How Do You Group Children?

[Lucy P]

How do you group the children within your settings?

 

We are looking at changing our setup and rearranging the age groups.

 

We currently have 2 buildings and 4 areas:

 

Building 1

Babies 3mths - 1 yrs

Ones - 1yrs - 2yrs

 

Building 2

Twos - 2yrs - 3yrs

Preschool - 3 yrs +

 

would anyone advise to combine the 1's and 2's?

 

 

Also, what areas are available to your toddlers i.e small world, construction etc.

[Guest]

Hi

 

We have a birth to three unit with just community play divide down the centre...It encourages the whole team in that area to work as one, makes transistions practically seamless, and planning ideas flow! Its also lovely for siblings of similar ages to play together at times. Our under twos are one side and 2-3s the other - all following the same birth to three guidlines

 

We are open plan so our pre school is then the other side of the toddler divide!

 

Good luck

[Sue R]

Hi,

Our Toddlers have access to everything pre-school do (including computer), babies have access to pretty much everything except water and computers - although in hot weather they get water, too.

 

Grouping is more by stage than age, babies move up as soon as they are sufficiently mobile - extra stimuli! - Toddlers are moved up with parental permission if under 3 (upstairs unit) as soon as we feel they are ready for more stretching. In our pre-school we plan to both FS and BTTM.

 

The children get to know all staff quite early on, because the first 30 - 45 minutes of the day is spent altogether, until numbers grow to unmanageable, given the exuberant nature of preschoolers!!

 

Sue