Yep, #1 nailed it. That seems to be the biggest issue re nursery. Our kids have gone through phases where they have been OK and most certainly NOT OK with staying in nursery. One thing my husband did that was very effective was this: “I will sit against the wall and you can sit on my lap as long as you’d like. But if you want to get up and play or eat or anything, then it will be time for me to go.”

This is a good reassurance for the child prone to freak out, good acclimation for those who need it, and a good motivator since most kids can’t stand to just sit when others have toys a few feet away.

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My wife and I currently work in the ward nursery.

There is the occasional child who has separation anxiety - the one who will cry for long periods of time. If a child is truly inconsolable (after offers of treats, books, toys, cuddle-time, etc.), I usually look for one of the parents. But this doesn’t happen too often.

There is the occasional toy dispute. It’s not usually that big a deal. We just offer one of the children a different toy. The only thing that concerns me is when one of the children raises a hand to strike the other. After a little while, we get an idea of which children might respond that way to the situation. Of course we prevent it - but that’s a behavior to watch for and that could require some training.

Some children are squirmers or can’t sit still in their seats. I don’t worry too much about that one either - but those children will require more attention during lesson and singing time. Since we’re talking about children who are eighteen months to one year in age, this is something to be expected. There are, of course, some children, who are naturally shy/quiet/still. I see the mobility/immobility characteristic as more of a personality trait than a problem. A little boy who wants to run around or can’t still still in his seat is pretty normal - at least in my book.

During snack time, some kids are more capable with drinking water from a small dixie cup than others. Some will turn the cup upside down (spilling out the water) every single time. It’s only water. But that’s something the kids are learning as well.

Some children are verbally talented and there might be one or two who are non-responsive (in a verbal way). I’ve seen a child who is eager to pray and does quite a good job on his own - but most kids need some prompting and guidance in what to say.

These are some of the things I’ve observed.

I fail to see the significance of “fake eating”. Does your nursery have lots of fake food or something?

The hitting problem noted by #6 was a huge problem when I was in the nursery. As was the “collecting” problem. Several kids had it in their heads that any toy they had played with once was theirs–they would sit their toys in a pile, then play with something else but scream if anyone touched their pile. It was very irritating.

The only other problem was children who weren’t used to structured activities. It’s an amazingly hard concept that they can’t just do whatever they want.

I know it sounds trite, but it really is important that your child be able to play well with others. My wife and one of our friends work together in nursery, and there is one girl who is a bully. She hits the other kids, and two weeks ago, this darling angel not only spit on one of the other kids, she spit on our friend working there. When our friend hunted down the monster’s mother, she asked, “Are you sure? She never does that at home.”

Somehow, I don’t think our friend would mistake which of the children was the one who spat in her face. Part of the problem is the mother is such a helicopter parent that I think the bully’s feet rarely touch the floor when she’s home; “Mommy can walk for you, so you don’t have to get your precious shoes dirty.”

I don’t want my kids to end up with liberal arts degrees. One of the first actions I can take to ensure that doesn’t happen is to deny them access to Waldorf methods, or anything that looks like them, at an early age.

Our current nursery leader, bless her heart, feeds the kids generic vienna sausages straight from the can. They probably do little lasting damage to the kids, but I would guess that it would probably cause a fatal aneurysm in any halfway committed Waldorfophile.

Actually, I think the bloggernacle is largely in agreement that the biggest problems in nursery are (a) inherently evil plastic toys and (b) the utter lack of implementation of the Waldorf teaching method. Unless we can solve these two gigantic problems, there’s really no need to move on to anything else.

The biggest problems in Nursery are the leaders, not the toys or the method.

The best nursery leader I’ve ever seen was a man who never had refreshments, had plenty of toys and puzzles around, and energetically sang non-Church songs. He was *committed* to getting the children to enjoy themselves and each other. As they got older and we split into a jr and sr nursery, he sang Church songs, told Book of Mormon stories (each story, not more than 60 seconds long and acted out).

He said once that he realized that other parents thought that he was an idiot — but the kids loved him.

You’ve got to go all out.

jimbob - I understood it to be sarcasm. I quoted it to be an entry to my point that nursery has nothing to do with “content” and “methodology” and everything to do with the passion and commitment of the leader.

If you’re a parent, watch out if they ever bring in play-doh (sp?). You want to dress them in not-so-nice clothes.

MAC - I love it! That sounds like the best kind of ward to be in. Those wards make for the best conversations with your spouse on the way home from church.