As a child minder you may well find yourself with a variety of children of different ages to look after. Unlike many nursery settings, who usually have the under 1’s in a separate baby room; a child minder will look after all ages together.
I tried my best to include all the children in all activities whenever possible, for example; when I sang rhymes such as “This Little Piggy” or “Round & Round The Garden” to a baby, I would encourage the older children to sing too. When singing action songs like “Row,Row, Row Your Boat” I would sit a small baby on my lap, a child old enough to sit would sit opposite myself, or with an older child under supervision.
I would also include a baby from around 6 months to participate in activities such as play dough by strapping into a highchair up to the table. Be aware that a child of this age will want to put everything into their mouth; so be very vigilant.
In my experience a baby will learn so much from an older child that an adult can’t somehow achieve, equally; older children gain so much from the little ones, such as watching them develop and reach milestones.
I used to have learning journey folders for all the children in my care. For the under 3’s I followed the “birth to three” matters framework, and colour code the different stages, for example if I witnessed a baby hold her head up I would colour that purple indicating a strong child, and pink for a skilful communicator and so on. I also included photos, which parents appreciate and samples of their child’s art work.
As always questions/ comments are welcome
I really agree with contents of this your latest blog.its so much better to have different aged children playing together as this is normal family life. Helps older children to play nicely with a new brother or sister when the time comes.
Hi, children of differing ages playing or interacting with each other can learn so much from each other. Fascinating read, thanks for sharing #brilliantblogposts
A really interesting read – I think its so important for children to interact like this.
Thanks for linking to #ablogginggoodtime and don’t forget to join us again this week!
These are good comments Karen that you have gained from your observations and experience. Really helpful for parents and care givers.
Great tips for childminders and parents who have children of different ages
Enjoyed reading your post. Great insights, indeed !!!
Yes, playing makes children use more of their motor skilla and also makes them think. Thanks for participating in #HappySunday #Linkparty
Very informative post. The learning journals are fab to record new milestones and great to look back on too 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing with #MMBC. Hope to see you Monday.
I tend to forget that they’re all in the same setting with child minding and I can really see how this benefits all the children. Younger children definitely develop quicker when they’re around older children, and it’s good that the older children can witness the baby milestone to understand how they grew up. Thanks so much for linking up at #fortheloveofBLOG. Claire x
This is how families function! When kids can’t be with their families, it is much better for them to be a situation that mimics family life.
It’s a great idea to have children of different ages playing together. At home my younger children have learnt so much playing with their older siblings. #TriumphantTales
I think kids playing together can teach eachother different skills, not only can the elders let the youngers learn, but sometimes the younger kids can teach the older kids too!
Thank you for sharing this with us at #TriumphantTales. I hope to see you back next year! Merry Christmas Lovely!