Ideas On Topics And Planning For Childminder Drop-in

[Guest]

Hi I run a childminder drop-in once a week for two hours and I am looking for ideas on topics and planning for this session to support registered childminders.

 

Has anyone got any ideas.

 

Also any information on observations and recording

 

Many thanks

[dublinbay]

Hi Kiverpool18 and welcome to the forum!

 

I'm preschool so can't really help but I'm sure someone who can will be along soon. Plenty of childminders on the forum so I hope you don't have to wait too much longer.

[Beau]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I'm going to move this to the Childminders forum - let me know if this isn't where you want it!

[belle06]

Hi welcome to the forum

[Guest]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I'm going to move this to the Childminders forum - let me know if this isn't where you want it!

 

Hi thanks for your help this is great.

[Guest Wolfie]

A warm welcome from me too! I would also say sound the childminders out for what they want from the session. I work in a Children's Centre alongside an NCMA Network Co-ordinator - I'll ask her tomorrow for any top tips for you!

[Guest cathy m]

I am a childminder and agree with Wolfie, ask the childminders. They may have specific ideas or welcome your views

 

good luck

 

Cathy

[Guest]

A warm welcome from me too! I would also say sound the childminders out for what they want from the session. I work in a Children's Centre alongside an NCMA Network Co-ordinator - I'll ask her tomorrow for any top tips for you!

 

Thanks for your help anything that works for the childminder is what I am looking for.

[Guest]

I attend a childminder drop-in at my local Children's Centre. There are usually Treasure Baskets for younger children and rice, pasta, shaving foam type activities. The children have access to plenty of different types of toys and are able to go outside to play on trikes etc, if they wish. After healthy snacks, we have song time with instruments and stories too. There is often a sticking and gluing type acitivity, or painting.

We have had opportunities to visit the sensory room, which the children and childminders enjoy. We are also able to talk to other childminders and the Childminding Co-ordinator, if we have any problems or want to share news.

 

We all usually have a very good time.

[Guest Wolfie]

Welcome to the forum westbrom44....I think.......please tell me your user name isn't football related.......

[Guest]

Welcome to the forum westbrom44....I think.......please tell me your user name isn't football related.......

Thankyou, Wolfie.......and yes. it is!

[Guest Wolfie]

Thankyou, Wolfie.......and yes. it is!

 

Uh - oh! I'll try and keep my allegiances quieter from now on I think.....

[Beau]

Now now, let's all play nice! Welcome to the forum westbrom44 - it doesn't matter to me what team you support as football means nothing to me.

[Guest Wolfie]

Now now, let's all play nice! Welcome to the forum westbrom44 - it doesn't matter to me what team you support as football means nothing to me.

 

Or me of course....

[Guest]

The childminder drop-in at one of the local children's centres is popular. It runs in the morning straight after the school run and finishes in time for nursery pick-up - a key factor for childminders!

 

They offer tea & coffee throughout the session and toast and fruit at snack time .

 

Lots of role play, access to the outside area and soft play for the babies, plus larger scale creative and/or messy play activities that may be harder to offer in a home environment. Sand and water play are always popular.

 

The family support workers usually provide a craft activity - cutting/sticking etc around a theme - Halloween, bonfire Night, Diwali etc

 

We sometimes have a visit from the Network co-ordinator.

 

The CC staff are also very "switched on" about the training requirements for childminders and are looking to run paediatric first aid, basic food hygiene etc for childminders. They're looking into providing a creche, too, so we can access training during the day rather than evenings and/or weekends! The cost of training is also significantly cheaper if done through the CC.

 

Hope that helps!?

 

Nona

[Guest Wolfie]

Two of the childminders in our area run an "Arty Tots" session at the Centre every week - lots of really messy activities and on a larger scale than is possible individually...the sessions are VERY popular!

[Guest]

Welcome to the forum westbrom44....I think.......please tell me your user name isn't football related....... Hi Wolfie - I am afraid so.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Guest]

The childminder drop-in at one of the local children's centres is popular. It runs in the morning straight after the school run and finishes in time for nursery pick-up - a key factor for childminders!

 

They offer tea & coffee throughout the session and toast and fruit at snack time .

 

Lots of role play, access to the outside area and soft play for the babies, plus larger scale creative and/or messy play activities that may be harder to offer in a home environment. Sand and water play are always popular.

 

The family support workers usually provide a craft activity - cutting/sticking etc around a theme - Halloween, bonfire Night, Diwali etc

 

We sometimes have a visit from the Network co-ordinator.

 

The CC staff are also very "switched on" about the training requirements for childminders and are looking to run paediatric first aid, basic food hygiene etc for childminders. They're looking into providing a creche, too, so we can access training during the day rather than evenings and/or weekends! The cost of training is also significantly cheaper if done through the CC.

 

Hope that helps!?

 

Nona

Hi Nona thanks for your reply. Sounds great my drop-in is running along the same lines however I feel I need more structured planning - anyone out there that can offer support in crossing over the planning into the outcomes Knowledge & understanding etc....... this seems to be the tricky bit......................

[Guest]

I attend a childminder drop-in at my local Children's Centre. There are usually Treasure Baskets for younger children and rice, pasta, shaving foam type activities. The children have access to plenty of different types of toys and are able to go outside to play on trikes etc, if they wish. After healthy snacks, we have song time with instruments and stories too. There is often a sticking and gluing type acitivity, or painting.

We have had opportunities to visit the sensory room, which the children and childminders enjoy. We are also able to talk to other childminders and the Childminding Co-ordinator, if we have any problems or want to share news.

 

We all usually have a very good time.Hi thanks for your reply. Atyour childminder drop-in at the childrens centre is there any formal planning for the eyfs i.e. planning around the individual children` s interests or is it a question of still using themes which I have been told is now not a good idea - just a bit confused if you could help me out this would be great - thanks

[Guest]

Hi, Kiverpool 18. There doesn't seem to be any formal plans for the childminder drop-in, but all of the activities easily cover all aspects of development under the EYFS. I think it would be very difficult to plan for each individual child as our drop-ins are only once a month, and it is not always the same childminders attending and even with the same children, whose ages can range from a few months to nearly five years old. I think a way to assess the drop-in would be to do focused activity observations, to say how the children in general found their experiences, and use these as guides as to where you could go from there. An example would be if they enjoyed a singing activity, perhaps you could have instruments next time, and then follow up with streamers, which the children could make themselves, and use to move to music with, all depending on the ages of the children.

As a childminder, I observe, assess and plan activities myself for the children in my care.

[Guest]

Hi, Kiverpool 18. There doesn't seem to be any formal plans for the childminder drop-in, but all of the activities easily cover all aspects of development under the EYFS. I think it would be very difficult to plan for each individual child as our drop-ins are only once a month, and it is not always the same childminders attending and even with the same children, whose ages can range from a few months to nearly five years old. I think a way to assess the drop-in would be to do focused activity observations, to say how the children in general found their experiences, and use these as guides as to where you could go from there. An example would be if they enjoyed a singing activity, perhaps you could have instruments next time, and then follow up with streamers, which the children could make themselves, and use to move to music with, all depending on the ages of the children.

As a childminder, I observe, assess and plan activities myself for the children in my care.

Hi thanks for your reply. This is a good starting point. our drop-in is once a week for two hours. So a singing activity would be a good idea to start. I was also thinking about story session and extend from there into autum i.e. visiting the park to collect leaves e.tc. I am correct in assuming now that themes are now `out,.

[Guest]

Hi thanks for your reply. This is a good starting point. our drop-in is once a week for two hours. So a singing activity would be a good idea to start. I was also thinking about story session and extend from there into autum i.e. visiting the park to collect leaves e.tc. I am correct in assuming now that themes are now `out,.

Hi, Kiverpool 18. I didn't know themes were out. I love them. I find it gives me more ideas of activities to do with the children. I had training for the eyfs, but all we did was go through the eyfs guidance, which I could have done at home anyway. I am going to focus on winter this half term, and then go on to Christmas in the second half of term. I have been to the library to get some books for ideas, and got a wintery story book, with lots of snowy pictures. We will visit the library again next week to get more books, which the children can choose themselves. I have been doing my medium term planning this week, even though I am on holiday!

Last term, I did transport, and got lots of ideas from this site, looking on the topics section. I also did Harvest Festival. Autumn leaf collecting and printing to name a few. I do weekly plans, but don't follow them exactly as I tend to go with what the children themselves want to do.

[Guest]

Hi, Kiverpool 18. I didn't know themes were out. I love them. I find it gives me more ideas of activities to do with the children. I had training for the eyfs, but all we did was go through the eyfs guidance, which I could have done at home anyway. I am going to focus on winter this half term, and then go on to Christmas in the second half of term. I have been to the library to get some books for ideas, and got a wintery story book, with lots of snowy pictures. We will visit the library again next week to get more books, which the children can choose themselves. I have been doing my medium term planning this week, even though I am on holiday!

Last term, I did transport, and got lots of ideas from this site, looking on the topics section. I also did Harvest Festival. Autumn leaf collecting and printing to name a few. I do weekly plans, but don't follow them exactly as I tend to go with what the children themselves want to do.

Hi I work within a children`s Centre and I have spoken to the early years teacher in our foundation room. Themes are out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it is about individual children`s interests. However I would find this very difficult as I don`t know the children in depth only the childminders do so to plan around children from my point of view would be verydifficult. However, I have to do planning and I feel that themes is the only place I can make a start. but the advice you have given me is still a good place to start. What do you think

 

Thanks

[Guest]

Hi I work within a children`s Centre and I have spoken to the early years teacher in our foundation room. Themes are out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it is about individual children`s interests. However I would find this very difficult as I don`t know the children in depth only the childminders do so to plan around children from my point of view would be verydifficult. However, I have to do planning and I feel that themes is the only place I can make a start. but the advice you have given me is still a good place to start. What do you think

 

Thanks

I only care for 2 to 3 children a day and the reason I chose transport last half term was because I know the little boys in my care are really into tractors, cars, aeroplanes etc. I chose winter this half term because they loved a book with a snowman in which I had to read again and again and also they seem to like playing with my small penguins at the moment, so am following their interests. We do lots of other things every day that they really enjoy.

If you are not going to do themes I would say just plan around the eyfs learning goals, such as;

Communication, language and literacy.....Storytime, note down a few books which you plan to read.

Physical development.....sit and ride toys if possible for gross motor skills, and or threading cotton reels, buttons, pasta etc for fine motor skills.

Creative development.....A sticking and gluing activity, role play, painting.

Knowledge and understanding of the world..... ICT, electronic telephones, and other electronic toys, just attending the group will be going out into the community.

Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy.....counting games, jigsaw puzzles, counting songs such as 5 Little ducks went swimming one day.

Personal, social, emotional development.....sharing a snack at snacktime, dressing up, learning about other cultures.

These are just a few ideas and once you start planning it will get alot easier and not take too long to do. Two hours is not a very long time so don't plan too many activities. I generally just write on my plan one activity for each area and then make a note of the activities the children actually choose to do.

[Guest]

I forgot to add that I don't think you can observe the individual children without written permission from their parents or guardians. I have had to have written permission from all of my parents to observe, plan and assess the children in my care for confidential reasons.

[Guest]

I forgot to add that I don't think you can observe the individual children without written permission from their parents or guardians. I have had to have written permission from all of my parents to observe, plan and assess the children in my care for confidential reasons.

 

 

Hi westbrom44. Many thanks for your reply. It has help loads - I will keep in touch and let you know how I get on. Many thanks. Do you think it is necessary to to continious provision for each area i.e. role play, snack time e.t.c. I am not too sure - can you help

[littleantics]

Hi everyone

 

What about asking the children what they would like........well those who can speak and point that is!!

[Guest]

When I am at home with the children, I always ask them what they want to do. If I have planned a trip to a toddler/playgroup and the children say they want to stay at home or go to the park, then we change the plan and do that instead.

 

I see the drop-ins as an excellent opportunity to try new experiences and play with different toys, which are different to the ones I have and they themselves may have at home.

 

The children are given a choice of what toys they want to play with, songs they may want to sing or books to be read. The plans dont have to be stuck to rigidly.

[Guest]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I'm going to move this to the Childminders forum - let me know if this isn't where you want it!

 

i AM A NEWBIE so i am trying to find my way round here and if i am honest not sure what to do as of yet but read lots and lots ...i just hope i can find my way back here lol

[HappyMaz]

i AM A NEWBIE so i am trying to find my way round here and if i am honest not sure what to do as of yet but read lots and lots ...i just hope i can find my way back here lol

Well welcome to the Forum, stepz5678 (why do I want to add a 'yee hah!' to that sentence?

 

Make yourself at home - it will soon be a very familiar place indeed, once the addiction kicks in!

 

Maz