski pants, boots, mitts, toques on and then I put everyone's jackets on. This helps with the first ones getting too hot while they are waiting.

Especially in winter I set out everything in a pile per child so there is not a free for all at the door. They start with pants and I help. We do one piece at a time so everyone gets their pants on and if the older ones finish first they get to help a younger one. By doing it in sequence no one is left standing all dressed getting hot while the next one is done. When waiting they must sit - not stand and wait. When they are sitting there is less chance of them getting up and running around.

Sometimes getting the little ones that you can control partly dressed since their stuff is most likely to be dry if they are carried in so pants, boots. Then bring out the older kids to dress even if the little ones run around a bit.

I have also done it where I have helped the older ones get dressed and actually put them out in the back yard while I dress the little ones right by the door - I can see the big ones from the bay window in the kitchen. That works well in the sense that it also allows the big kids to have more time outside since the little ones don't last as long before crying and wanting to come in.

I also have the kids sit once they are all ready and if someone starts to get up I just say " ahhh what are you supposed to be doing ?" And back down they go. I start by laying out everyone's pants and get them to wiggle into them and find their toes. And they all know how to do their boots which I have lined up against the wall and three of them know how to flip their coat over their heads so I just lay them out and they do it whole I do the other two and then it's just hats and mitts

Sometimes getting the little ones that you can control partly dressed since their stuff is most likely to be dry if they are carried in so pants, boots. Then bring out the older kids to dress even if the little ones run around a bit.

This is what we are doing now and the running around isn't good (my daycare is one open space and they have just started running up and down it's length).

I have also done it where I have helped the older ones get dressed and actually put them out in the back yard while I dress the little ones right by the door - I can see the big ones from the bay window in the kitchen. That works well in the sense that it also allows the big kids to have more time outside since the little ones don't last as long before crying and wanting to come in.[/QUOTE]

I would love to do this however I don't have a sight line to the backyard. I think what I might have to do is send the bigger kids to the potty earlier and utilize a buddy system. I am thinking of putting the ready little ones in a highchair near the door for the next few days until they get back on track.

If your playroom is such that running it's length is possible then you might want to reconsider the layout of your room moving furniture to create a maze pathway instead of a hallway pattern to curtail the running. Setting up a play yard works too in the sense of corralling the dressed ones or all of them and taking them out one at a time to dress.

Don't be afraid to raise your voice and let them know what you expect and that they can fool around for their parents - which they all do - but at daycare they will follow the rules and do as they are told. Some kids have never heard that.

I also try to keep the children focused on the activity at hand and find the trend towards diversions like games or singing or what not is actually just more noise and confusion in the midst of an already busy event and more distracting than helpful but maybe that is just me. We stand, we sit, we walk, we listen, we do as we are told and we don't need a marching song or I spy game to do it by - we do it just because.

If you can get your parents to purchase one piece snowsuits for at daycare that makes dressing much quicker as you can lay each one down on the floor and the child sits on the suit putting their feet in, you go around and put on the boots on and mitts. Then each one is stood up and zipped. It goes much faster and is easier for the little ones to dress and undress themselves.

If possible, I would try a play pen over the highchairs. Might be a bit easier and quicker.

In response to playfelt's diversion comment...I use songs or books to entertain them. The main reason they are getting up and running around is most likely boredom. They are children and this is to be expected. :)

If the gap of time between getting the first two dressed and the last two dressed is more than the child can sit then you need to rethink the order you are dressing them in or how it is being done. Sometimes in the interest of getting 5 kids out the door in a timely fashion it is necessary for the caregiver to do the dressing and just get it done rather than let the child do it for themselves. I know that also goes against convention but there will be less busy times to practice and as the kids grow they should be so excited to get outside that they willingly dress themselves and help those littler than themselves so it goes faster. This attitude goes back to the days of school trips where time was of the essence and out the door fast was not an option.

Each to their own :) I believe in allowing the child the opportunity to try to dress themselves. I help as needed obviously. Fortunately, my group is pretty good and getting outside doesn't take too long so it's not normally an issue.

It is painful to see a child near school age who can not dress themselves quickly. I feel for the teachers in those cases!!

If your group is all about the same age letting them do it and encouraging and helping only where needed is great. In a multi age is where the most problems come because some get dressed quickly and others sit there and stare at you like they have no idea where a boot or hat goes and then the group in the middle cries to do it themselves when they haven't the ability yet and the whole process descends into the free for all that initiated the original complaint. No ages were given but my guess is that there is a wide range of dressing abilities in the group. One of the ways to lesson issues is to help everyone get dressed at the same rate so they are all ready to go out at the same time which means doing it quickly for the youngest, limiting the parts the middle group can do such as starting the zipper and letting them pull it up not waiting for them to get it started - that skill can be practiced at other down times not at going out time. And the oldest get themselves dressed and are positioned such that once dressed they can't get past the caregiver and the younger ones to get back into the playroom.

I agree with playfelt. I think it's been mentioned before but making the older kids go to the washroom while you are getting the younger ones ready will help too so that the older kids start getting ready when the younger ones are halfway done to finish at the same time.

In my daycare I encourage kids to dress themselves. When it is time to go outside I make a pile for each child (laying out skipants if we need them). All children over 3 should be able to pretty much dress themselves with minimal help. If they are having trouble I just tell them to keep trying while I work on the little ones. By the time I get the little ones fully dressed I work my way up in age. If the older ones are fully dressed before I get finished they are allowed to go upstairs and get their shoes on. Once they have their shoes on they help the other kids with their stuff. Making the kids try try again helps give them practice and confidence that eventually they can do it, it also gives me the time to dress the little ones. Having them help the younger kids with their items keeps everyone busy until I can get to them.

I have been thinking of a better system as well. I corral them all in my mudroom for shoes and boots, but have had a hard time getting them all to sit...so they mill around tripping over one another and causing chaos...LOL. I was thinking of mats like I use for circle time...and books for those who are ready...but I haven't tried it yet. I have a young group and not only that, the two 2 year olds can't do anything for themselves...parents do everything...I get blank looks when I even try to get them to take off their shoes, let alone put anything on. I have been lazy about pushing this as I am always in a hurry to the school bus and can't take 20 minutes per child...so I end up doing it for them. I wish their parents would work on it more at home, but my suggestions have not been taken up...LOL. Oh how I hate snowsuit season :(

It is right in my contract that I encourage kids to get their own clothing on. Here is a bit out of my fall/winter clothing reminder for parents that I just handed out:

Please keep this in mind when buying your child’s winter gear for the season – children’s outerwear should be easy to get on and off. Children aged 3 should be able to put on their own boots, ski-pants, jacket and hat (with a little help from me) and children aged 4 and over should be able to do their own zippers and put on their own mittens. Please buy clothing that is easy for your child and practice letting the kids dress themselves at home.