Our curriculum
Planning for play
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) applies to all children from birth to the 31st August following their 5th birthday. All providers (pre-schools, nurseries etc) and childminders are required to follow the statutory requirements and guidance of the EYFS and work together to support the children in their care.
The EYFS focuses on adult-guided teaching so children learn through play and the planning here at Knutsford Childminding follows this focus.
We care for children aged between 6 weeks and 12 years. This can take some juggling! However, we ensure all children are given individual attention and we respect their play choices.
We have a broad and well-balanced curriculum, with time to play and time to engage with an adult.
We go on regular outings to link with the local community and meet friends.
We mostly use our ‘on the spot’ play planning – we play and we spot what children are enjoying and we develop their learning by popping in an extra activity or some vocabulary or an idea they can take in their own directions.
We love playing with the children – and Ofsted agree we do an outstanding job.
Planning for babies and toddlers
Planning for the little ones always follows their interests, learning styles and schemas (repeated patterns of play). We have lots of information about schemas which we are happy to share with parents on request.
For our planning…
**We look at what is happening in the world around us, the seasons, weather, clothes we wear through the year, food we eat for special occasions etc.
**Children get messy with paint, learn about the properties of water, pour sand through sieves, make mud pies and poke their fingers into playdough and whatever they enjoy we provide resources for them to explore.
**We focus on important times in the children’s lives such as a new baby, a birthday or a family celebration.
**We find out what children are doing in other parts of their lives such as in pre-school or with their parents and extended families.
If our younger children want to copy the older ones we are happy to accommodate their wishes and will change activities or provide extra resources to enable them to join in.
Our pre-school provision
Planning for older children always follows their interests, learning styles and schemas. It is always based around play. As with the little ones we look at the world around us and important times in the children’s lives such as birthdays, holidays, transitions to other settings etc.
**We include planning for multicultural and diverse festivals and celebrations from around the world, starting with those which mean something to the children and are drawn from the local community.
**We offer the children access to a mixture of carefully planned themed activities that we know will interest them such as road safety, healthy eating etc.
**We consider what children are doing elsewhere and link in where possible.
**We follow government initiatives in our planning such as Fruity Friday and other healthy eating campaigns, Make Chatter Matter and other special days and weeks.
