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!

Agree as well - Brownie leader. As soon as we start doing active running around games, they get more and more silly and physical with each other, and that continues through the meeting, so I prefer not to do them early on. We get them to line up outside our hall, then go in and get into a circle to start the meeting. For us, it works and they will usually sit reasonably well for our starting bits and bobs. After that, we try to pick something that engages them - though variable success! Some weeks they can almost all work together on a project for an hour, other weeks we'll have some of them wandering into a corner/trying to do cartwheels etc after 5 minutes. But I definitely don't subscribe to the "let them burn off energy" theory - if anything it makes them MORE hyper! We leave running around games etc to the end.

Would you consider being on the trustee board?

Our beaver leader - shout out to Miranda - used to be able to halt a 6 yesr old with just their name and an evil eye stare! And control all of them. She was a star!