Why do we have/follow routines?

[patevans]

I am trying to appeal my inspection report but cant word it, if anyone could give your opinions on the above question for me it would be a great help.

[miffy]

Routines

- give a familiar pattern to the day and help children feel secure

- form the backdrop to a child's care and provide a framework for learning and activities to be added

- planning a routine requires a good understanding of child development

- a good routine will meet children's individual needs allowing them times to eat, rest, play, learn and sleep while being realistic to follow

HTH's (don't thank me - thank Penny Tassoni)

If you want anything more specific let me know :)

Miffy xx

[patevans]

This is what is written in my report -

The childminder effectively uses information from parents to support children with the transition when something new is happening in their life. However, children are not sufficiently supported in their emotional development, in part due to the organisation of the daily routines.

[sarah707]

Ok so how does your routine sheet go?

Does it have clear ideas of what children do during the day / week?

Do children know when they are going to be fed... when they will be allowed to watch tv... when the paints come out etc?

It is a very subjective subject... some might say that children should be allowed to continue playing rather than disturbed by meal / snack times... others might say you are not providing sufficient routine if you have flexible meal times because the children might be hungry - do you see what I mean?

The other way you can argue is that your routines follow what parents expect for their children. So you have spoken to parents and they are happy with the flexibility you offer - in fact, they are happier with you than with a nursery (or whatever) because you can respond to children's immediate needs and go off on tangents if that is the direction their learning is taking...

[Daftbat]

Ofsted are not very clear at times are they? That paragraph could be interpreted in so many ways. Why don't they just say what they mean?:angry:

[patevans]

this is our routine attached, I follow parents routines if they are under 1 or if they dont have a routine we seem to fit into the routine attached.

[patevans]

Ofsted are not very clear at times are they? That paragraph could be interpreted in so many ways. Why don't they just say what they mean?:angry:

She is refering to us tidying up b4 dinner and finishing our sand activity to have snack etc.

[Pipsqueak]

So you finished of the activity and got them to tidy up before snack time? And Ofsted are saying you are not caring for emotional development..... oh for goodness sake.

You are supporting their emotional development by allowing time for them to finish what they are doing, not rushing them, you are teaching responsible attitudes in tidying up first by caring for the environment.
i would be asking the parents for their comments on these two aspects as to whether they feel their childs "emotional development" is hindered by not being rushed and by getting them to help tidy up.

Your routines help you to understand and develop the whole child and you know your children well enough to allow them time to finish their activity, you and they understand each other that things must be tidied away.

Whilst you know that routines are important because..... being a home from home environment you can allow some flexibility with routines etc

[MissTinkerbell]

Maybe the inspector didn't like the fact that you had timed daily routines written down and then didn't stick to them. For this reason I have a daily routine that is not geared to a specific timescale. We follow the same pattern each day but are not ruled by the clock. Snack can be anywhere from 9.30 to 10.00 and nap time anywhere from 9.45 to 10.15 depending upon the tiredness of M, so for example

Breakfast and free play
School Run
Activity Time/Free Play
Snack Time
Nap time
Lunch
Activity/Free Play/Outdoor
School Run
Free Play/Homework
Quiet/Story/Rhyme Time
Tea
Home

I then fill in the bits we are doing that day. Whilst I might have snack at 9.30 this is not written down allowing for a great deal of flexibility. A routine does not have to be timed. As long as children know that snack follows play and nap follows snack then that is enough, after all they cannot tell the time yet!

I cannot understand why you were criticised for letting the children finish their play in the sand before tidying up. I thought the whole idea of the EYFS was based on children's interests and what they wanted to do? Surely if you stopped their play because it was snacktime (which could wait for 10 minutes) then you would be hindering their development in all 6 areas instead. A vital piece of the child's development might not have happened had you have stopped the play at 10.30.

I would have thought you would have been praised for allowing children to continue with something there were so obviously interested in and gaining higher order thinking skills rather than stopping them mid-play to have something to eat.

[Alibali]

this is our routine attached, I follow parents routines if they are under 1 or if they dont have a routine we seem to fit into the routine attached.

Your day is exactly the same as mine:D