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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

"golden time" method of dicipline

14 replies

mamaafrica · 27/09/2007 14:22

Hello all,
my PFB just started reception at scool and his teacher uses the golden time method of dicipline. i find this method for a 4 yr old outrageous. they are kept out of an exciting activity on a friday for a minute for each time they misbehaved during the week. my son can't often remember what he did wrong this morning nevermind 4 days prior!!!
anyone had any experience with this method?
my son is very stressed as new at school.
HEEEEEEELP...

OP posts:

oops · 27/09/2007 14:24

Message withdrawn

southeastastra · 27/09/2007 14:26

it works really well imo

mrsflowerpot · 27/09/2007 14:28

ds used to have this at his old school. It worked really well imo - they become very protective of their 'golden minutes'. I think it's quite a good way of introducing consequences for their behaviour.

FWIW, ds used to lose one or two minutes at least every other week, but he still says he wishes they had golden time and golden minutes at the new school, so I don't think he was too traumatised by the whole thing.

TinyGang · 27/09/2007 14:29

Mine have it too.

Time is docked from golden time after two warnings I think. They call it traffic lights. You start the day on green then one warning is orange then red warning = docked golden time.

It seems to work well I feel. Dc are ok with the concept.

PestoMonster · 27/09/2007 14:33

My dds have it too and when you ask them what was the best thing they did at school today, they nearly always reply 'golden time'

DaisyMOO · 27/09/2007 16:32

Our school do this, but with one crucial (IMO) difference - they get some golden time every day. So if they misbehave then the consequences are quite immediate. They also have a 'sunshine, cloudy, stormy' weather board as a visual reminded about behaviour. Losing golden time on a Friday because of an incident on Monday is a bit daft, I agree.

Original poster

mamaafrica · 28/09/2007 14:24

hello all,
any more suggestions 4 me with regard 2 my 4yr old son's reception teacher using the golden moments method (of madness for 4 yr olds) of dicipline.
she uses a sun, cloud and thundercloud chart 2 put their names on according to behaviour, then at the end of week on friday pm, she docks 1 minite etc of time from a special activity from those who have been on the thunder cloud during the week.
my son sometimes can't remember what he did wrong in the am nevermind 5 days later!!!!!!!!!!! HELP

OP posts:

wishingchair · 28/09/2007 14:34

Is this the thing that is actually stressing him out??

They use it at my dd's school ... also just started in reception ... and I quite like it. Like yours they save it up to the end of hte week and I think I prefer having golden time each day. At dd's school they lose 3 minutes for every time they break one of the golden rules (being nice to each other, telling the truth, respecting property, etc).

I think it is a pretty good incentive not to break the golden rules which are fundamental basics of behaviour.

At my friend's dd's school they make them stand in a corner which I think is awful and very ineffective ... her dd was made to stand in the corner because she refused to tidy up. Next tidy up time she just went and stood in the corner ... far more preferable to tidying up!!

So in terms of what you can do about it ... talk to your son and explain how it all works, talk to the teacher if you're not happy about it.

ingles2 · 28/09/2007 16:03

We have golden time on a friday too...my ds's are in yrs 2 & 3 and I have to say it works really well. I know they can't really remember what they've done in reception but give it another year and they will, after all they have to have a system that is consistent for the entire school up to year 6! They also have golden book awards which given out on Fridays for outstanding work or contribution.

EricL · 28/09/2007 16:05

We have golden time too. It works a treat. I think it's a great idea and teaches the children that good behaviour gets rewarded.

Tiggiwinkle · 28/09/2007 16:12

They have just introduced this in DS5's school, but for years 3 to 6. (Dont think they are using it in the younger classes.) Seems to work well so far.

nailpolish · 28/09/2007 16:12

i like it
dd had 3 mins off golden time today for prodding another child during story time

they get one warning = black cloud
another warning - 2 black clouds
another warnign = 3 mins off golden time

it extends right up to time out in class, class exclusion etc etc etc

i like it

dd got her 3 mins on tuesday and she told me today about it - so she had no prob remembering what it was for. she had to sit at her desk while the others had their golden time

nailpolish · 28/09/2007 16:13

dd is 5

tigerschick · 28/09/2007 16:13

I like the idea of golden time and agree that a lot of schools like to have a consistent policy throughout the school.
I can also, however, see why your ds might have a problem with knowing why he is losing minutes. Can you talk to his teacher on a Thursday afternoon to see if he is going to be missing any Golden Time that week? If not, can you ask her to note it in his Home-School book? You could then talk to him about it in the morning - not in order to tell him off but just to 'warn' him that it is going to happen. If he hears it from you as well as his teacher it might help him to remember so that, when the time comes, it isn't such a shock.

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