Help with Planning

[phoebe-alice]

Hi there, I am looking for some advice regarding planning. I can cover everything else but planning. :panic: I have no motivation for it I don't know how you guys down south cope.
I bought a family organising calendar in hope that it would encourage me to put something down on paper but to be honest I wrote it for a week and it has remained stuffed up in a drawer but... I have now nailed a place for it above my desk and its haunting me I have to start writing but haven't a clue how to set it out or what to write. Please help I know there must be some lovely planners on here, I'm in much need! :laughing:
Any advice would be great but especially how I can incorporate this calendar into my dreaded planning. I currently have children aged 24 months, 2, 3 and 4 if that helps any. Thanks in advance!

[arly]

My diary is my planner...lol I dont tend to plan daily or weekly we tend to go with the flow of what the children enjoy...although I do celebrations etc easter, birthdays that kind of thing and I just pop a wee post it note in ma diary with whatever we celebrating..say easter and underneather i put different ideas of what we might do, eat for snack etc like decorate eggs, easter egg hunt, hot cross buns for snack etc etc then a pop it in my diary and incorporate them ideas into different days then i will highlight it as being a planned activity if you get what I mean :thumbsup: my mindees are all young.

[BlondeMoment]

I ran around and around in circles with this one. Almost tore my hair out LOL

I've finally got it nailed. What I now have is a kind of spreadsheet with columns under each day of the week for who's here, a morning activity, an afternoon activity, what toys are out for free play and what we're having for dinner. Bits of it get filled in ahead but most of it is as we go. I find it helps more with making sure I don't repeat the same activities or same meals with the same children week after week as my lot are all part timers.

In the activities column are the simplest scribblings. Child lead free play happens most of the day and I carry out one adult lead activiy for the morning and one in the afternoon

An example of a day may be...

Monday:

Who's here - Sophie, Charlie, Sam
AM - Painting butterflies
PM - Feed the ducks
Free Play Toys - Red box and trains
Evening meal - Lasagne

Ofsted were happy with it. I refuse to make it any more complicated LOL

I can send you my planning spreadsheet if it helps?

Good luck x