Children learn through play and in our settings interactive and stimulating play is a key feature of our time together. Indoors our activities range from arts and crafts to games with specific learning goals. Structured role play (creating a shop, hotel, school) and games following a certain theme (e.g. animals) are organised to stimulate conversation and language development.
We use themes such as nursery rhymes, seasons, stories, weather, jobs and our activities will often be connected to this theme.
Both of our settings are ‘shoes off’ settings so that the carpets stay clean and the children feel at home.
Here is an example of a day with us – bear in mind we follow what the children want to do which means sometimes they don’t want to do what we have planned, they don’t want to go outside, they might not want or need a mid morning or afternoon snack. This is what we usually offer in a single day and we follow the child’s lead.
- Breakfast and welcome of the children
- Free play (where children play with whatever they want, can include having books read or music played if they like)
- First adult led activity – crafts, singing, musical instruments, texture play, dressing up, painting, games etc.
- (Nappies / toileting)
- Some children go down for a nap mid morning
- Story time
- Morning snack
- Garden play
- (Nappies / toileting)
- Lunch at midday
- Story time
- Some children go down for a mid afternoon nap
- Free Play
- (Nappies / toileting)
- Afternoon snack
- Second adult led activity – crafts, singing, musical instruments, texture play, dressing up, painting, games etc.
- Dinner is served at 4:30pm
- Begin preparing for children to leave
- (Nappies / toileting)
- Storytime / free play until parents arrive
We put a lot of thought into the activities we do and give children a choice of activities to choose from. As well as being a lot of fun we have a range of toys which promote language development, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, balance, social skills as well as cultural and disability awareness.
Each child has a Learning Journal which we use to keep track of drawings, paintings, notes about behaviour, development and achievements. As well as enabling us to plan and evaluate each child’s learning and development these folders make lovely mementos of our time together. As an Rutland Early Years Agency registered childminder it is my responsibility to follow the Early Years Foundation Stage which is designed to monitor and encourage the development of pre school children, the daily diary and learning journey enable me to do this.
We produce a newsletter outlining what we have been doing the past few months and our plans for the next, themes, special occasions (birthday parties), planned trips and any important information and notices are included.
We keep you informed of what your child has been doing and how they are settling in in our private Whatsapp group (between us and you), we can send you pictures of them playing and doing activities and you can also message whenever you like to check on your little one.