I'm confused about planning etc

[Sandym3g]

Currently we have 2 mindees that fall in the eyfs. One is 10 months and the other is 16 months. How do you plan for this age range?

Also I hear all the time about paperwork that needs doing and I'm not doing any. What is this paperwork that is being done and we obviously should be doing.

We have only been childminders since September so are still feeling our way in this.

You must know about observations/next steps etc? I'm sure that would be in the training you have to attend before becoming a childminder? Planning depends on what they're doing. I.e. if one is cruising round furniture, you could plan items to put out to encourage further movement, eventually leading to steps forward etc.

I wouldn't (personally) do themed plans as such for this age, my planning would very casually be linked to the next steps I'd put on observations.

As Bloodsucking said - don't worry and over complicate as long as you are showing that you understand how to encourage children to move forwards.

Do you do risk assessments, daily diaries for parents, attendance registers, on-going financial bits? I am consistently updating learning journeys, noting what to put in the next newsletter, but I have 9 children 6 in the early years, so always seem to have something to do.

Its best to have some planning down on paper, it can be as simple as the resources/areas that are available, outing and any festivals (such as Diwali and bonfire night) Then add an activity that is a follow-on from an observation, it doesn?t matter if you do not do it (something else more interesting may happen) but it shows that you are observing and following the childrens interests.

I print a simple chart that has space for children, their ages, any festivals/outings, resources, notes, child initiated activity, adult planned/initiated activity, and observation. It?s a very simple weekly plan that I can add to as we go along. I do not have individual planning sheets, everything is on my weekly plan, and then at the end of the week (or when I remember) I write up a few obs and add an activity or something (to ?move the child forward?) to the next weeks sheet. Then I pop the ob in the childs lj. I have a simple method for tracking progress through L&D so I know how many obs I?ve done for each area (PSE, CLL etc) so I do not repeat those obs (after I?m satisfied that the child is reaching that stage- usually 3 obs or more per area- so PSE: dispositions & attitudes, self-confidence & self-esteem, making relationships, behaviour & self-control, self-care, sense of community) But its important to remember that it is not necessary to get 3 obs for each area if you are satisfied with the childs progress- the EYFS L&D are not targets or to be used as a tick chart..

Ofsted were quite happy with my method (os) and its ?do-able? for me. All my mindees are under 2.

I do daily diaries, newsletters, daily opening/closing checks, RA etc.

We have been doing risk assessments, daily diaries, attendance registers and i'm keeping an eye on the finaces.

What I am doing regarly is taking photo's and video to help with the observations. That way I can put the photos into a observation sheet. Is this ok to do it this way? I have done one so far. Was thinking that if I look at the dates and put them into retrospective observations it would be ok??

So far based on what we have seen we have 'planned' next steps but not written it down. We have got a tracker plus book to sort of give us a guide.

What age would you start themes then?

themes are out, really; the days of doing a fortnight on colours and then a fortnight on transport are long behind us

you can 'hang' some activities on festivals/seasons, but follow the children's interests

a bit here

wrt the tracker book, make sure that you write down what the next steps could be