Child Initiated/independent Activities

[Guest]

hello,

 

I am really struggling with providing independent activities for MD. My children don't want to help themselves to the maths shelf and I really struggle with what to set out on the MD table for independent play. I have tried putting things out that I have played in a focus group, but they're not interested. Please could somebody let me know what they do for independent activities.

 

Also, there is only one child in my class writing during independent play. What do your children do during child initiated and independent activities across the areas. Please could somebody send me a 'day in the life' of their Reception class? Our topic is growing.

 

Thanks very much!

Tash

[Guest]

Mathematics can be used in just about anything it is how you focus it. Some ideas are playdough, cars with numbers on to match onto numbers on a garage or carpark, tedddy bears picnic (are there enough plates etc), calculators or tills, colour matching objects, writing numbers in the sand, sorting different objects into bowls or trays.

 

I hope i have been helpful I could think of some more if you need more.

 

I find the little book of ..... series helpful.

[hali]

we use a lot of our natural resourses eg shells, stones, leaves etc for maths work

[Marion]

I recently did a maths course at Early Excellence with Linda Pound and her advice was to treat maths in the same way as you would literacy and provide maths opportunities in EVERY area not just a dedicated area. Her big resource tips were "pegs" and boxes and containers.

[Guest]

You could hide conkers (giant seeds) in the seed, let the children find them and make a note of how many they found - they could post their answer in a special box and you could reveal at the end of the day how many there were hidden and if any children managed to find them all. Put plant pots with numbers written on - can they put the right number of 'seeds' in each. HHmmmm! these are adult directed - but not enforced - don;t know whether they'd count as independent??????

[Guest]

Thanks very much everybody! I love the idea of putting maths everywhere. How would you put maths into CD, CLLD and KUW?

 

Thanks again! X

[Beau]

Tash, I think what everyone is trying to say is that you don't need to 'put' maths anywhere. If the children have access to a range of resources that they can sort, group, match, count, weigh, measure or construct with independently then the maths will just happen naturally. This works across the curriculum without any need for the artificial areas of development which are really only there as convenience. Concentrate on getting a rich and stimulating environment and all the other stuff will follow.

[Guest]

one thing we have done is to have a maths tent outside hich has everything and anything in for them to use mathmatically, we also have large things for them outside like numbered tyres and pulleys, scales, huge dice. this really seems to get my children going.

[Marion]

Maths in CD ~ shape pictures ~ 3D shape models ~ size ~ colour ~ pattern~ repeating patterns ~ symmetry ~counting the beats on a drum ~ steps in a dance

CLLD ~ Size and measure in stories ~ 3 Bears ~ Giant ~ recipes ~ measuring and weighing ~ sequencing

KUW ~ using ICT ~ Numbers/shapes in the environment ~ distance ~ positional language ~ giving directions

[Guest]

One of the best resources for Maths is a set of round Ikea gift boxes that are like Russian dolls. I have a button box and the two go together well. Numicon is also payed with. I would however echo what Beau says. Put your compare bears in the sand.Place large pieces of paper on a table and your farm set and you immediately can provide for sorting by encouraging them to draw fields.

Why don't you stand back and observe the play and how children use the toys and look for the maths in their play. It might well reassure you there is more happeneing than you think.

Tidying up is a maths session everyday! Sorting by shape and size to go in the right places. If you make templates of your items on the shelves so children know where things live that encourages shape awareness.

Outside play is also an area where its easy to incorporate maths. I asked for 10 stepping stones to go through my sensory garden and had large and small pebbles delivered for the area.

We regularly chalk bays for parking the vehicles and add a number and place numbers in hoops

Block play is applying shape knowledge all the time. Add a variety boxes in the sand. Children could make their own tape measures to go with Bob the builders tools. Hope that it reassures you that good play will be rich in Maths

[womble]

I agree with all of the above. Maths is an area I haven't felt confident in but I have observed children using maths spontaneuosly so I think you need to stop worrying. Have you got a washing line for numbers? puzzles are great for mathematical development. Collections in bags , boxes, baskets, trays. They love to sort these, make patterns etc. to inspire indepedent writing leave a letter from a tv character or giant, any character linked with your topic .You will be amazed a the response. Provide a postbox and of course the character has to write back. have fun.

Womble

[Guest]

independent actitvities- PSRN

 

Construction kits are a good idea; building with duplo bricks, interstar blocks, etc. The children are using shapes and measures in a creative and practical way. Encourage talk about how tall, how long and so on in your initial introduction to these activities and, hopefully, the children will continue with such language independently. It is useful to get the children to 'show & tell' and mathematical language can then continue to be encouraged for this. 'Show & tell' doesn't have to be at the end of a session- there are often convenient moments during sessions and this also allows for the fact that such constructions may not last until later!

An idea for outdoors if you have a playground- measure the playground using various objects. How many twigs long is our palyground? for example. Simply get the children to place one twig after another and count the results- it doesn't have to be a standard size of twigs. You can use any object for this- I have used children in the past getting them to lie down head to toe across the playground but that takes adult input. In the summer we often take off our shoes and socks, step into a bowl of water and find out how many footprints we can make from one side of our playground to the other. You have to be quick as the sun dries the prints very quickly but it encourages the idea of measuring and promotes counting skills- it's also great fun. Once you have introduced this to the children they will continue independently.

 

hope you have fun & all the best,,,,,,

[Guest]

One of my favourite buys-ikea postcards laminated-they are all around our setting

 

There is a set with enviroment numbers-doors, street signs etc The children like to get this and mark numbers on squared paper.I didn't realise till a bright spark of 4 pointed out that the grids of 9 are sequencial

 

We have the duck set near the water with quacks in speech bubbles for singing while playing in the water

 

There's a set with shapes-door frames windows etc and these are near the bricks

 

all for the stimulatation of mathematical language in all areas

[Guest Wolfie]

I feel another Ikea trip coming on tomorrow...(un)fortunately there's a store only a mile from where I work!

[Guest]

thank you for getting back to me everybody!

[Guest]

Great ideas but couldn't open the link. Would love to see ot please

independent actitvities- PSRN

 

Construction kits are a good idea; building with duplo bricks, interstar blocks, etc. The children are using shapes and measures in a creative and practical way. Encourage talk about how tall, how long and so on in your initial introduction to these activities and, hopefully, the children will continue with such language independently. It is useful to get the children to 'show & tell' and mathematical language can then continue to be encouraged for this. 'Show & tell' doesn't have to be at the end of a session- there are often convenient moments during sessions and this also allows for the fact that such constructions may not last until later!

An idea for outdoors if you have a playground- measure the playground using various objects. How many twigs long is our palyground? for example. Simply get the children to place one twig after another and count the results- it doesn't have to be a standard size of twigs. You can use any object for this- I have used children in the past getting them to lie down head to toe across the playground but that takes adult input. In the summer we often take off our shoes and socks, step into a bowl of water and find out how many footprints we can make from one side of our playground to the other. You have to be quick as the sun dries the prints very quickly but it encourages the idea of measuring and promotes counting skills- it's also great fun. Once you have introduced this to the children they will continue independently.

 

hope you have fun & all the best,,,,,,