What Should I Take Into Account When Preparing Activities for Children When Starting Childcare Business?
The activities that you choose could be determined by the experience that you wish to introduce to
children in the setting.
Your Objectives
You must be clear of what you want the children to get out of the activity before you begin this
could mean language, social skills, and concepts (shape, size, colour, for example).
You may find it easier to keep one concept in mind as quite often the practical demands of the organisation
of the task seem to take over. You may also have your own personal objective, e.g. try to be more aware of
the needs of all children and not focus upon an individual child at the expense of others.
Preparation
The secret of a successful activity when starting childcare business is through preparation. Decide what
you will need to do in your activity in terms of
Equipment
Glue scissors, paint, paper etc.
Time
How long will the activity take place to prepare, do and clear away and how will this affect the
organisation of the room.
People
Will I be able to take full responsibility for the organisation and carrying out of the task, or will I
need the help of anyone else e.g. for an activity involving the use of the cooker you may need the help of
the Welfare Assistant in the kitchen and a member of staff in the room available to take over if you leave the
room to take food to be cooked in the kitchen.
You also need to be aware of how your choice of activity may affect the general atmosphere of the room...
when the children become over-excited the room may become unsettled and new children especially may find it hard to cope with.
The best advice is to practise the activity yourself before doing it with the children.
Content
Whatever your choice of activity, it is always important to keep in mind that it is the process of
doing the activity and not the end produce that counts. It is far more interesting to observe how a child
approaches and uses the materials that have been provided than to insist on them reproducing something
which is considered 'good'.
More important still is that the child should feel that his/her work is valued by you as encouragement
and sincere appreciation will help to build that child's self-confidence.
For example, "Tell me about your drawing?" is less threatening to an unconfident child than "What is it".
Children's drawings and paintings have been found to develop through a sequence of stages, and one of the
most important factors that has been found to help a child to progress through these stages with confidence
is the support and encouragement of home and school, through their understanding of the significance of each
stage in that child's development.
For these reasons it is also important that when a child requests that you draw for them you do not, as
your sophisticated drawings may serve to reinforce their conviction that they 'cannot draw'.
It is also important that the activity you choose is able to accommodate for children with a variety of
skills and abilities and should not, for example, discriminate against, or isolate those that have not
yet mastered a particular skill.
You should aim to provide a warm and supportive environment in which each child feels their unique
contribution is valued. The way you present the activity is important too children will be attached to
an activity that looks appealing or unusual.
Writing names on pictures
When writing children's names on their pictures/paintings, remember to use a capital letter at the
beginning followed by small case. e.g. Hannah not HANNAH or hannah.
It is also very important you try to spell the children's name correctly. If you're unsure of a spelling:
- Ask another member of staff
- Check on coat peg
- Check in the register
Children are very aware of writing in their environment and will often observe closely when you write their
name. it is important therefore, that you help them to learn that writing progresses from left to right
across a page. If possible begin writing their name in the left-hand corner of their picture.
When the activity has come to an end you should involve the children as much as possible in the clear-up.
The room and equipment should look as it did before the activity.
Evaluation
Your evaluation is one of the most important parts of the learning process. The evaluation enable you
to look back at what you did and think about which parts of it went well and which, if you were doing the
activity again, would do differently.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Was the choice of activity a good one?
- Did the children enjoy doing it?
- How popular was the activity?
- Who chose to do it? (Mainly boys or girls)
- Could I have presented the activity in a more compelling way?
- Was I well organised?
- To what extent do I feel that I achieved my objectives for the children, for myself? (Were my objectives realistic?)
- Did I clean away all that I used, and placed them in the correct place?
