Summer holidays & eyfs planning

**kellyb** · 25-06-2012, 10:35 AM

Hi everyone

What do you all do with regards to your eyfs planning in the school holidays - as obv children don't attend school or pre school, so do you all do your planning as you would a normal week? As we spend a lot of it out & about, just thinking ahead of what I need to plan for the younger ones? If you do as much as during term time or if you don't do any for obs???

Would be great to see what you all do?

Plus there are some children I have term time only so obv this doesn't affect them x

**rickysmiths** · 25-06-2012, 10:54 AM

I'm not sure I understand what you are asking? If a child is with me all year round the school holidays don't change the way I plan and do any observations. Any term time only children wouldn't be with me in the holidays so I wouldn't plan for them at that time.

Pipsqueak · 25-06-2012, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by kellyb

Hi everyone

What do you all do with regards to your eyfs planning in the school holidays - as obv children don't attend school or pre school, so do you all do your planning as you would a normal week? As we spend a lot of it out & about, just thinking ahead of what I need to plan for the younger ones? If you do as much as during term time or if you don't do any for obs???

Would be great to see what you all do?

Plus there are some children I have term time only so obv this doesn't affect them x

I just carry on as normal and incorporate the older ones into the planning.
ie/ we are doing lots of olyimpic stuff which will probably continue into the holidays - the older ones will just 'join in'
we'll do stuff surrounding holidays/beach and personal safety - again the older ones will just join in if they wish to...

we'll get the TTFB out as well and update it some more and the LO's will just 'join in ' with that too

**kellyb** · 25-06-2012, 11:19 AM

All I want to know is if the children you have in the eyfs are with you in summer hols do you still do all your planning & obs etc as they obv aren't at school in reception or at pre school do do you still do it or take a break from it?

Pipsqueak · 25-06-2012, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by kellyb

All I want to know is if the children you have in the eyfs are with you in summer hols do you still do all your planning & obs etc as they obv aren't at school in reception or at pre school do do you still do it or take a break from it?

EYFs carries on regardless of the time of year hun. Its up to the provider to implement it appropriately.
Its not like national curriculum for schoolies

I guess for me its 'loser' planning in the holidays and more subject to change and there is a fair bit more of retrospective planning

hth

**VeggieSausage** · 25-06-2012, 11:58 AM

I treat the summer holidays a bit differently - we do more days out etc and toddler groups are not on so lots of outdoors activities that suit everyone. My current planning takes me to the end of term, then I do a summer holidays plan - then back to next term with a new half term plan - if that makes sense.

**Mouse** · 25-06-2012, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by kellyb

All I want to know is if the children you have in the eyfs are with you in summer hols do you still do all your planning & obs etc as they obv aren't at school in reception or at pre school do do you still do it or take a break from it?

Childminders still have to follow the EYFS during school holidays. Unfortunately we don't have a summer break like schools do! Private nurseries would have to continue with it all year round as well.

In some ways it's easier. You're not rushing to get everything fitted iin round school and nursery runs and can plan for longer activities.

**kellyb** · 25-06-2012, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by Pipsqueak

EYFs carries on regardless of the time of year hun. Its up to the provider to implement it appropriately.
Its not like national curriculum for schoolies

I guess for me its 'loser' planning in the holidays and more subject to change and there is a fair bit more of retrospective planning

hth

Thank you : ) that's what I normally do, but I only thought today with schools & pre schools shut over holiday periods do we do the same technically? So thought I would ask xx

**kellyb** · 25-06-2012, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by Mouse

Childminders still have to follow the EYFS during school holidays. Unfortunately we don't have a summer break like schools do! Private nurseries would have to continue with it all year round as well.

In some ways it's easier. You're not rushing to get everything fitted iin round school and nursery runs and can plan for longer activities.

Thank you everyone!! Just needed some clarification xx

**TooEarlyForGin?** · 25-06-2012, 02:23 PM

I must admit I tend to "relax" more in the school holidays. I am having my 3 weeks off over the summer, only leaving 3, and lots of my children are off at different times as well.

I have quite a few older ones and siblings, so we go out and about if the weather allows and have lots of different fun days.

I usually take lots of photos and do a big "Summer Fun" sheet in the learning journey to show we have still done loads of fun things which all can be linked educationally.

But find it useless to do planning as things change on a daily/weekly basis depending on what children I have/what the weather is doing.

I also tell parents I have a break from daily diaries, as I have 6 EYFS children and when I have a house full from 7.30-6pm I really don't find the time/energy to write much down.

I am going to use this summer holiday to re-do all the learning journey's to fit in with the new EYFS.

**kellyb** · 25-06-2012, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by TooEarlyForGin?

I must admit I tend to "relax" more in the school holidays. I am having my 3 weeks off over the summer, only leaving 3, and lots of my children are off at different times as well.

I have quite a few older ones and siblings, so we go out and about if the weather allows and have lots of different fun days.

I usually take lots of photos and do a big "Summer Fun" sheet in the learning journey to show we have still done loads of fun things which all can be linked educationally.

But find it useless to do planning as things change on a daily/weekly basis depending on what children I have/what the weather is doing.

I also tell parents I have a break from daily diaries, as I have 6 EYFS children and when I have a house full from 7.30-6pm I really don't find the time/energy to write much down.

I am going to use this summer holiday to re-do all the learning journey's to fit in with the new EYFS.

I may just do exactly that! Thank you for telling me how you do it!

**bunyip** · 26-06-2012, 05:31 AM

Quotes from the DofE summary document, Overall Reforms to the 2012 EYFS Framework:

"The reforms will: reduce paperwork and bureaucracy..."

"...providers are responsible for ongoing judgements about the balance between play and teaching..."

"Wrap-around and holiday care: the framework now makes clear that the EYFS requirements do not need to be delivered in full when children spend limited amounts of time in a setting."

Therefore, if I felt the need to justify the way most settings use the school holiday, I'd venture something like this:
"I am using the summer vacation to facilitate a seamless transition to the requirements of the new EYFS framework, which will be non-disruptive to the children in my care, with an emphasis on child-led activities to offset the more formal adult-led programme which is usually dictated by the term-time routine."

Translated from BS into English, that simply means: "we're playing out because that's what we do when the sun is out, the toddler groups are closed, and it's what children have done ever since we lived in caves."

@kellyb
Love the concept of "retrospective planning". Will spend some time introducing it into my provision (retrospectively, of course.)

**kellyb** · 26-06-2012, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by bunyip

Quotes from the DofE summary document, Overall Reforms to the 2012 EYFS Framework:

"The reforms will: reduce paperwork and bureaucracy..."

"...providers are responsible for ongoing judgements about the balance between play and teaching..."

"Wrap-around and holiday care: the framework now makes clear that the EYFS requirements do not need to be delivered in full when children spend limited amounts of time in a setting."

Therefore, if I felt the need to justify the way most settings use the school holiday, I'd venture something like this:
"I am using the summer vacation to facilitate a seamless transition to the requirements of the new EYFS framework, which will be non-disruptive to the children in my care, with an emphasis on child-led activities to offset the more formal adult-led programme which is usually dictated by the term-time routine."

Translated from BS into English, that simply means: "we're playing out because that's what we do when the sun is out, the toddler groups are closed, and it's what children have done ever since we lived in caves."

@kellyb
Love the concept of "retrospective planning". Will spend some time introducing it into my provision (retrospectively, of course.)

Love it!!! Yeah I basically just wondered if everyone took the summer break like schools & pre schools do & obv I know schools and pre schools are actually closed over the summer so obv cannot deliver the eyfs etc as there aren't any children there but I wondered if anyone actually takes a relaxed view of the eyfs during the summer holiday... For childminders I feel it's a bit unfair to expect us to work fully like we do all year round to do this during the summer as children only attending pre school or reception at school get the full break, why shouldn't we? And nurseries?!

**sweets** · 26-06-2012, 12:09 PM

I dont do much EYFS stuff over the long hols, i think we should get a break from it too!
We do more trips out and parks and i still take pics and put them i the childrens files but tend not to link them to EYFS. i may do the occasional ob just to keep ofsted happy

I started a similar thread a while back saying i wasnt doing eyfs over the summer and was accused of breaking the law!!! made me laugh really, its not like i robbed a bank or something

Just do the bare minimum

Pipsqueak · 26-06-2012, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by sweets

I dont do much EYFS stuff over the long hols, i think we should get a break from it too!
We do more trips out and parks and i still take pics and put them i the childrens files but tend not to link them to EYFS. i may do the occasional ob just to keep ofsted happy

I started a similar thread a while back saying i wasnt doing eyfs over the summer and was accused of breaking the law!!! made me laugh really, its not like i robbed a bank or something

Just do the bare minimum

Technically if you aren't following EYFS then it is breaking the law... however - if you are relaxing what you are doing then you aren't NOT doing it if you follow me! lol..... I carry on as I do anytime - linking whatever we do to EYFS.... whether thats long lazy (wet) warm days out, a cinema sess in front of the tv, sitting down painting etc.....

**funemnx** · 26-06-2012, 12:17 PM

The summer holidays are when we really relax and have fun - I take the children out more and to different places. We generally spend most of the day outside (weather permitting

) lots of pictures are taken of all of the children, some of them I'll use in the folders and link to learning and some go on the wall along with other photos and pictures

**blue bear** · 26-06-2012, 12:29 PM

Can't say things change much for me, maybe I'm not doing enough to start with?

Every day is planned around the children what they want to do adding on from things they enjoyed last time but nothing is fixed and if they ask to go to the park and there is nothing stopping us then we do.i just incorporate the learning I'm hoping they could acheivw into what they want to do. So if I'd planned an activity on numbers and we go to park instead, we will count steps, look at door numbers etc.

Every day is relaxed.

**mushpea** · 26-06-2012, 01:44 PM

i dont plan in the school holidays but i write down on my planner what we have done that week and it ususaly includes all areas of learning as most activities do this anyway, ofsted seemed happy with this.
I normaly just go with what ever the children want to do plus we have trips out etc,, I like to just wake up and decide what we are going to do that day rather than have to stick to a plan.

**TooEarlyForGin?** · 26-06-2012, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by kellyb

Love it!!! Yeah I basically just wondered if everyone took the summer break like schools & pre schools do & obv I know schools and pre schools are actually closed over the summer so obv cannot deliver the eyfs etc as there aren't any children there but I wondered if anyone actually takes a relaxed view of the eyfs during the summer holiday... For childminders I feel it's a bit unfair to expect us to work fully like we do all year round to do this during the summer as children only attending pre school or reception at school get the full break, why shouldn't we? And nurseries?!

I think I also felt very sorry for the under 5's. I always found this annoying when the EYFS was brought in, that children under 5 should be "planned for/have structured learning and development" ALL of the time. Whereas as soon as they reached that magic 5 they are allowed to chill and relax during the school holidays. I am so glad that they are relaxing the EYFS more and recognizing the emphasis on play/social development, and also that children that are in full time school, do not need to be planned for just because they go to a childminder after school, as they have already had a busy day.

**rickysmiths** · 26-06-2012, 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by TooEarlyForGin?

I think I also felt very sorry for the under 5's. I always found this annoying when the EYFS was brought in, that children under 5 should be "planned for/have structured learning and development" ALL of the time. Whereas as soon as they reached that magic 5 they are allowed to chill and relax during the school holidays. I am so glad that they are relaxing the EYFS more and recognizing the emphasis on play/social development, and also that children that are in full time school, do not need to be planned for just because they go to a childminder after school, as they have already had a busy day.

But this is not what EYFS has ever been about. It is all about learning through play. I don't plan for them, I let them decide what they want to do and I add pictures to their LJs and give a short description of where they have been and what they have done and link it to an area of learning.