Planning Time
What is Planning Time?
Planning Time is a formal time before work time.
It is the first part of the Plan-Do-Review, i.e., the Plan part.
How long does Planning Time take?
Planning Time usually takes up to 10 minutes depending on the age(s) of the child(ren).
What happens during Planning Time?
I sit down with the children and ask them what they are planning on doing during work time.
Naturally, the younger the children, the less sophisticated the conversation.
However, even with children under two years of age this activity is possible and well worth while doing.
With the younger children I have to put more into the conversation, whereas the older the children, the more they take over the talking.
Example:
When I ask a 15 months old child ', What would you like to play with during work time today?', they will reply something like 'bocks'. I then repeat what they said saying something like ',You would like to play with the blocks today.'. This starts a conversation in which I formulate most of the sentences from the clues the children give me.
When I ask a 15 months old child ', What would you like to play with during work time today?', they will reply something like 'bocks'. I then repeat what they said saying something like ',You would like to play with the blocks today.'. This starts a conversation in which I formulate most of the sentences from the clues the children give me.
Why do Planning Time?
- It teaches the children how to express their views.
- I teaches them the language to do this with.
- It communicates to the children that there is someone who is actually interested in them as individuals. Someone who cares what they think and what they like doing and finds their ideas important enough to listen to.
- This is a great boost to children's self confidence and hugely helps them to develop a positive self image as well as conversational skills.
- It develops and enhances children's planning skills, which will be very important later in life.
This ties in with Síolta Standard 14 Identity and Belonging.
Transition from Planning Time
When all the children have had ample opportunity to express what they are planning on doing during Work Time, I ask them whether they are ready for Work Time now.