PDA

View Full Version : Struggling to keep concentration/activites going



NinkyNonk
09-09-2014, 10:12 AM
I'm just started childminding in the last week, I have a 1 and 3 year old. Obviously they are still settling in (they come 3 days a week) so I'm pretty much doing free play to guage their interests etc. However, when I have tried an activity (drawing) it lasted all of a minute before it was over. I expected that from the 1 year old but though the older one would stay longer (she was really excited about doing it - we were making placemats for them). If I sit to play something, they want to do something else very quickly. I seem to be just running after them, not doing the leading.

I'm still seeing what their interests are - at the moment they are just playing with everything, no preferences. What the mum tells me they love at home, they haven't bothered with here yet.

Maybe I'm over thinking this....I just feel like I'm not doing my job properly. :-(

smurfette
09-09-2014, 10:15 AM
Very normal in the first few weeks of settling in.. They are just excited with their new surroundings and all the toys!! I am sure you are doing a great job just give it some time x

Kiddleywinks
09-09-2014, 10:22 AM
Everything is still new to them, so the attention span of a gnat is usual in my experience lol

Are they tidying up before moving on to the next thing? Or just pulling everything out of everywhere?
If the latter, stop it from happening/reduce the number of boxes to access

Do they know how to play? By that I mean have they spent a lot of time with a TV on all the time? TV can make the attention span of actual playing very short lived.
Set up a couple of areas before they arrive - small world farm/village/arts and crafts/drawing and colouring/play dough etc

I'm weaning my 2 newbies off the TV at the moment, and today we managed a whole 15 minutes of small world play before the 'TV' request was made, so we tidied up, then 'found' a story book instead and read that.

TV is only on now at nap time/quiet time, so twice a day, and am aiming for just once by the end of next week, to rarely by the end of the month lol

NinkyNonk
09-09-2014, 01:57 PM
They are naturally just getting absolutely everything out and not clearing up - but I have been getting them to, especially as the 1 year old has only just started walking so is quite unsteady if anything is in her path. They do this really well with no arguments. I've been told they hardly watch any TV and asked not to use it here. They definitely know how to play, it just the speed that they get through everything.

We did play with cups and spoons in the sandpit today, and that actually lasted nearly 10 mins so I was impressed with that!

I'm glad it seems just part of their settling in - this is all new to me! I'll try your suggestion of getting an area out ready for when they arrive. I was thinking that next week I might start planning some activites more, but at the moment I've still no idea what to do! I've taken the odd photo of them for their LJ's when I see them doing something ie. threading buttons, playing in the sand, getting water from the dispenser etc.