All our nurseries now carry out in the moment planning. This has become more and more popular in Early Years. Deciding to change planning is always a big decision, having staff to understand it, carry it out and also to have parents on board, to ensure their child is progressing and developing at a good level.
There are a variety of ways to document this, but the main idea is, that we plan, there and then for the children. There is no waiting, no planning next week, no time spent away from children completing sheets of enhancements for the room and activities. Instead, all the time is spent with the children, and most importantly, the children lead!
Practitioners are able to observe their key children throughout the day, and provide further learning for them in that moment! A practitioner will know their key children inside and out, their likes, interests, things that fascinate and wow them, and through this, can add resources, questions and provocations which the child can explore, to help them move on to their next step. By acting there and then, the child is fully engaged and involved, making them prime for learning!
A fabulous example of this has recently been on our Facebook page, from Little Achievers Day Nursery:
The children were wowed by a gigantic marrow growing in their nursery garden.
They looked at the marrow and were asked ‘what would they like to do with it?’
One of the children responded ‘make a cake’
After researching a recipe the children then made a Marrow Cake to share with their friends, and even the Managing Director, Sharon, was invited along to taste it!
Click the link for the recipe in case you wanted to try it at home: Marrow Cake Recipe
