Small Group Time
In High Scope small group time is adult initiated activity in a small group. As a childminder (as opposed to a créche) I only have a small group to work with anyway so I don't have to separate the children into smaller groups.
I do at least one small group time in the morning and one in the afternoon. Small group time takes a maximum of about 30 minutes.
I do different kinds of small group times.
- Small group time - Books/winding down
- Small group time - child oriented
Contrary to Plan-Do-Review, where the child chooses what to do, during small group time I (the adult) initiate the activity. This is often the case when I want to introduce new activities, e.g. play dough, baking, painting, etc. (all arts and malleable). In this case the children might not have done the activity before and thus would not choose to do it during Plan-Do-Review simply because they are not aware the possibility exists.
I also choose small group time to manipulate known things in new ways. E. g. if children were previously to young for using scissors but could tear and I now deem them ready to learn how to use scissors I will design a small group time activity around this.
As mentioned above I would also do a winding down small group time in the evenings before children are collected, e.g. by reading books.
However, there is much more to small group time than the above. Due to using the High Scope key developmental indicators and child observation records I am constantly aware of the child(ren)'s level of development and I plan activities around this. This is a very complex subject and I plan to dedicate a couple of pages on this website to it when I have the time. The idea is to go into what Vygotsky - the founding father of social constructivism - called the 'zone of proximal development', i.e. that level of development that the child(ren) can achieve but only with the help of an adult.
Moreover, very importantly and a major idea in High Scope, I plan small group time activities around things I've seen the child(ren) do on previous days. This serves multiple purposes. It deepens the child(ren)'s understanding of a subject matter, shows them new ways of going about things, and again shows the child(ren) that I take their work - and through this them - serious. It makes them feel valued and loved.
Even though small group time is adult initiated it doesn't mean that I dictate what the children must do. I only show them new activities but then I follow their leads to see what they are interested in. This is why they do not usually produce elaborate works of art when in my care. It is more about the activity as such than about the product.
E.g. if they choose to roll the play dough, then I'll roll it, too. Making elaborate figures may practice my manual dexterity and feed my sense of self worth but if I needed that I would not be a childminder. It will make the children marvel at my abilities but it will also make them stop what they are doing and just watch me. Also they will ask me to make more and more elaborate things, and the only one working and learning will be I. Obviously, the children won't be bothered trying to do anything themselves anymore when I'm clearly so much better at it than they are. It makes them feel inferior and worth-less. They get no value from the activity and it makes them feel bad. However, if I copy their rolling the play dough, they will feel that I take an active interest in their ideas and activities, and that I even deem them worth copying. This boosts their self-esteem and also they will develop their fine motor skills. It gives the children a sense of achievement and thus raises their spirits. Therefore, it makes me happy as well. It's a win-win situation.