how do you log things children enjoyed at weekend with parents

[newandlearning]

hi I know this might sound obviously but the 2 mindees I mind see their dad every other weekend and beyond an obvious hair cut they never talk about what they've done at the weekend with him.. the mum is lovely but doesn't necessary say 'oh I noticed blah blah really is interested in 'this' now'.. do you have a sheet or set of questions you ask.. I have spoken to the mum about giving me any developmental obs she sees but I think like many mums we are soo busy that we don't always consciously recognise these things ourselves.. they can sometimes be little thoughts .. thought and forgotten or thought and acted on further.. if you know what I mean..

anyway.. please can you give me ideas .. don't always get stuff from kids even if I ask..thanks a lot xx

[Monkey1]

I have a seporate area in my diaries at the end of the week it just says 'what i did at the weekend.......................' to be honest some of them don't bother, others fill it in.

[michellethegooner]

I have comment pages for the wkend but tbh it rarely gerts filled in sometimes parents will call me or write in journal wot little one got up, but I tend to ask when they arrive and then just write note in obs of what they did the wkend

[PixiePetal]

Only one of mine writes notes in the diary for when he is not with me. Have mindee 2 days a week. She has been keeping his diaries in his memory box since he came to me at 9 months, he is now 4 1/2.
She sometimes gives me photos too for my files.

I think it is daft to expect parents to write us developmental notes, they are just enjoying their kids. I would not want to be thinking of writing stuff down if I was the parent, telling of any milestones should be enough. We can work from that.

[Daftbat]

I have a seporate area in my diaries at the end of the week it just says 'what i did at the weekend.......................' to be honest some of them don't bother, others fill it in.

Same here, mine don't always fill in:(

[FizzysFriends]

I ask for pics of special things they do at home as parents are usually taking pics anyway.

[ORKSIE]

My daily diaries are Two way, I ask parents for input. One parent does add things:)

[sophiestars]

I have daily diaries but rarely get input from parents even though i keep telling them about the value of sharing information etc and a new policy i have given them stating as such! If I do get input it's more about 'lo has a cold and didn't sleep well last night' etc rather than developmental things. A couple of them have forgotton to bring them too!:mad:

Every 3 months (may reduce frequency later on but haven't started giving them out yet) I plan to give them a 'More about me' sheet following on from the 'all about me' sheet they fill in when they start. I have just put on it about 7 little empty boxes and a little message from me saying could they fill in any achievements their child has made, new likes/dislikes, changes to routine etc and also any comments their child has about coming to my setting. The boxes aren't huge so they don't feel overwhelmed about having to write loads. This will go in their learning journal.

This will be given to them with their child's 3 monthly developmental assessment review, individual plan for the next 3 months and also a parental questionnaire about my service which they will get every 6 months or a year - haven't decided yet!

[Andrea08]

I have a seporate area in my diaries at the end of the week it just says 'what i did at the weekend.......................' to be honest some of them don't bother, others fill it in.

only had one parent fill this part in and now i ask and fill it in myself,
nursery has a home book for chidren to put pictures in and parents to comment ,, half have gone missing already,, got to ask do parents realy understand its a legal requirement of ours to have this partnership!!!

[Bridey]

But ... parents aren't on either of the Childcare registers and don't have to deliver EYFS!! We are paid to work for THEM not the other way round!

[watgem]

Most of my parents don't write in the diary but if they tell me something or the child tells me something I write in down in my diary and I have written in my SEF that all my parents prefer verbal communications as they don't have the time or see the need for lots of paperwork.:)

[FizzysFriends]

But ... parents aren't on either of the Childcare registers and don't have to deliver EYFS!! We are paid to work for THEM not the other way round!

But isn't it about working in partnership with parents?

[mrs c]

I like the idea of doing a 'more about me' sheet. Could be useful for one little boy I have who comes on Wed. Dad drops off and has been at work Mon and Tues and the little one has been with grandparents and Dad doesnt know what the little one has been doing and can't remember what they did at week-ends. A simplified sheet would evidence working in partnership.

[Helen79]

None of my parents write in the daily diarys or tell me what they do at weekends.

Every 6 months I fill out a 'where am i now' form & ask parents to look through their learning journal & write any comments. None ever write comments though.

As a parent I have never written in dd's daily dairy for nursery, even though I've always read it everyday & I definately wouldn't do observations at home for a childminder.
Some parents don't do anything exciting with their children & might be embarrassed at having to write something down. Some weekends we don't do anything other than have snuggly pajama days on the sofa watching dvds & football, I'd be :blush: writing that down on d's daily diary. I'd probably feel I had to make something up to impress her key worker.

[Mollymop]

I didn't realise that we had to do this!

The parents often talk to me about what the children have been doing at the weekend, etc, and that's good enough for me.
I am not going to ask them to write it all down for me to keep, parents are busy working people, that is why we care for their children!

I have newsletters, daily diaries, conversations, learning folders that I share with the parents. I am working in partnership with the parents! I am not going to log down what the children do in their own private time with their family.

[Mollymop]

Some parents don't do anything exciting with their children & might be embarrassed at having to write something down. Some weekends we don't do anything other than have snuggly pajama days on the sofa watching dvds & football, I'd be :blush: writing that down on d's daily diary. I'd probably feel I had to make something up to impress her key worker.

I know what you mean and I agree.

When my ds was in reception class some 5 years ago, he had to write, every Monday, what he did at the weekend. It used to bother me. I used to imagine him trying to write about going to the park or playing with his toys every Monday, because we didn't always do many exciting things and me being a new mum at the time, I was petrified that all the other children would be telling their teacher about going to the seaside, legoland, for bike rides and going to the cinema.
SO every Monday morning I used to chat to ds on the way to school about the weekend. What did he like doing? Playing with my Lorries and Transformers - he used to say, even if we did something nice like go to the zoo around nan's for lunch.

I know it isn't all about doing the best, most exciting things every weekend, but as a parent, especially a young one like I was, it made me feel slightly embarressed and under pressure to show I was as good a mum as all the others.

Sorry that was a bit long!! ha:D

[newandlearning]

yes.. I agree.. when you are being a parent at home at the weekend I can't be bothered to write updates in things about my own children.. I love taking photos of them and would be happy to share these.. say every quarter or when special occasions arise.. I've been given a lot of photos so I'm thinking that possibly asking for photos rather than the written word could be a great way of getting information which we can then use for the EYFS, it also elicits conversation building bonds etc etc... I think I'm going to still write in diary every month but will ask for photos as well every few months.