Planning From Children's Interests - Help!

[Guest]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and just had to join cos it looks like loads of good advice going on out there and am hopng some can cme my way. I hope this doesn't sound too daft and I'm probably asking the obvious but I'm really struggling with how you feed children's interests into your planning (i.e. what your planning proformas look like, how much information they include and where you start - do you start with a planned 'themed' activity at start of the week, have a dscussion with the children an then build on it - or does it all come from CIP?? I get the principles of it, it' just puttng it into practice that I am struggling with. I understand the continuous and enhanced planning etc - At the moment, we follow a 'theme' each month and I do medium term planning with 'suggested starting points for learning around the theme. My concern is that at the moment, we stick to rigidly to this. Our childrren have very limited life experiences due to the nature of their backgrounds and many are EAL with lttle or no English and it is very hard to get any ideas or interests from them. Sorry about the long winded comments - I need help!

[Cait]

A Huge welcome to your first post!

 

There are loads of discussions on here which will help you. If you click on the lozenge-shaped icon 'search forum posts' at the top right hand side you can input your key words such as 'planning for learning' or whatever and it will bring up a myriad of responses - It would be sensible to ask for threads within the last couple of months for EYFS. You could always extend your search wider later, once you are 'hooked' (hehe)

[Guest]

Thanks for that - will do

[Cait]

Thanks for that - will do

 

 

No worries, and if you need help with it, we are just here - just ask

[Guest]

Welcome to the forum tracy

 

My understanding of planning to children's interests is that there is no one set way to do it, but that it can include:

 

- gaining information from parents about children's interests at home

- giving 'key person' staff a lead on planning for their key children

- bringing in things of interest from home to talk about

- observing children to see what takes their interest and then expanding on these activities

- themes and adult led/iniatiated activities are as long as, I think, children's own ideas are taken on board in how they progress

- some settings have a few 'focus children' each week for the focus of their planning.

- having some 'blank spaces' on weekly planning sheets to be filled in as children show their interests and abilities

[Guest Wolfie]

Welcome to the forum Tracy!

[Guest]

Hi and welcome,havent been here very long myself but had loads of good advice.

We do a "talking table" once a week.

Cover the table with large pieces of paper,as children join you to mark make,ask them if there is anything they would like to do next week,any resources they would like out etc.

We got this idea from our local early years advisors

Hope this helps

Gill

[Guest]

We now do our planning based entirely on the children's interests. They also come into preschool to empty tables and can choose which toys etc they want out.

 

We have a weekly planning sheet with activities taken from children's ideas and comments from the previous week.

 

This is working really well and, although unsure if its down to the children choosing, we have much improved behaviour within the setting!

 

All is good (",)

[hali]

helo and welcome