Aussie Childcare Network Forum

Posted: **Sat Jan 09, 2016 2:15 pm**

Hi Ladies
Just looking for some pointers on how you would set up you room for the beginning of the year?
I had taken over the 15mth-2.2yr room in september last year and felt i couldn't fully get a grasp on what i wanted to do

Now i am moving up to the next room with my children and looking for ideas to have the room ready for when the children start, including learning resources for group time

Im going to get my hands on some group time books and i was thinking flash cards etc to engage the children and promote learning in a fun way? picture of their peers with names to hold up to extend language etc

Im going to set the room with a few of the standard basics following on from what i know my children interests are and then extend upon that, in what i hope will be a more successful way as we would have the younger toddlers who trash all the experiences haha

any other idea would be greatly appreciated!!

Posted: **Sun Jan 10, 2016 1:54 pm**

Off to a busy start of the year!

Have you thought about setting the room up into different interest areas? This way the children have a variety of different areas which they can explore during their day. In each area you can put specific resources which can be added to or changes depending on the interests of the children. Home corner, art area, book corner, puzzle table are all very common but you could also include a sensory play area, science and nature area, construction area etc. You could choose which area you set up permanently and those which you can change due to interests. Also when their is a topic of interest it could easily be included to each of the different areas which enables the children to extend on their learning.

Here is some more info on interest areas and what resources you can include:

Interest Areas In Childcare

In regards to Group Time, it can be more than reading a story, singing a few songs and playing a few group games just to get the children settled before transitioning to another activity. These can be incorporated within the group time however it shouldn't just end with these. Group time should be planned and though out in advance.

The children should be enthusiastic about group time and want to participate in the experiences planned. It shouldn't be a time for children to “sit and listen” to the educator but rather the children being actively involved. Yes, group time is a great opportunity for educators to engage in intentional teaching and teaching moments however it’s how you deliver these teaching moments that make a difference during group time

Here are some further ideas for group time:

Group Time In Childcare

Hope this gives you a few ideas,

,
Lorina

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