Last night I read the following article, Aldergrove schools tells kindergarten kids: Hands off each other!. According to the article, Coghlan Fundamental Elementary School in School District 35 has implemented a policy against physical contact between kindergarten students. A section reads “We have unfortunately had to ban all forms of hands-on play for the immediate future … we will have a zero-tolerance policy.”. The policy covers play involving light-sabre duels, tag, and hand-holding to name a few.

In the article, Playground touching ban defended by school principal, Barb Dayco states, “We had a few children who had been injured on the playground and we felt that as young as they are, we needed some time to teach them how to play safely.”. The article goes on to say that she would have told parents it is a temporary measure. I understand the importance of student safety, but I don’t believe banning children from having physical contact with one another is the best response. I believe they need to be taught, and given the opportunity to practice safe and caring behaviour, rather than being punished for any physical contact. In my opinion, as kindergarten students are always supervised when playing, it makes more sense to correct unsafe physical play behaviour, allowing them to learn what is appropriate rather than just banning it altogether.

What do you think of this kindergarten no-hands policy?

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