Children experience conflict every day, whether it is difficulty in sharing a toy, or frustration about being unable to express themselves. With this in mind, apprentice Melina Adamopoulou decided to attend a day of training on how to manage and promote positive behaviour delivered by early years consultant, trainer and author Tamsin Grimmer.
The course was organised by Oxford-based not-for-profit group OxNest. It held ‘It’s Not Fair! Positive Behaviour, Early Years’ at a community-owned hub called Flo’s – The Place In The Park, which includes a nursery where Ms Adamopoulou works.
‘One big thing most of the practitioners wanted to talk about was little boys’ groups,’ says Ms Adamopoulou. ‘At this small age they can begin to do rough play. How can we encourage this energy to be channelled into more creative and collaborative activities?’ Ms Grimmer gave the group advice about how to encourage team-based activities, such as building a fortress.
The training covered characteristics and sources of conflict for young children. These included factors such as children being over-tired and the impact of poor nutrition on behaviour. ‘We also talked about how to talk to parents about their approach at home,’ says Ms Adamopoulou. ‘For example, helping children who don’t have siblings to learn to share.’
Ms Adamopoulou says a big learning point from the course was that conflict resolution was not just about how to deal with problems, but also how to prevent conflict in the first place.
Flo’s has put this theory into practice in its gardening activities. Ms Adamopoulou explains, ‘Some people will do planting, some watering, then we rotate. The children help each other. It’s not just a satisfying task, but it has an outcome for everyone as we all get to share the food we grow.’
