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

Our childminder is brilliant. Lots of garden play (she has a great garden with a mud kitchen and toys) and they go out almost every day - local farm, big parks/national trust, playgroups, library, play meets with other childminders. She plans each week a bit like school so they’ll do different activities or crafts with what’s going on in the world, St Patrick’s Day and Red Nose Day last week for example. They do song and rhyme times. She sets up different play tables and really gets to know the children and their interests.

Ours is also ran like a mini nursery. She has 2 other people working with her, with 2 dedicated rooms. One is a play room and one is a soft play room , which they also use for nap time. My son goes in 3 days a week. They have Jo jingles and a piano teacher come in once a week (we pay extra for both of these).

They always have different activities set up , lots of tuff trays , arts and crafts etc. There is a wonderful outdoor space with lots of toys wendy house , sand pit , cars etc. They also go out to the park etc quite a bit.

Ours does lots of creative and messy play. There’s often a theme for the week, eg The Gruffalo, with activities built round it. There’s indoor and outdoor time - might be walking to and from activities at the moment but when it’s dry, they go to the park and play in the garden. She often teams up with another childminder for activities and a change of scene, and for outings. They do an afternoon school run some days. They go to playgroups and sometimes into town/to a cafe if she has the odd errand to run.

We really like the balance - there’s structured activity but also a home from home environment.

My twins have been with a childminder since 20 weeks old

But she runs the setting like a mini nursery as she has other people work with her and a range of ages Up to 4

Lots of singing, dancing, stories, trips to the library, walks to the local woods, sensory play she has a massive outdoor garden which is full of slides and forts better than most adventure playgrounds

It's a montissori type setting and rated outstanding and honestly it shows compared to where my eldest went where I think she was sat in the lounge Infront or the tv most of the day 😳

I did notice the local ones whilst LO was before age of needing who were at the park and at the toddler groups and picked one of those as I could see how they were with the children :) if that helps!

Ours did reasonably similar to what we did - parks most days, toddler groups, sometimes visiting childminder friends and their children, naps, feeding, when older recognition of words. Big garden is lovely - was something we looked for. He had a sandpit and paddling pool there in the summer with his mindee friends. Some do farms/softplay, ours wasn't a driver so was mostly things in the local area. Oh and went with to pickups of other children from school.

Also some baking/crafts etc. again similar to if he was at home all a bit ad hoc depending on the day/week but the regulars were the toddler groups

I’m not a childminder but when I’m out with my young kids I see a lot of childminders at soft play, toddler clubs etc