advice please

[Beth2537]

hello, do any of the children you look after not a attend a nursery/preschool before starting reception?

Yes I’ve had children who have stayed with me until starting school. What do you want to know?

Mine all stay with me until school and beyond.

just wanted to know if they were able to cope in a group of 30 children in reception if just interacting with a small number of children during the day.

Yes of course!

How I try to explain it is, if you’re worrying about a 4 ye old coping in a large setting, why would you expect a 2 or 3 year old to manage in a group setting. I think keeping ratios small until they are more mature to mange their physical and social needs better can only be a good thing.

This rush to get 2 year olds in to school is madness.

I was just going to say the same as Georgie.

Also ... my children regularly mix in groups of 30+ at local groups, parks, library sessions, etc. They don't spend their entire day with just a few children. In between the big group sessions, the pressure is relieved in a small home environment, which is exactly what a small child needs, after the pressure to share and socialise.

They are only little once. Don't rush them to the next stage too fast.

I sent a child to school last month, who had only been to me. It is preferred at school that children are left at the gate, but accepted that reception parents take them to the classroom, with an aim they will leave them at the gate eventually. Within the first week, the one I look after was happily running through the gate on her own, ready for school. The majority who had been to the private nursery attached to the school were being peeled of their parents, not wanting to go in.

We do a lot of activities at home, just me and the 3 little ones, but we also have after school ones, so the children are part of a bigger group. We go to various groups where we are missing with other childminders and I counted 46 children at our group on Thursday, between babies and approaching school age, so they are definite used to being in a group by the time they start school.

Exactly what Georgia said though, completely right!

Yes all the time happy confident children who will stand and sing a song to 20 children and their adults at toddler singing time. There is no reason why children don't get to mix with others and to separate from a cm at groups with careful planning and networking. We also do things like bucket time (a form of circle time to build attention skills) with 15 children as a childminder led activity twice a week.
Local schools comment on how well prepared and independent the children are.