A Typical Day

Fisherfield Childcare children enjoy a wide range of inspiring activities and rest periods designed with consideration from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum.

All sessions are planned thoughtfully by staff and the examples below are for illustrative purposes only. Routines remain very flexible to accommodate children’s varying individual needs including periods of rest and feed times. These always reflect the needs of the child and wishes of the parents/carer. Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking,which takes place both indoors and out.

The EYFS curriculum has been grouped into 7 areas and is designed to be really flexible to offer a choice for children. These are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The qualified staff teaching and supporting the child, will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs and interests. Free play allows children to choose from a variety of toys and this helps to encourage personal and social, physical and intellectual development.

For more details visit Learning Environment

A Typical Routine: 3 months – 2 year olds

3 months to 12 months babies learn to focus their vision, reach out and learn by exploring. Cognitive or brain development means the learning process of memory, language, thinking, and reasoning. During this stage, babies are also developing bonds of love and trust with their parents and others as part of social and emotional development.

A Typical Routine: 12 months to 24 months

This a time of self-discovery as the baby grows into a toddler. They begin moving around more, and may recognise the names of familiar people and objects, and start to form simple phrases and follow instructions. Toddlers will want to explore new objects and be aware of themselves and others.

Morning session may include:

The baby or toddler chooses from the range of activities including:
- Sensory play – water or sand play, play dough, jelly, food tasting etc. Children have the opportunity to explore the world around them and experience new sensations using their senses.
- Sing and dance – active learning of words, listening and beginning to formulate parts of speech and hold attention.
- Outdoor play or nature walk to help develop motor coordination skills, explore, build, move and role play.
- We watch your baby closely for over stimulation, cues include tiredness or fussiness

and we will take a break from playing.

Frequent nappy checks and changes.
Sleep and feeds are customised to child’s needs.
Mid morning food and drink break
30 Lunch time – social time, learning from each other and from adults

Lunch

This will vary therefore, we have a high staff to child ratio and feeds are according to the child’s needs.

Weaning

We feel it is very important to us that we work closely with parents during this important time and discuss the child experiences and dislike. We are parent led and follow the pattern they set. We can offer advice from the latest guidance and experience; initially we advise starting with first foods , then finger foods and progressing onto soft cooked solid food.

Menu information can be found on the Food Menus page

Afternoon session includes:

Frequent nappy checks and changes.
Sleep and feeds are customised to child’s needs.
Drink as needed on an individual basis, indoor or outdoor play
The baby or child chooses from the range of activities including:
- Different arrangements of toys and soft play materials to encourage crawling, tumbling, rolling and climbing.
- Art and craft activities – creating pictures with textured paints, bright colours and different tools, including various parts of the body
- Making relationships- showing immediate family faces images and have one-to-one time to interact with young babies when they are in an alert and responsive state and willing to engage.
- Play the baby /child’s familiar, comforting sounds, such as lullabies provided by parents in to help babies settle if they are tired or distressed.
- Reading – story telling with repetitive phonic sounds and for 8 – 20 months books they can feel and touch such as lift-the-flap books to show something hidden from view.
- Role pay with toys such as construction sets including bricks, Duplo, encourages children to physical development and descriptions such shape, size and colour.
Tea time – social interaction with other babies and children giving them a sense of belonging and making sense of the world.
Free-play or outdoor play offering fresh air and use of outdoor play such as cars and the fantastic mud kitchen.

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A Typical Routine: 2 – 3 years

This is a very interesting age where working together we can help to achieve your child’s developmental milestones. Children in this age group learn how they play, speak, behave and move (like jumping, running or balancing), and have a growing desire for independence. They will experience huge thinking, learning, social and emotional changes that will assist in their understanding of the world.

Morning session may include:

Free play – the child will choose from a range of activities including:
- a variety of toys; this helps to encourage personal and social, physical and intellectual development
- Register and story
Snack Time – encourages social interaction
Free play
- Music time – to stimulate exploration with rhythmic movements and we have plenty of space suitable for their rapid and sometimes unpredictable movements.
- Craft activities – painting, card making, junk modelling; these activities will help with fine and gross motor skills, as well as covering their experiences of different textures, size and colour.
- Co-operative games – ensuring there are opportunities for the child to play alongside others and a familiar adult.
Outdoor play
- A range of wheeled toys indoors and outdoors, such as trundle trikes, buggies for dolls, push carts.
- Role play – to engage in symbolic play, e.g. putting a ‘baby’ to bed and talking to it appropriately. Shopping with items for filling, emptying and carrying, such as small paper carrier bags, baskets and buckets.
Lunch and a time to learn social skills such as taking in turns and eating with others.

Afternoon session may include:

Register and quiet time or sleep time and nappy changes.
Free play
- Construction play – Duplo, puzzle, train tracks to help children with hand and eye co-ordination and critical thinking.
- Group activity – Follow the leader, children lead and have fun together while developing vocabulary, e.g. saying ‘We’re jumping up’, ‘going down’.
- Plan to talk through and comment on some activities to highlight specific vocabulary or language structures, e.g. “You’ve caught the ball. I’ve caught the ball. Nasima’s caught the ball”.
- Visit the older children activities in the adjoining room
- One to one reading.
Snack time
Pretend / imaginative play – role play areas, books, puzzles, kitchen, workbench to help the children’s imaginative play and allow them to mimic familiar situations, and explore and try out new ideas.
Tea – Social time and vocabulary development.
Free-play or outdoor play.

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A Typical Routine: 3 – 5 years

Early childhood brings out ‘the explorer’ in children, and with the ability to converse with others, enables their world to open up. They will become more independent as their fine motor skills and physical development advance. They should be able to ride a tricycle, start to cut with safety scissors and help to dress and undress themselves. They will begin to focus more on adults and children outside of the family and become more inquisitive. Family connections and their interactions with those around them will help to shape their personality and their own way of thinking and moving. As they become more aware of their surrounding world, they may notice the differences between girls and boys, play with other children, recall part of a story, and sing a song.

Morning session may include:

Free play, and the child will choose from a range of activities including:
- a variety of toys and naturally the children begin to socialise with each other and with the staff.
- register and talk of the day or theme discussion, the children may stand up and talk about a special event or what had happened on the weekend. This enables children to build on their communication, ability to listen and gain confidence in speaking as well as in themselves.
Snack time
Free play with assistance from staff in specific areas of the EYFS curriculum such as:
literacy – reading or and writing,
mathematics – numbers, shapes, sizes and measures
understanding the world -people, communities, the world and technology.
expressive arts and design- experimenting with colours sing songs being imaginative with different media, dance, computer programming, a song to represent their own thoughts and feelings.
Outdoor play or group activities allow children to develop skills of co-operation when working and playing with their peers
Story-time
Lunch-time allows children to socialise in small groups
Free play and quiet time. Children have the option to sleep in the quiet room .

Afternoon session may include:

Register and discussion a guest speaker or public speaking for an afternoon attendee.
Free play with assistance from staff in specific areas of the EYFS curriculum . Activities such as craft, music and role-play.
Snack time a time to socialise.
Outdoor play and physical activities encourage physical development, improve their co-ordination and in turn their personal confidence.

Free play and independent choice of activities.

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