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How we observe, interact, and extend your child’s learning as it naturally happens.
At Kids Planet we incorporate the concept of ‘In the Moment Planning’. If you’ve heard the term but are unsure what it means, read on!
As parents, the concept of ‘In the Moment Planning’ is likely to be something you are already naturally doing. Each time you listen to your child you might be thinking about how to respond. That response is planned in the moment. It is all about seizing that moment and supporting the child immediately.
Put simply it is: “Observing and interacting with children as they pursue their own interests and moving the learning on in that exact moment.”
In this way, real child-initiated play is not imposed by adults with a pre-set plan of what they feel the child should be doing. Instead, it is spontaneous and feels right to the child. In the moment, children are fully engaged and learn best when following their own interests.
Child shows an interest in something. There is an air of fascination around the object and concentration in what they are now doing.
Adult notices and approaches the child. Now is the opportunity to extend their interest by asking open-ended questions and considering ways to apply this interest to other options within the environment.
Take a look at some of these wonderful examples of In The Moment Planning that have taken place across our Kids Planet nurseries:
Circle time included speaking about the rain. In the garden, children then became very excited about the puddles they could splash in. It was suggested to the children to make their own puddles! They chose the colour, added the water, added the glitter, and created big splashes by jumping.
After enjoying the classic Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter, the children used vegetables and natural loose parts to create their own versions of Mr McGregor’s garden. They arranged vegetable patches, made patterns with peppers and cucumber batons, and created paths with pebbles. They discussed which vegetables the naughty rabbits would like to eat most!
A child wanted to take care of the baby dolls by attempting to put a nappy on one. A staff member first modelled how to put the nappy on, which the child followed really well. The child enjoyed taking care of the dolls, showing caregiving experiences by pretending to change, clean, and rock them to sleep!
Children had been enjoying pretending to make cups of tea in the home corner. The activity was immediately extended by putting real (cool) tea into teapots and allowing the children to practice pouring the tea into cups themselves!
If you’re interested in finding out more about In The Moment Planning and how it benefits your child’s learning journey, please get in touch.
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