help!

[misskft]

Newbie cm here getting myself tangled with planning. Ive got 3yo mindee and 14m mindee. Do I do weekly individual planning then plan for the following month using their next steps? Do I need to do group planning as well?

[moggy]

Group planning would be when you all go to Toddler Group, or all do something for Easter etc, just the big themes and the trips you do together.

[misskft]

Thanka Moggy. How many individual activities per week?

[moggy]

Thanka Moggy. How many individual activities per week?

For a 3yo- I'd have some idea of an activity each day the are with me (unless they are doing long hours at nursery the same day and just need some quiet time with me), even if it is just to get the paints out today or to do some gardening etc.

For a 14mth old- I'd be adapting what I was doing with the 3yo, if they are there together- if planting seeds with 3yo I'd have a sensory tray with pots and compost and spoons for 14mth old. If I was baking with 3yo I'd have wooden spoons and bowls for 14mth old etc. Plus things that are easy to get out and put away as they can lose interest so quickly, so treasure box of natural materials, music instrument basket, balls and containers etc. And plenty of free play for exploring and following their own interests.

I wouldn't plan much ahead of time- just write up afterwards what we did, evaluate and next ideas. Retrospective planning they call it!

I have a monthly list of 6 ideas of things to do following their interests/next steps and I circle which Areas are covered (this month I have listed 3 and left the others blank to fill in as we go along) and I tick off that when we do it and note evaluation. Sometimes we do all the things on the list, sometimes we do some and then improvise as ideas come to us as we go along!

[misskft]

That's great thank you. So do you do most of your weekly individual planning retrospectively?

I think my problem is spending 10 years in a nursery and being far too detailed with my planning, old habits die hard!

For a 3yo- I'd have some idea of an activity each day the are with me (unless they are doing long hours at nursery the same day and just need some quiet time with me), even if it is just to get the paints out today or to do some gardening etc.

For a 14mth old- I'd be adapting what I was doing with the 3yo, if they are there together- if planting seeds with 3yo I'd have a sensory tray with pots and compost and spoons for 14mth old. If I was baking with 3yo I'd have wooden spoons and bowls for 14mth old etc. Plus things that are easy to get out and put away as they can lose interest so quickly, so treasure box of natural materials, music instrument basket, balls and containers etc. And plenty of free play for exploring and following their own interests.

I wouldn't plan much ahead of time- just write up afterwards what we did, evaluate and next ideas. Retrospective planning they call it!

I have a monthly list of 6 ideas of things to do following their interests/next steps and I circle which Areas are covered (this month I have listed 3 and left the others blank to fill in as we go along) and I tick off that when we do it and note evaluation. Sometimes we do all the things on the list, sometimes we do some and then improvise as ideas come to us as we go along!

[moggy]

That's great thank you. So do you do most of your weekly individual planning retrospectively?

I think my problem is spending 10 years in a nursery and being far too detailed with my planning, old habits die hard!

I don't do a written individual weekly plan, even retrospectively.
I have a written individual monthly plan, that I do add to retrospectively (a bit like Sarah's Play Plan- see Resources up at the top).

(but this is just my way, everyone has their own way of doing things)

I have a week's chart on notice board by door for all to see saying 'Mon- Toddler Group, Tues- toy library, Wed- playground, Thurs- out to woods... etc. which I write each week. This to give me a bit of structure. Some days are blank as I like to make it up as we go along and depending on weather and our moods.

I have all the children's next steps easy to access so I can check back to see if what we could be doing each day. And then I just make it up as we go.

I do not do weekly individual plan as in 'Mon: play dough , Tues: water play...' as we might fancy a bit of water play on a Monday instead, and then no one might be interested in playdough that week but we need something for tea so we all make scones, and if the sun is unexpectedly out the planning goes out the window and we go for a walk along the stream!...

Then, I might write on the weekly group plan on the notice board 'Mon: walk by stream (and cross out 'Toddler group' or whatever!)' just to remind me what we did that day.

[misskft]

thanks for that :-) where do you write the next steps? as a result of what you have observed in their daily activities?

[moggy]

thanks for that :-) where do you write the next steps? as a result of what you have observed in their daily activities?

Yes, about 50% of my obs I put a next step to, some I follow up immediately. Also I do termly written progress review summaries with next steps in, which I can look at each week to see what still to work on- I refer to these when writing my monthly plan notes.

I only have 3 children I mind, all EY. If I had a lot more I may find I need more detailed individual planning. As I said, this is just my way, others will tell you something completely different!