How do you plan your activities? …

This is another question that parents have asked me, and that I know I will also certainly be asked by Ofsted at my next inspection.

I provide care for under fives, and also - at weekends and during school holidays - for slightly older children who have special living and/or learning needs.

I am not open every day, and I often have short notice bookings for periods of 3-4 hours only whilst parents study, swim/visit the gym, or take time for important meetings etc

So – how to plan for that?

Well, I look ahead weekly to see which children are booked to attend and on what days, and I make an outline of activities - that would suit each individual child - that we could enjoy and that would fit in alongside our regular routines of ‘early morning music and movement’, ‘outdoor play’, snack and meal times, any other planned regular sessions e.g. toddler group, and the necessity sometimes to be here for when other children arrive.

Many children who have autism like a very predictable routine and may become distressed if they are not provided with the opportunity to complete all their most favourite activities whilst in my care.

Young children and babies develop fast. I refer to their picture development files to remind me of what stage they were at the last time I cared for them. This allows me to plan activities which may be suitable for them to enjoy based on their current age and stage of development.

Three and four year olds are wonderful and full of their own ideas for what they would like to do. If you listen to them and observe them in their conversations and small world play then their current interests become obvious and it can be fun to then surprise them by planning activities that you just know they will love, or to let them suggest to you what they would like to do so that they become involved in their own activity planning.