do you entertain children all day

[lou lou]

i was just wondering if you entertain the children all day i find this quite hard to do i try to get them engaged in stuff but as you know they get bored very quickly i look after three 3 year olds and how much free play do you let the children have? sometimes i find when they are just doing a bit of free play they play much nicer together and when i try to do something with them it all ends up in argunents

[miss mopple]

Mine free play alot. We do one or 2 organised activities a day and thats plenty as far as Im concerned. I have 4 under 5's every day so I cant always be playing with them as one always needs extra attention/ putting to bed/ nappy change etc etc

The bigger ones drive me potty at times as they seem totally incapable of playing without adult direction, can never make a decision about what they want to do etc. I remind them I am a childminder not a childrens entertainer :laughing:

I think its important that kids have free play time as it helps their own imaginations and teaches some independance

[louised]

Mine have free play most of the time, I may set up an activity but then i leave them to it, it's almost impossible to direct their play anyway, I do agree about the older children though, they get bored much quicker than the younger ones and seem incapable of play, probably stayed glued to the tv at home

[solly]

I use free play alot and usually do 1 or 2 organised activities a day with them i find they all play nicely and use their imagination if left to play and i love just watching and listening to the conversations they have with each other:)

[dlissaman]

I love the childminder not child entertainer bit. I agree 7 and 8 years old 'only' children are the worst in my opinion. I no longer care for after schoolers or provide school holiday cafe.

As for the little ones I plan in advance one or two activities a day that are usually changed following the child's interests or current events. I did not expect us to be making snowmen yesterday (again).

[Twinkles]

Mine have a lot of free play too. I believe thats what childhood is for - playing !

We are out most mornings so I guess that's an organised activity !

We have storytime before lunch. We may have a music session ( but not every day )

I will put out different activities - jigsaws , dressing up , construction toys etc before they arrive but if they don't fancy that then they can choose something else.

When the ASC get here we have a craft or cooking activity but that's it.

I find if you organise them all the time they don't learn to make decisions for themselves.

[PixiePetal]

Mostly free play here, one or two activities planned but not always carried out if they are doing something else.

If we are at a group - free play there too, lots of socialising skills going on and relaxed observing from me with input or direction given if needed.

[Lady Haha]

I found this interesting reading! I care for schoolies only and thought that at that age they could pretty much keep them selves entertained as all toys, crafts, etc are accessible to them all the time. But, no! I get the 'I'm bored!' after an hour or so. And one of them as some one else said, seems incapable of doing anything without me!

I have up to seven schoolies and although I do spend some time on a one to one basis with each child, I see my role more as their supervisor than entertainer!

Having said that, I do plan two activities a day for them. One being an outing somewhere and the other a craft or cooking activity.

[brightstar]

The little ones are mostly free play, with some direction towards jigsaws and building blocks etc. I find the older ones need more attention though, so we do more organised activities. I try to go out at least once a day, to toddler groups, the park or the library. Definitely free play before school though. During the quiet times I potter around doing some housework :blush:

[SmartKids]

Like the others, a planned activity or two depending what else is happening that day, but again not always carried out as I ask my pre-schoolers what they would like to do! I find the hardest age to keep occupied is the 10/11 year olds as they seem to get bored easily.

[sarak31]

I thought it was fine now to encourage free play - child initiated play being a big part of EYFS and when they learn the most. I plan for one adult led activity daily (this might be an outing / playgroup etc or an activity inside) and then the remainder is child initated play. If I've got after schoolies I might do something then but depends on what clubs etc are going on - find it hard to fit things in after school and cook tea. I do put toys / craft resources out for them but like someone said above if they want to choose something else then that's fine.

Completely agree about 7/ 8 years olds - those I have minded have been a nightmare - getting bored after 2 minutes and now my DD is that age I have it on a permanent basis - she seems incapable of entertaining herself sometimes and just kicks about the house not knowing what to do with herself - must be that particular age!!

[manjay]

I do mostly free play. My children can access or request all my resources and I believe by encouraging their imagination when they are little they should not turn into the after schoolers who can not entertain themselves:rolleyes:

[MissTinkerbell]

Same here - 1 planned activity per day and this doesn't always get done and the rest of the time free play. I only have an 18 month old here along with my own twins and he likes to do his own thing rather than being guided by me.

[claire bear 72]

I found this interesting reading! I care for schoolies only and thought that at that age they could pretty much keep them selves entertained as all toys, crafts, etc are accessible to them all the time. But, no! I get the 'I'm bored!' after an hour or so. And one of them as some one else said, seems incapable of doing anything without me!

I have up to seven schoolies and although I do spend some time on a one to one basis with each child, I see my role more as their supervisor than entertainer!

Having said that, I do plan two activities a day for them. One being an outing somewhere and the other a craft or cooking activity.
I too have same as u.....thought I had posted this without knowing lol :) the older ones definately take more entertaining!!! Free play with them is in heard of here......we did between 10and 12 activities yesterday I was absolutely shattered last night!!!!!

[Mollymop]

Mine love freeplay but also really enjoy doing things with me.

Once school run is over they have a snack and freeplay til about 10 then we either go to the park or do painting/playdoh beads etc together.

They freeplay after that until lunch time - which they help me prepare.

After lunch they sometimes help me clear away and then we do something together and storytime/songs - then freeplay for half hour before school run.

After school run it is snack time and t.v and freeplay

So yes, mine most freeplay xx

[The Juggler]

I love the childminder not child entertainer bit. I agree 7 and 8 years old 'only' children are the worst in my opinion. I no longer care for after schoolers or provide school holiday cafe.

As for the little ones I plan in advance one or two activities a day that are usually changed following the child's interests or current events. I did not expect us to be making snowmen yesterday (again).

I think it's school, they are so used to not 'playing ' any more and being directed most of the day:panic: i find if I've set up some smallworld, have an activity set up in kitchen, children will just play and just come and show me stuff or ask questions. they might ask me to get something else out but rarely need me to play with them. Sometimes I will sit and play alongside them but more often the only time they really want me to join in is when we have a story or music time.

[huggableshelly]

most of my afterschoolers have been with me for a long time so enter my home and treat it as their own, entertaining themselves, chosing toys etc so I have no issues with older mindees. I have seen the differences between those who join me for afterschool care only to those who have been with me for ages but the oldies as I will call them soon show the newbies what to do.

I always have some form of craft on the table too but if they dont wish to do it thats fine with me!

free play for younger mindees is great, gives you time to watch, observe, spot their likes and dislikes and you can always jump in with suggestions to direct the play slightly to incorperate learning such as colours numbers and shapes.

I do 3 set activities a week for younger mindees (only have them 4 days a week), it may take all week to get the activitiesdone but used to plan for every hour of the day finding that I had no time to write up obs etc let alone grabbing a cuppa lol.