EYFS Planning for a 16 month old - worried and confused!

[welshgirl]

I was hoping I could get some advice. I have a 10 month old son a 4 year old son (starting big school in sept) and am going to be looking after a 16 month old. I have previously put together daily planning sheets of activities etc following a monthly theme such as Farm Animals/Transport/Summer, including the various festivals etc. But my minded child is just too young to be making cotton wool sheep or tissue paper flowers. I am having real difficulty trying to make the theme relevent to her. Should I just scrap the theme idea for the moment, and just concentrate on other activities? I am just concerned that Ofsted would mark me down for not following my planning. And not having enough activities in place for my minded child

Any activity ideas would be fantastic. I have a treasure basket which I plan to use. Any other ideas would be most welcome.

Thank you

[sarah707]

Hello and welcome!

Ok, so, planning for under 3s... is totally different from planning for over 3s.

Planning for under 3s is about...

- Following their interests, through play;

- Offering activities which they will enjoy;

- Watching what they are doing and checking they are learning and developing (use eyfs grids for this one);

- Spotting and planning to extend their schemas.

No point doing 'themes' or 'topics' ... as you rightly say, they are too young. Plus it's not expected.

Have a look here for more info -

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/eyfs/resources/downloads/planningfrombirth.pdf

Hope this helps! :D

[welshgirl]

Thank you so much for your reply. I did not know this web site had that info on there. I will take a look at some of the other stuff on there too.

I am still waiting for my EYFS training, so have been trying to work out what I am expected to do from reading the pack. I have done all my policies and linked them to the EYFS, but am really struggling with the planning bit. Do you know if I need to show Ofsted a weekly time table of activities, or would the observations and planning that are on the sample (on the link) all I need to do?

Do you know anywhere I can get some ideas of activities to do with an under 2 year old?

[Jules27]

I am still waiting for my EYFS training day. However saw my area co ordinator yesterday to go through my grant application. I mentioned to her I was concrned about planning and she said not to bother about long term planning anymore as EYFS is about it being child led. She said pre schools and nurseries have to scrap their planning now!!! eek!! now i'm even more confused!!! i have put together rough plans for the children I have lined up but nothing for certain. just go with the flow!! As long as you have your observtions, examples of work, pic's, paperwork etc... to show Ofsted I m sure all will be fine, at least, thats what i'm hoping!!!:D

[sarah707]

You will have to show Ofsted that you are planning for the needs of all the children.

How can you incorporate festivals, multicultural celebrations, special days like Beeb Beep Day and special events in children's lives etc if you do not have long term planning???

This is a big bugbear of mine... some trainers are dumbing it down too much.

No, you can't plan in absolute finite detail for next week or next month, of course not, things will change... but you can have a rough plan laid out of what you are doing, where you are going, the themes you might follow...

Then you follow children's interests, get ideas from what they are doing elsewhere, ask parents what they're celebrating at home etc.

I think your coordinator needs to read her eyfs book. :rolleyes:

[welshgirl]

I am sooooo confused! In my Obs forms I have done next steps, but I find it really difficult creating a weekly time table as the mindee is so young and things change so quickly. I have created a yearly sheet of all the multi cultural celebrations, birthdays etc, this also included monthly themes, but I have decided to scrap these as I really think that she is too young to understand, although i am sure she would eat some welsh cakes on st davids day, but she is just too young too make them!
How do you introduce an under two to multi cultural festivals?
Actually, I have no idea what I am supposed to do with planning now at all :panic:

[sarah707]

I am sooooo confused! In my Obs forms I have done next steps, but I find it really difficult creating a weekly time table as the mindee is so young and things change so quickly. I have created a yearly sheet of all the multi cultural celebrations, birthdays etc, this also included monthly themes, but I have decided to scrap these as I really think that she is too young to understand, although i am sure she would eat some welsh cakes on st davids day, but she is just too young too make them!
How do you introduce an under two to multi cultural festivals?
Actually, I have no idea what I am supposed to do with planning now at all :panic:

Not sure I explained properly - sorry! :(

We are talking about 2 different things here...

1. Planning activities for under 3s ... this is based around following the child, doing what the child needs to do to progress at his own pace, spotting schemas and ways the child learns and enhancing them. So you watch the child, you find out how the child learns and what he enjoys doing and you provide more things to make it fun. You do everything through play, play is the most important thing you can offer an under 3;

Within this, you also do things like reading sessions, music and rhymes, dancing, yes of course making and eating Welsh buns (not so much understanding at 1, but by pushing 2 to 2 1/2 it will be starting to make sense);

2. Planning for over 3s ... start slowly introducing ideas for leading some of their play - about 50% your planning and 50% their own activities. It is still play based. It's not sitting at a table doing work... it's fun and games and role play and dressing up and chasing around and making dens and mud pies... but maybe watching how water changes the soil and exploring with water in the sand tray to see if it has the same effect.

At the same time you introduce your multicultural activities and other special days which make up the exciting calendar of events you can read about on http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/ and similar sites.

You will quickly find children will be asking you what they are doing next if you make the activities playful and exciting and plan for what the children enjoy doing...

Does this make sense?? :D

[welshgirl]

Yes, makes much more sence. Thank you so much for your help :)