Your day with under 2's

[mumofone]

Can you tell me how you spend your days with under 2's? Worried I'm not doing enough...

[JCrakers]

Can you tell me how you spend your days with under 2's? Worried I'm not doing enough...

My week is a set routine.
Mondays we stay in, lots of free play, painting/playdoh, park if it's not too wet and drab, sleep in afternoon and then lots of roleplay/pretend play with the after school children. (they love the little ones and try to get them involved, although they don't often want to be pulled around..lol)
Tuesdays we go to toddler group after school drop off, get back at 11am, free play, lunch. Afternoon sleep. I fit in crafts if we can or it its a particular occasion i.e mothers day etc.
Weds we are inside again, babies usually potter around, watching and copying any older mindees, snack, painting/glueing. Lunch, sleep, school run.
Thurs is a busier morning with toddler group in town so don't get in until 12pm, lunch, sleep, school run.

Throughout the week I fit in story reading, sitting with toys chatting but usually they are happy pottering and exploring without a major input from me. We also spend a lot of time at parks when weather is dryish.

[Maza]

I'm sure you are doing plenty. If you can see progress in your little ones then you must be.

By the time you have timetabled in meals, snacks, nappy changes and naps there isn't an awful lot of time left.

I get them out everyday - might be just in the garden, or it could be to the library, park, playgroup, woods etc. When we go out depends on nap times. I used to have two who needed a 10am nap and so most of our big outings were in the afternoon. Then they both started sleeping in the afternoon and so most of our outings were in the morning (which I prefer).

Lots of free play as and when throughout the day, with carefully selected resources - one little one loved stacking whilst at the same time my DD loved posting, and so toys/activities of that nature were always on offer. I generally plan for one messy type of session per week, such as exploring paint, but there wouldn't be an end product in mind and not always anything to take home. Other weeks we would have the paint out every day.

[FloraDora]

I've just outlined my day in another thread.
But basically the children arrive and play as others arrive with the activities I have set out, usually in the living room, then breakfast. After breakfast we do music and movement, then they play and depending on this play depends on my day. There are areas and toys set out based on what I think they could play with, next steps etc...writing/drawing area, Book corner, construction of some sort, discovery on a tray, water/ sand/ messy play , small world and an art area downstairs in the living room, dining room and kitchen. They know that we usually have a role play area on the landing, music available in the music room upstairs or as an activity downstairs(often a focus) and the rest of the toys and games in the den I go with their lead, if they want something I haven't set out we find a space and they fetch it, but we fit in a garden time, our nature reserve/ park/ playground daily walk in and around what they are playing, so if there is a lull in imaginary play, I will suggest and encourage something else. They know our routine and will often say " it's sunny shall we feed the ducks now?" Then we do.
Before lunch is stories and books, a quiet 10mins where we get chance to read on their own or I read to them. ( DH makes and serves lunch).
They all have a rest time after lunch, some don't sleep but listen to an audio story or play quietly, the pre schoolers then have a focus phonics/reading/ maths session then whilst a younger child might sleep and we end the day after afternoon snack with tidy up and puzzles and books . So when they leave ( last one 5) DH has little to tidy away and our home is back to normal.
I don't attend groups as I think they get better quality play here and none are full time and attend groups/ nursery on the days they are not with me.
I don't have to fit in school runs either.
I encourage them to complete an art and craft, musical, writing/drawing, role play or imaginary play where they talk a lot to each other daily but some days they just play one game the whole time ( it was called going to Portugal yesterday) and no music or art happens.
I play with them a lot, but give them space too, when I play with them I encourage their next steps in my contribution to play. I also have tray activities which are next steps and the older ones know they should try and fit in a tray activity at some point in the day.
When you write it down it sounds busy, but it is more about setting up a learning environment for what they need age or progress wise that covers all areas and allowing them freedom and time to access it. Nothing is really time tabled,but we do have some set routines.

[BallyH]

I've just outlined my day in another thread.
But basically the children arrive and play as others arrive with the activities I have set out, usually in the living room, then breakfast. After breakfast we do music and movement, then they play and depending on this play depends on my day. There are areas and toys set out based on what I think they could play with, next steps etc...writing/drawing area, Book corner, construction of some sort, discovery on a tray, water/ sand/ messy play , small world and an art area downstairs in the living room, dining room and kitchen. They know that we usually have a role play area on the landing, music available in the music room upstairs or as an activity downstairs(often a focus) and the rest of the toys and games in the den I go with their lead, if they want something I haven't set out we find a space and they fetch it, but we fit in a garden time, our nature reserve/ park/ playground daily walk in and around what they are playing, so if there is a lull in imaginary play, I will suggest and encourage something else. They know our routine and will often say " it's sunny shall we feed the ducks now?" Then we do.
Before lunch is stories and books, a quiet 10mins where we get chance to read on their own or I read to them. ( DH makes and serves lunch).
They all have a rest time after lunch, some don't sleep but listen to an audio story or play quietly, the pre schoolers then have a focus phonics/reading/ maths session then whilst a younger child might sleep and we end the day after afternoon snack with tidy up and puzzles and books . So when they leave ( last one 5) DH has little to tidy away and our home is back to normal.
I don't attend groups as I think they get better quality play here and none are full time and attend groups/ nursery on the days they are not with me.
I don't have to fit in school runs either.
I encourage them to complete an art and craft, musical, writing/drawing, role play or imaginary play where they talk a lot to each other daily but some days they just play one game the whole time ( it was called going to Portugal yesterday) and no music or art happens.
I play with them a lot, but give them space too, when I play with them I encourage their next steps in my contribution to play. I also have tray activities which are next steps and the older ones know they should try and fit in a tray activity at some point in the day.
When you write it down it sounds busy, but it is more about setting up a learning environment for what they need age or progress wise that covers all areas and allowing them freedom and time to access it. Nothing is really time tabled,but we do have some set routines.

Sounds wonderful. I bet you sleep well at night.

[mumofone]

Where dyou do the likes of painting and playdough with your under 2's?

[Maza]

In my kitchen - the only non-carpeted room. They do it in their highchair or standing or sitting at a little table. Of course in the Summer you can do I outside too.

[FloraDora]

Where dyou do the likes of painting and playdough with your under 2's?

I do painting in the dining room with a beige carpet. It just seems to work, up at the dining room table, with individual pots. Big painting that I know is going to be more messy we do as Maza says in the kitchen or outdoors. We always have a painting table set up in the nice weather outdoors.
Playdoh is always at the table in the dining room or on a camping table, again in the dining room for stand up put more effort into it play. Rarely does the floor get messy, they are tucked in at the correct level with a plastic cloth and their own space defined by a place mat if at the table.
For me this means that children can do art or messy play whenever they like and others can carry on playing somewhere else. If they do it in the kitchen I can only see into the hall or dining room so they don't have the same freedom, kitchen messy play is usually planned and all do it together.
It's more about logistics that defines where I do things.

[JCrakers]

Where dyou do the likes of painting and playdough with your under 2's?

At the dining table which is off the playroom. Wooden floor

If its nice weather I have a tuff tray which I put on the patio of lawn.

[Fitrix]

I agree with floradora - it is more about setting up a learning environment. All the kids in our setting play in different ways and do just want to play. To be honest they usually trash the place and do need some guidance in their play at times. Easiest activities are when you can get outside and they can play with sand or water - this holds them for longer. I get frustrated too and worry I'm not doing enough but at 2 years they really lack the ability to do much else than play their own way - discovering and exploring in their own style. We do painting and drawing but as it states in the latest childcare magazine it's about process not product for them which is great but I think we feel pressure to prove that they have made somethinng meaningful to parents etc.
Reading with them is always good and just talking to them constantly about what they are doing - introducing colours, counting etc when it's appropriate.