Hello and welcome back. I just want to start by saying how much I appreciated the kind feedback I received to the previous blog post, so thank you 😊

The first week back to work has been a lot more relaxed and a lot of in the moment planning, allowing the children to settle back into routine! Though I do like to plan activities in advance, there’s nothing wrong with in the moment planning especially with little babies. It isn’t an Ofsted requirement to have written planning, however I do strongly believe this shows better practice. I also believe this does bring more structure and stops repetitive activities. One of the in the moment activities this week has been making a snowman using shredded paper, which was originally being used in the winter themed ball pit. I also created a sensory activity using paint and bubble wrap -the children loved pressing and hearing the ‘pops’. Another activity was going to the park – the sun was shining (a rare sight!!) and there was just enough time to get ready, go to the park and be back in time for lunch and afternoon naptime.

Within my home I am lucky enough to have a playroom (I love having a separate workspace so I can seperate work from home and shut off the playroom at the end of the day) where day to day provision such as mark making, books, playdough, role play etc are always available to children. Don’t be put off and think you need to spend hours planning activities, you know the children in your care and what their next steps are, using this information will allow you to plan activities that will support their learning. There have been many times where the activities that I have wanted to do that don’t go to plan, but that’s fine. Working in childcare its one of the first things you have to accept! Just remember to follow the child’s interest and that’s the main thing 😊

Planning also doesn’t have to go into so much detail, for example for the coming week we are going to focus on Chinese New Year activities and winter – for my first year as a childminder my activities are going to be linked to seasons and festivals. I try and make the activities child led as much as possible and see their creative minds work their magic!

Below are some of the activities I have planned for the upcoming week:

Glitter sensory tray where the little ones will practice letters and making patterns

Making dragons

Ice cube painting

Noodle play with chopsticks

As I mentioned, Ofsted do not want to see loads of paperwork. What you should be able to demonstrate to an Ofsted inspector is what the children will ‘learn, know and do’ in relation to the activities and resources you have in your setting. As someone who loves writing lists and being organised weekly planning activities works for me, it may not work for you and that’s fine it’s your own decision. If you are new to childminding and the EYFS you may feel daunted by the amount of ‘stuff’ you have to do but don’t let this put you off, being a childminder is such a rewarding profession that doesn’t get enough recognition!