Registration In Pre School Settings

[Guest]

Hi,looking for some feedback on what other settings do regarding registration. I understand children shouldnt be sat for a extended period, but what I am struggling with is a missed learning opportunity such as getting ready for school, counting opportunities, weather board,sharing news, and what is on offer for the day,visitors etc. I am due to lead a new setting opening next week and its such a dilema! I am thinking if the children arrive, self register and play for 15 mins and then come together in a group for register time , is that such a bad thing?

[Joanne123]

Hi, at our nursery the children self register and then settle at their own choice activities. We tend to do "chat time" at the end of the session to include news, the weather, calendar, counting and then finish with songs and a story, this usually lasts about 15 minutes. Some of the younger children chose not to join in with this, but most of the children are happy to join in and are ready for a few calm minutes, which I'm not sure they would be first thing.

Joanne

[klc106]

Hi,looking for some feedback on what other settings do regarding registration. I understand children shouldnt be sat for a extended period, but what I am struggling with is a missed learning opportunity such as getting ready for school, counting opportunities, weather board,sharing news, and what is on offer for the day,visitors etc. I am due to lead a new setting opening next week and its such a dilema! I am thinking if the children arrive, self register and play for 15 mins and then come together in a group for register time , is that such a bad thing?

 

Hi we do this and our children really enjoy talking about what day is it, what the weather is and what we are doing during the morning. Our children are only 2/3 years so we keep it short and sweet (about 5 mins, 10 max.) Then at the end of the session we join together again for story and songs or sometimes we do dancing or use the parachute, depending on the mood of the children.

 

Hope this helps

[Rafa]

Hi I find that once children have started their play its a little intrusive to stop them so soon.....so group time for all those lovely learning opportunities is best achieved at the start or end of a session...or two shorter group times....a coming together in the morning for 'goodmorning' and whats on offer and other 'chat' at hometime- when they may be 'all played out???' and more ready and willing to practice listening! See how it goes....you can always change things to suit your cohort when you're settled. Good luck with your new setting.

[mrsbat]

Our children come in and move their name cards onto the board, they then sit straight down in a circle of chairs, once the majority are sitting I will call the register then the children help to count how many are here then they show what they have brought in or any special news they have and then they go off and play.

 

Sometimes this takes 5 minutes sometimes it's been known to take half an hour! - we take ou cue form the children, if they get fidgety then we end there and they get down. It's something that has always worked and is such a lovely start to the morning, we also use this time for reminders about golden rules etc.

:1b

[finleysmaid]

i think this is such an individual thing to the setting...in our old building we did a circle time in the morning which was quite'formal' but the children seemed to enjoy it and it worked well for us...but we only had 18 children and they were all 3+. I couldn't imagine doing it a different way!....now i can't believe we did it like that :rolleyes: we now have children who attend who are 2+ and we have 30 per session with a staggered start (for all sorts of reasons!!) so there is no way that we can do a group time at the beginning, we have not missed it and the children cover what is appropriate for them at the level that they understand...we don't self register as we have lots of other ways of doing name recognition etc/numbers etc covered when setting up snack table (free snack bar). Calendar is available all the time for the children to access.(also visual timetables etc which is better for our age group) weather....well they go outside for free flow so thats not a problem! I really feel that because the children are experiencing all these things rather than being passive they learn so much quicker and what is relevant to their own lives...just my opinion of course

[louby loo]

I think it is individual to all settings.

We do do a very short whole group- but again most of ours are 3+ We keep it short and sweet and any younger children attending choose whether they join or not - although most do after a short time.

We all start at same time though, and I think this is a very important factor to consider. Ours know the routine, so come in have a quick 'explore around' then make a circle.

When I had a staggered start we didn't do it, and the only disadvantage I ever found with this- was that the children did not always learn everyone's names(including adults). Ok - so that not actually a big deal, however I do like the way all our children know everyone by name rather 'him/her' :1b :1b

[lashes2508]

Hi I only started at my setting in November and the first thing i changed was registration , but it really is about what works for you and your children, previously ours had come straight in and sat down for 20 or mins , with show and tell counting etc , it was too long and it was also not very parent friendly either as parents felt alienated and did not have time to talk to staff . Ours come in and post their names in post box and free play for15 /20 mins , i then shake a tambourine when it for register and they all love it and gather quickly. We then do weather , group counting etc , varies depending on day , children etc ,

the feedback from both children and parents is they all prefer it. :1b good luck and hope all goes well in your new setting /role

[Guest]

Many thanks for all your feedback,I shall give it a go as I stated and see how it goes. :1b