One of the greatest challenges faced by nursery leaders is coping with well-meaning parents. Parents tend to hang around. If they leave, they peek back in over and over. What is a nursery leader to do?
When children is about to enter the nursery, it's a good idea for them to visit a few times with their parents. This lets them meet the teacher, see the other children and understand what will happen while they are there. After one or two weeks, however, the parents need to leave the child alone. One of the many purposes of the nursery is to help the child learn to stay alone before he becomes a Sunbeam-4.
This can be very challenging for a first-time parent who hates to see her child cry. Prepare for this by giving parents of incoming nursery children an instruction sheet. This sheet can tell parents about the nursery-the schedule, the lesson material and the rules. One rule should be that parents may not stay with the child beyond the second week and that parents should bring the child in, involve him with a toy, and leave within five minutes. Explain that this will help the child learn that the parents are always going to leave, but that they will also always come back. Parents should say goodbye, rather than sneaking out. Children need to trust their parents not to disappear unexpectedly. If the child, cries, the parent can be assured that a leader will hold the child and comfort him. Also assure the parents that the child will become comfortable in a few weeks if he knows that crying will not bring his parents back until nursery is over.
Parents should also be told not to peek in and check on the child. This might cause the child to start crying again, or it may cause another child to cry. Children who see their parents will believe nursery should be over. They should know that their parents are not coming back until the end of class. Assure the parents that you will come for them if the child needs them.
If parents do not leave, you will have to be firm. When it is time to start, announce that nursery is beginning and all parents need to leave so that you can get the children calmed and ready for their lesson. Then usher them out. If you are not comfortable doing this, invite a priesthood holder to do it for you. He can greet parents at the door, suggest an activity and then tell the parents that they can go now and their child will be fine. I found that parents were more inclined to listen to a determined man than they were to me. You may be able to handle one or two parents, if they don't interfere with the program, but a roomful is too many. Many of them are just ditching Relief Society!
Remember that nursery children will most likely not be able to tell their parents what they did. Post a sign outside the nursery with the lesson topic and schedule. You might want to send home a newsletter monthly with information about what is happening in nursery. List the lesson topic for each week in the coming month and include songs, scriptures and finger plays you will be teaching the children. The parents can work on these at home as well. If you are teaching games, you might also describe these. Parents will know their child is learning and will feel reassured. The more capable they perceive the teacher to be, the more comfortable they are. This sort of communication convinces parents that their child is in good hands.
Peek-a-boo! Nursery Games
