Behaviour at Beavers

[KvotheTheBloodless]

I'm an assistant Beaver leader with a large pack (c.25). Kids are aged 6-8.

I'm really, really struggling with the behaviour of some of the kids - inability to listen, concentrate, stay still or keep hands/feet to themselves. When certain kids are there, the whole evening becomes focused on behaviour management rather than the planned activities.

The worst offenders, according to our records, have no SEND issues. Although I'm not a medic, I'd be amazed if that's the case, some of the behaviours are really extreme.

For those of you who volunteer with this age group, is this normal?

And those of you whose DC have behavioural issues due to SEN, do you generally inform the volunteer leaders that your DC have specific issues and provide strategies for coping with them?

I'm struggling to understand what's normal, and trying not to potentially discriminate against kids with disabilities, but it's sooooo hard sometimes!

My DC goes and the naughtiest boy isn’t SEN but just has very laid back parents.

Our leaders have a strike system, you are volunteering it shouldn’t be this hard. If the children get so many strikes within a session the parents are informed. If they get this 3 sessions in a row they are asked to leave.

For a lot of autistic children, being able to sensory seek or sitting in a quiet spot to regulate helps. But each child is different.

It sounds like you need to implement a behaviour system and email to ask if any children have additional or suspected additional needs. The school will have notified the parents at this age if they suspect any SEN or the parents will have started a conversation.

My teen son volunteers at beavers and he says that unless they start the session with at least 10-15 mins of high energy running around games, the kids are pretty unmanageable and hyper, but when they’ve done lots of running around at the start they’re way more able to focus. No idea if this helps!

It’s complete normal at this age group to have done kids like this and everything you are describing sounds like ADHD.

it’s exactly like this at our beavers.

it can take years for diagnosis. Parents might not even realise yet.

I helped out at Beavers and Cubs when my sons went and it was an eye-opener - certainly very different to the Rainbows and Brownies my daughter went to (just my observation, nothing sexist before anyone jumps on that). The Beavers were as high as kites when they arrived so as @Talipesmum said we used to settle them down with lots of activity at the start to try and burn off some energy - once they'd done that it was easier. The requirement to listen and concentrate was kept to an absolute minimum, the session lasted no more than an hour, it was kept structured with a routine, and there were plenty of helpers from parents and Scouts which made it easier. They were lovely boys but dear god, it was like they'd never been let outside before. The Beaver leader was a much older woman with grown up sons and had been doing the gig for years - she didn't seem fazed by the chaos!

Do you mean 3 strikes in a section night go home?

and you can’t count on schools to recognise it never mind to inform parents.

Surge of testosterone in boys then

Most boys are like this it's normal

This is just boys en masse

I think normal but an absolute pain in the arse. DD1 goes to Beavers and some of the children there are so disruptive that we've actually considered removing her as some weeks she misses out on most of the activity because other children are playing up like you describe. It's a shame as it ruins it for everyone else and I wish the volunteers would implement a strike system like a PP has said.

I fully appreciate some children have SEN but it doesn't mean that they should be allowed to negatively impact the group to the extent that the entire session is focused on managing behaviour rather than learning or having fun.

They will respond to very strict firmness but you have to be consistent from the start

You have to organise physical games for them

Run them like dogs as the saying goes

It's exactly the same in school. I work in year 2 - yes there is a good third who are ND, their behaviour varies from child to child so without parental input its very hard for you to know what works for each individual. There is also at least five in a class who are super confident and show no respect to the teachers - arguing with adults, talking over the teacher, not listening etc. It's really hard work and definitely has a negative impact on the children who do what is asked of them.

Beavers include girls too. And have done so for decades

of the kids experiencing challenging behaviour in our group half are girls and half are boys.

some dated view from other pps

She may be better suited to girl guides. Scouting is majority boys so they will be, and clearly are judging by you and the op, extremely boisterous.

This is why girls at Beavers doesn't really work because it's too much for them unless they're overactive too.

Then then the girls and their mums just moan about it because they don't understand how a group of boys works sometimes

Beavers are 6-8 years old, there's no surge of testosterone til puberty.

Not dated - just factual. No female Beavers in our troop, a couple in the Cubs, more in the Scouts. No boys in Rainbows, Brownies or Guides according to my friend whose daughter is going through them at the moment.

In my area there is a girls group and a boys group for this exact reason.

I have 2 autistic children (5&8), with a level of needs where they can access a mix of SEN specific and mainstream activities. I generally email the staff/volunteers at any mainstream activity to give them a heads up and come up with a plan. Usually this means me staying for the first 15 minutes or so of the first session, then loitering outside for the length of the session so they can bring them out if there are any issues. If they've been attending without issue for a few months I might go further, but with the agreement of staff to call me to come back any time they need.

Having said that I completely dropped the ball with the 5yo's rainbows, and didn't tell them for the first 6 months. DH drops off, but assumed I'd told them when organising the place, as I normally would, but I hadn't because she'd been on the waiting list since 2/3 (before we knew). Might be worth sending a general email to all parents asking for any SEN info or adjustments needed, might jog the memory of anyone who messed up like I did.

My DD went to rainbows abs DS to beavers

There is no way on earth DD would have liked going to Beavers with all the rowdy boys and she's pretty active

2 of DDs girl friends mums forced my DS beavers group to take on their DDs because rainbows was full and one the DD moaned about it as did the DM

It ruined beavers for the boys because they hadn't had girls before and they hated the whining and moaning so a lot left that group including my DS

@littleluncheon actually yes there very much is a surge of testosterone around 4-6 ish and a bit before and after for young boys

I used to need a large g n t every time I helped out at my son's Beavers

We used to organise some activities at the start to help burn off some energy

Dd7 & Ds5 3/4 are in Beavers. Their group is extremely boisterous, noisy & difficult to manage ( I have helped out). It’s a mix of girls & boys and behaviour more often or not is very poor. They have a traffic light system in place currently. There are a couple with SEN but not all. The girls are no worse or better than boys in my opinion.

You are not teachers - you are volunteers and there is no reason why you should have the crown control techniques at your fingertips.

There needs to be some written agreement when they sign up to say you reserve the right to remove any child who does not behave and disrupts the group.

They have been at school all day quashed under the bloody national curriculum - they will be hyper.

My mum would tell you this is normal. Her expression when Beavers were first formed was priceless.

Crowd not crown!!

No advice for you - however DC has just left beavers because he was struggling with the behaviour of the other kids there.
Hes reported back that theres been shouting over leaders amd no one listens.

I attended an outing to a local temple before christmas and was horrified! I withdrew him