Planning nightmare

[Helen Dempster]

Hello and happy Sunday! I'm up to my eyeballs in paperwork today, and really need help with my planning! I just don't 'get' it at all :blush: I'm fine with all the other stuff, obs etc, but planning is really throwing me! I'm not going to bother with medium term planning, just long term and short term, but - what arethey?? For long term, do you just list festivals/birthdays and things like that, and what you're going to do with the children for each thing? And what is short term planning?? I mind two 3yo boys and alot of what they do is their own choosing/free play. They aren't really interested in arts and crafty stuff, tho I do try (and end up doing most of it myself!) They love all the usual boys stuff - cars, trains, 'building' etc and they do like role play. Would this all come under short term planning?

Pleeeeeeeeease help me....

[Chatterbox Childcare]

My planning consists of 2 year rolling plan with themes and I leave August to the children to decide completely.

Each month I plan routines and two activities per week based on the theme (sometimes they don't get done) and then if the children have interests I slot them in as I go along.

Keep it as simple as you can.

[Ripeberry]

Short term planning is seing what the children enjoyed doing, either individualy or as a group and then you try and introduce something else that will make it more enjoyable next time.
For example, one child might enjoy splashing in puddles, why not next time put some washing up liquid in it and he/she can splash and make bubbles?
Planning is something we do automaticaly, it just seems difficult when we have to write it down and prove it :(

[Helen Dempster]

Thanks girls - that's helped lots...it kinda makes sense now :thumbsup:

[jojane]

i am biulding up a file of themes so each theme will have the following planned out

craft activity
art activity
messy play
physical activity
theme appropriate toys that can be played with
books and songs etc that fit theme
cooking activity
appropriate food