What does your childminder do with 1 & 2yr olds all day?

@hookiewookie29 well said!

Free play and mixing with peers very important, developmentally.

children left to play alone, while being supervised, are not neglected

Not unaware at all why say that? If you haven't given permission your photos cannot be taken or stored. If you don't give permission your photos cannot be used for marketing but plenty to give permission with obscured faces, many give permission to be used to show visiting parents. Where did I say permission was not needed...but if you have permission to take a photo you can crop a child out or sticker over the child.
Reasons can include looked after children, DA, parents preference, general safeguarding it doesn't matter what reasoning is behind it

@jannier you seem completely unaware that it is normal for childminders, nurseries, hobby classes, etc to ask parents when they sign up with them for permission to use their child(ren)'s photo(s) for publicity purposes.

Myself and some other parents I know have good reasons not to give permission.

I'm a childminder and once a week I take my little ones to a toddler group, plonk them down to play and go for a chat!However....I know exactly where they are and what they're doing,I'm watching them all the time....I'm there like a shot if they need me,and they know where I am if they want to check in with me. They're learning as they're playing and their safety and happiness is paramount. Childminding is a very isolating profession and a lot of the time, going to a toddler group may be the only adult interaction a childminder may have all day, or even all week. I watch my mindees like a hawk, but I don't hover around them because they have to learn little life skills on their own which does them no harm at all.

You can show pictures using the phones edit and sticker function. Childminders can also ask families permissions to use photos to show potential clients

my advice to you would be to ask to see pictures of outings

My childminder would not be showing you pictures of any outings due to a mixture of what some of the parents of the children she looks after do and the privacy of the children she looks after.

and speak to parents about the experiences their children have.

Definitely speak to parents of the children she looks after particularly any that have used her for their children from under 1 to they go to school/older.

Oh and ask her how many school runs she does. My CM only does it to one school.

@TheRookieMum my advice to you would be to ask to see pictures of outings and speak to parents about the experiences their children have. Also, do they go to the same places all the time or do they get to have outings further afield?

@TheRookieMum It doesn't always work out as sometimes Backup is on holiday or at full capacity when Main is ill so it is a bit of a gamble (and we have no other family to help nearby) but the setting is really cool. Benefits of living in the Sussex countryside 😅 I hope you find a good childminder soon :D

Mine does -

Breakfast
Walk to the school to take the older ones
Either a toddler group, park, feed the ducks, visit the little farm nearby, maybe a soft play
Lunch then nap
Activities like craft, baking, tuff tray sensory stuff, puzzles, playing with toys either indoor or in the garden, they have music/ singing time and story time.

They do other outings sometimes like to Chinatown for Chinese new year, to pets at home for a meet the animals session, to the post office to send cards home, the aquarium once.

Often she partners up with another childminder and their mindees. They’ve done stuff like a mini sports day in the park or a Christmas party, I know they’ve got an Easter egg hunt planned.

I’m really really happy with our childminder. I think there are good and bad ones like with anything - try to get personal recommendations if you can. Was very much my preference over nursery when DD was still little, but everyone has their own criteria for what will work best for their family/ child. Read the ofsted report and definitely visit a few to get a feel for them in person.

My son gets to go to parks, for walks, to the play farm, soft play, the garden centre... loads of places :)

At the child minder's house they do singing and crafts or imaginative play, or play outside with the sand and water toys if it's hot.

He loves it :)

He has a backup childminder too when his main one is ill or on holiday. She's based on a farm so he gets to help feed the animals 😬

My sister is a childminder and they usually go out in the mornings to toddler groups or a music class. Home for lunch and nap time. Then in the afternoons they'd go to the park or woods and do activities like painting or baking.

My CM takes all her day mindees aged under 1 to 4 out every day for a walk in a local park/green space unless it is really hot or really wet. Those who can't walk there will be put in the buggy and depending on their age/walking ability will be allowed to run around a little or a lot. Sometimes these walks are done with another childminder.

If it is too hot, like it was last summer, they will play in the garden instead with water.

And like PPs said they do a variety of singing, dancing, crafts, playing games, reading and baking. My DD actually painted her first picture as a 1 year old.

They can also be taken out on a separate trip the same day to a local shop to buy one item.

I've noticed that my CM can do slightly different things depending on the age/number of children she has. So my DD will get to watch about 20 minutes of TV in the afternoon but only when the "babies" aren't there/asleep.

Oh and if your CM works alone but goes to groups/goes out with other CMs then the smaller ones should always have someone who will pick them up.

That happens in lots of nurseries too!

Childminders are with their charges typically 9 to 11 hours a day 5 days a week. A 2 hour toddler group once or twice a week is a chance for each child to separate from their main carer and for the carer to observe how the child reacts with others and how they choose to play not to be guided in their play like the remaining 50 hours a week. Obviously like you they chat....and it will be the only break they have in that day to talk to another adult ....it's perfectly possible to chat and watch. Lots of research has gone into helicopter parenting

@Jenn500 stop scaremongering and speculating

I see a lot of childminders bring them to toddler group and Just go for the chat. They are just plonked in front of the toys and left to it. I wouldn’t want this for my child, it’s why I would avoid. at the end of the day, they don’t have a manager watching them, so who knows what they do all day

Ours does lots of messy play and crafts. She has a set up with a mini 'home corner' where our child pretends to cook.

Lots of reading and singing action songs. Toys and role play (eg 'tea parties').

Learning about animals, shapes, numbers, etc.

On sunny days she takes the children to the park. Since my child turned one, they've been going to a playgroup twice a week.

Sometimes they bake cakes.

Childminders are inspected by Ofsted, so being dumped in front of the TV tends not to happen these days.

All registered settings nursery of childminder work to the EYFS and provide the same learning experience. My TV isn't on until 5 for the last after school who's tired by them. Baby's do messy play...painting in bags for tiny ones but one year olds do painting, drip glue, play with cornflour gloop, posting, collecting and sorting, play tea sets as well as go to groups. I use groups as a chance to allow separation from me and to observe interests as they have lots of one to one for the other 6 to 8 hours ....but obviously with 1 year olds your staying near and ready to support.

I've never forgotten the loveliest childminder who came to the one oclock club that I went to .
One of her charges was a pale wee thing that felt the cold and she'd get a little hot water (warm only obviously) bottle filled up before she left for the walk home .
And when another child took his first steps she said she wasn;t going to tell the parents as she wanted them to have the pleasure of experiencing his "first" steps .