Individual planning for every minute of the day?

[Nikki76]

Hi
Do we need to have an individual plan (short term plan) for each child for every minute that they are with us?

My little mindee (3) is mad for The Gruffalo' book and has been for the last three weeks and it doesn't show any sign of waning just yet But to be honest I've now started to run out of ideas to link this interest into the day.

My question is, is it ok to have one 'Gruafflo' linked activity a day? and when he is only with me for 2 hrs one day do I then have to think of something to fill that 2 hrs...Gruffalo related.

I do my individual/short term planning on a weekly grid split up by morning and afternoon, do each of these sections need to always be filled?

Any help would be greatly appreciate and if anyone can think of how to link The Gruffalo into my 'Celebrations' theme this month, that would also be great... As I have a feeling this interest is going to las a little longer yet...

Thanks
Nikki

[miffy]

Noooooooooooo, you don't have to plan for every second of the day!

Your usual routines will meet the EYFS learning and development areas.

Individual planning for children should follow their interests (like you're doing with the Gruffalo) but you don't have to plan something related to it for every second they are with you.

Children do repeat activities - I have one who asks me to read the same book every time they come and has done for weeks!

Miffy xx

[Nikki76]

THANK YOU!!

So what do I fill in in the other areas of my grid throughout the day?

Would this be activities to help meet the next steps that have identified through previous obs?

[Penny1959]

THANK YOU!!

So what do I fill in in the other areas of my grid throughout the day?

Would this be activities to help meet the next steps that have identified through previous obs?

Not sure which 'grid' you are referring to - so unable to make suggestions.

However you may be doing too much planning

Planning can be just an outline / a few ideas - up to full and formal 'nursery style' planning.

One of the problems of very detailed planning is that it can be easy to follow the planning to the smallest detail - and overlook the child's preferences and right to make choices.

Take yesterday at my setting
My outline plan stated
For under one twins on settling in day - floor mirror, treasure basket, rattles
For 18 month old (likes carrying things around) - heuristic items, bags and boxes
For almost 3 year old - Stickle bricks, Fisher Price zoo,

For all after snack time (when we normally do something with a bit more adult input).
Musical instruments, colouring next 'bauble' for christmas tree, advent calendars.

I do not plan around areas of learning - just record the development that actually happens.

Then the twins didn't come - due to being sick.
So as whole environment was set up with items safe for babies - I decided I would put away treasure basket, rattles etc.

I asked almost 3 year old what she would like out - we looked at the resource catalogue together for ideas.

Her decision - BABY TOYS! She then spent over 1 hour before snack time exploring the treasure basket (thinking about it does have some unusual items in it that she has not had opportunity to play with ).
She did not want to do music or colouring (did do advent calender) just BABY TOYS.

I suggested we walked to charity shop to look for more toys and books (in the hope that on our return she would want to play with something else). She wanted to go to charity shop - which we did and she chose a book about a ballerina and a robot.

On our return she was keen to put new batteries in the robot - but did not want me to read her new book - you guessed it she played with baby toys again until lunch time.

So planning out of window - not the outcomes I would have expected - but development still occured and this was recorded.

Oh and if wondering the 18month old? She carried things around all day

Penny

[singlewiththree]

Your day sounds very much like mine, my planning is short and brief but then ultimately goes out of the window when they come. I have a child who has an obsession with 2 particularly books, and sheep! and another who transports things in prams all day and another who transports things in baskets.

[Pauline]

I agree with the others you don't need to plan something for every minute of the day nor do you need to plan something that includes the child's interests all the time.

If the child is interested in the Gruffalo you could just drop the odd thing in during the day, how about at snack or meal time asking what snack the child would be for the Gruffalo? You could get some good alliteration in for language and communication, e.g if her name was Charlotte, it could be Charlotte Crumble or for Belinda it could be Belinda Bread. Do you own and other people's names too.

Or on a walk out you could wonder if there was a Gruffalo in the bushes, creep around and have a look using a quiet whispering voice (language/voice development) or tip toe (good for balance and motor skills)

It doesn't all have to be pre-planned full activities as such.

[sarah707]

I plan big chunks of the day for the children to engage in free, uninterrupted, unstructured play!

They have appropriate resources, lots of space, an adult on hand to help and guide them or play with them if invited.

I add more things that interest them if I see a need, but usually they just potter around.

Children need to learn to play... so many do not get the chance nowadays.

The other thing we need to give them is time to do absolutely nothing!

To look out of the window without an over-eager adult pushing a bird book into their hand, to watch a squirrel on the fence without us saying 'come and look at this squirrel book', to lie on their backs and watch the clouds without us asking them what shapes they can see...

these types of activities are as valid for your individual planning as any other interest

[Trpta108]

I plan big chunks of the day for the children to engage in free, uninterrupted, unstructured play!

They have appropriate resources, lots of space, an adult on hand to help and guide them or play with them if invited.

I add more things that interest them if I see a need, but usually they just potter around.

Children need to learn to play... so many do not get the chance nowadays.

The other thing we need to give them is time to do absolutely nothing!

To look out of the window without an over-eager adult pushing a bird book into their hand, to watch a squirrel on the fence without us saying 'come and look at this squirrel book', to lie on their backs and watch the clouds without us asking them what shapes they can see...

these types of activities are as valid for your individual planning as any other interest

Just my thinking. Children dont get enough time these days to do 'nothing'.
To just be themselves.

[Pauline]

Just my thinking. Children dont get enough time these days to do 'nothing'.
To just be themselves.

You are so right. It seems to me that they get so much stimulation from TV, noisy toys, computer games etc. that they just cannot 'do nothing', I don't think they know how.

We've had two of our grandchildren this weekend and after a full morning out at the activity centre they walked back in the house to promptly said "now what are we doing?"

Graham said "let's sit and do nothing for 5 minutes" well, by the looks on their faces you would have thought he had said 'let's go and sit in the middle of the road'! They were aghast at the though!

[keeks]

Just my thinking. Children dont get enough time these days to do 'nothing'.
To just be themselves.

Do you find there is more "nothing" time for young children in Denmark, Trine? I see a big difference from Sweden. We don't plan activities like we do here. Children choose, and are free to choose anything. This includes doing things like sit snuggled up on a sofa deep in thought.

A very wise nursery teacher once told me "The greatest gift you can give your children in this day and age, is free time to do anything or nothing."

xx

[Trpta108]

Do you find there is more "nothing" time for young children in Denmark, Trine? I see a big difference from Sweden. We don't plan activities like we do here. Children choose, and are free to choose anything. This includes doing things like sit snuggled up on a sofa deep in thought.

A very wise nursery teacher once told me "The greatest gift you can give your children in this day and age, is free time to do anything or nothing."

xx

I do feel that there is a lot of focus on planning activities for children of all ages here in England, compared to Denmark, including afterschool activities. To the point where the children are getting proper stressed. Not my idea of childhood. Another difference that I have noticed is the amount of outdoor play, which I remember being a much bigger part of early years in Denmark. There they even nap outside in their pram. I used to do that with my own children and people tthought I was mad.

[Penny1959]

I do feel that there is a lot of focus on planning activities for children of all ages here in England, compared to Denmark, including afterschool activities. To the point where the children are getting proper stressed. Not my idea of childhood. Another difference that I have noticed is the amount of outdoor play, which I remember being a much bigger part of early years in Denmark. There they even nap outside in their pram. I used to do that with my own children and people tthought I was mad.

Not my idea of childhood either Trine. Some children are very stressed, have no imagination, can not play alone, some can not even think for themselves.

Such as 7 year (just come into my care) He was sitting in car with lunch box, book bag, coat and 2 toys in his hands and after sitting there for 2 mins (I was getting little ones out of car seats)
he said ' I can't open the car door'
I replied ' what can do you do about that?'
he said 'you can open it'
I replied 'sorry I am busy, you will have to think what you can do, so you can open the door yourself'

It took him another 2 mins to work out that he needed to put his things down and so be able to open the door.

It is not the child's fault (he is a able child in other things) - it is the restrictive environment he has experienced and he has not had the opportunity to problem solve in the real world (rather than the 'if I push this button, that happens' world)

Would love to find out moore about childcare in Denmark (and Sweeden).

Penny

[Dragonfly]

sarah707 You are so right, children need to play-- On their own using their imagination etc.
I find childminding children in perticular don't know how to do this as they have things planned out for them so much that they get into a habit of saying what are we doing now?? When my grown up boys were young i would say go and play and they would! they didnt have me planning for them all the time.
Children need time on their own/playmate etc