Silkysteps early years forum - planning ideas for play

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-   -   Planning spring activities for two year olds (http://www.silkysteps.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20861)

Nanotrout 02-08-2017 06:06 PM

Planning spring activities for two year olds
 
Hello, My names Charlotte.

I have recently started working in a pre-school, and my boss has made me a key person of the 2 year old group!!!!

I'm 18 and I have worked in a private nursery and a nursery attached to a school before, so ive never had to do any of this before as at the time I was only 16 so I was too young to be assigned children.

My boss wants me to plan activities for the 2 year olds, and I have no idea where to start, or what to do, or how to structure it, and I am stressing out as the other adult working there plans really good activities.

We are working on a Spring theme for our board but I just don't know what to do.
can anyone help me?

:SOS help:question help.arghh

Ruthierhyme 02-08-2017 09:13 PM

Hi a very warm welcome to the site. Is it possible your colleague is an excellent source of support? Maybe they'd have a few ideas to help you settle into your new role & responsibilities?

The planning cycle that currently happens in the 2 year old room is a most valuable resource. It will show you how the children are being observed, what their stages of development are and how their interests and developmental journeys are being recorded. From there you'll be organising experiences to help them progress, each in their very own individual way.

The daily routine and the playroom itself/environment inside and outside is also important. Think about how a typical day and week plays out. What resources are available and how is the room set up.

You will also be involved in the 2 year old progress check for any children you now have responsibility for? so it's very important you know what's needed and who you can turn to and ask for support xx

Although it links to an older EYFS this book is excellent reading - what it means to be two

Please don't feel overwhelmed or alone. Your workplace team are there to help you, so you can help the children xx

Best wishes

Nanotrout 02-08-2017 10:10 PM

Hello, thank you for the welcome.
basically were not in rooms... we are in a church hall so all the children play together ect but after snack we do a adult-led activity, but because I don't have anything planned yet the 2 year olds join in on the other activities.

I can ask the other woman but I kind of feel embarrassed to because I feel like I should know what to do and have all the ideas straight away if that makes sence?

my boss is ment to send me a email with stuff in and I pick activities out of that but I think she wants me to come up with my own ideas.

to be honest I'm used to children 5-7 (I'm a rainbow leader which is part of girlguiding) so I can think of great things for that age but because I'm with 2 year olds I feel restricted on what I can do.

I have 3 books, CACHE Level 2, one about planning ect but nothing in that relates to what I'm looking for, and another one if I was a childminder but I have read this and I'm not finding the answers.
I do feel a little overwhelmed haha as its a very big responsibility.

Ruthierhyme 02-09-2017 11:52 AM

okay, if at the moment you're only expected to plan some activities think about the resources that the setting currently has and how you could one of them differently - water, sand, playdough, paint, bricks, balls, books, puppets, paper, small world animals?

Unless you've been given a budget to buy resources you'll be expected to use what's already in the setting or what the setting actively recycles - cardboard boxes that could be springtime bird nests or yogurt pots for flower vases?

Activities are identifying, sorting, matching, building, listening, talking, smelling, touching, tasting, watching. More physical/locomotor whole body activities are running, stopping, dancing, jumping, bunny hops, throwing, kicking and catching. and fine motor skill activities include scissor cutting, cookie cutters, painting tools, drawing tools, sorting/transfer tools - spoons, tweezers, pipettes

Once you know what each of your children are enjoying you can start to plan activities based around them eg, for a child interested in driving cars, small or sit&rides, use blank pieces of paper, sticky tape & crayons and build roads with them. Maybe make it into a shape - circle, square, triangle and count the sheets of paper as children mark make freely on them.

Use a puppet at the sand tray to encourage bucket filling, turning out, using language such as 'how many' 'which way' fill, full, empty.

A bed sheet makes a good ball toss taupe that all ages can enjoy working together on.

Mix flour and water to explore dough (shameless plug sorry, how about making a batch of not-recommended but edible fibre slime with spring themed sprinkles)

Use box templates or envelopes for decorating & hiding/concealing

Use stand up bags with coloured paper monsters stuck to the front and sort bricks - 'this hungry monster eats blue bricks'. Have the bricks in a bag and explain the turn taking rules - maybe say how one/two/three bricks can be removed from the bag on each go?

For spring maybe use green playdough, craft stems, paper leaves and artificial flowers and build a meadow/collage activities, name and identify plant parts - stalk, leaf, flower, petal. Use pompoms for rabbit tails and paper straws for whiskers. Make bunting for a display board?

Use storyboard folders to tell a tale - pull a character from the folder, introduce it and then take out another piece to build a story, not necessarily in any order as you'll want the story to change each time its used.

Practice threading skills by feeding lengths of ribbon into bottles - satin, grosgrain & string all have different textures

Use grip seal bags with a squirt of ready mix paint inside for mark making & paint moving activities. Write names, draw faces - add a spoonful of powder paint or glitter to change-up if it's an activity that happens often.



If it helps there's a preschool activity planning sheet and child development planner on this thread.


It is a big responsibility Oo yeahand I'm sure you wouldn't of been asked if your boss didn't feel you were ready. Just remember activity planning isn't ever a competition between adults and it sounds as though all the children will continue to benefit hugely from joining in with each other :)


I hope this helps a little


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