My method of getting kids not to swear at camp was just to appeal to their sense of fairness.
Child: “Fuck!”
Me: “Hey! I’m not allowed to swear in front of you guys. It’s not fair if you swear in front of me, is it?”
Child: “I guess not… sorry…”
I literally always want to swear.
Lol this person ever met a kid?
I have worked with hundreds of kids professionally for the last three years. Children are complex individuals with the ability to reason and judge for themselves. It’s not always solid reasoning or good judgement, but the method that has worked well for me in the role of mentor, caretaker, and teacher is to treat them with respect for their ability to make decisions.
If a child is dismissive of a rule, there are two ways to get them to obey it: by threat of punishment or by convincing them that it’s actually reasonable. The former method makes me the enemy. The latter is harder, but builds trust and rapport. It doesn’t always work, and some kids are predisposed to see you as the enemy anyway – but those kids are often the ones who need it most.
Brie 