· Has the child said something new or communicated something to you using signs or body language? What is he saying at home at the moment? – add parent comments where possible.
· Has the child done something new? Have they accomplished something they couldn’t do last session? Even little steps towards a bigger goal can be a great achievement for a small child.
· Has the child interacted with other children or adults in a new or different way? Have they initiated a game where they would normally follow other children’s leads?
· Has the child learned something new? Are you teaching them something and it’s clicked?
· What is the child telling you about their learning elsewhere – at nursery or pre-school?
· How is the child’s emotional health? Does he show high levels of wellbeing during activities? Is he well settled and happy in the provision? Does he separate well from parents at the start of the session?
· Is the child involved in his learning? Does he show high levels of involvement or does he flit between learning zones? Does he demonstrate curiosity and imagination?
· What are the child’s current interests – with you … at home … in another provision … at the weekend etc?
· Can the child do something new independently? It is especially important to talk about what the child can do and what they are working on next when children are getting ready to start school.
· How is the child’s behaviour at the moment? Does he understand the behaviour goals of the provision? Has he been asked to contribute ideas to them?
· How does the child resolve conflicts? If someone takes a toy away from or hurts him how well does he deal with the situation? How well does the child cope in groups when other children get a bit noisy or giddy?
· What are the child’s learning styles? Does he learn through watching – or getting involved – or listening – or taking things apart – or a combination of different styles?
· Is the child learning using any schemas (repeated patterns of play) at the moment? What about at home … have parents noticed any schemas? – Where possible include parent / home observations.
· How does the child get on when working in a group? Can they cooperate and share with other children? Are they confident talking to other children? Do they know how to make friends appropriately?
· What are you teaching the child about at the moment – what is your current theme – how are you following their interests? Make an observation from a planned activity to share their learning with parents.
· What does the child tell you about their home culture and religion? Do they use resources from home when they cook or role play? Do they share stories with you about their community life?
· When faced with a challenge, how does the child react? Does he keep trying or move on to something else? Is he the same at home … and how can you support him to persevere?
· Is the child demonstrating new physical skills? What can he do that is new? Challenge him with an obstacle course or putting together a necklace of beads and observe his dexterity and physical abilities.
· During an adult guided activity, how did you support the child, what did they say / do and what new things did they learn? Try to include a range of observations from adult led, adult guided and child initiated play.
· How does the child react when given responsibility? Can he pour drinks or share out food for friends? Does he enjoy helping you in the kitchen or getting involved in tidying up?
· What are the child’s favourite games – inside the house … in the garden … on outings … at home … at nursery?
· Has the child brought anything new from home to show you? What have they said about it? How have you followed it up to support their learning?
· Does the child interact with displays? What are they saying / doing? How do your displays contribute to their learning? Do parents have any comments about what they are saying at home?
· When you have read a book and provided role play resources to support ongoing learning, how well does the child interact with them? Does he know what to do? How does his imagination work?
· Does the child transport resources between different areas? Is this done confidently and with concentration? Does he involve other children in his transporting play?
· Does the child enjoy sensory play – does he mix ingredients when painting and explore sensory trays?
· Does the child experiment using one thing to represent something else - does he use his imagination?
· Which resources does the child prefer using? How does he respond to new / different resources?
· How does the child react to solving problems? Does he welcome problems or worry about them? Can he tell you how things work or what they do? Can he work things out for himself?
· Include observations every month from – inside … outside … an outing … at home … at another setting etc.
· What does the child say when you sit with him and read through his Learning Journey file? Does he enjoy looking at the pictures and commenting on what he has done? Does he remark on how much he has grown / changed? Does he remember his previous learning – what does he say about it?
· How does the child respond to risk taking? Does he take risks or is he very cautious?
Go back to the EYFS areas of learning – what new skills is the child demonstrating across the different areas of learning? Have you noted their progress in all the areas recently or are there gaps in your observations that you can fill? What haven’t you covered recently..?
There is a free observation prompt sheet on the Childminding Forum here.
There are lots of ideas for supporting children’s learning here.
This blog is new - it is about teaching children British values - a new Govt / Ofsted initiative which every early years provider needs to embrace - here.
Do you want to stay updated with changes to the Eyfs, SEND legislation and much more ..? All the latest information if you 'like' my Facebook page - Knutsford Childminding
Chat soon ... Sarah x