1. Unit 7 Observation, assessment and planning
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2. LO4 Understand child-centred planning.
AC 4.1 Analyse how child-centred planning meets individual needs of children.
AC 4.2 Discuss ways of identifying children’s individual needs and interests to support effective planning.
AC 4.3 Explain how working with other professionals, parents and carers supports child-centred planning.
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3. LO4 Understand child-centred planning [AC 4.1]
Individual needs
Practitioners will need to know about the children so that they can plan appropriately for all the children's learning needs.
They will need to know:
The age and stage of development of each individual child
Activities that the children enjoy and are interested in
Any special need or delays that the children have in their development.
Teacher notes:
Discuss these points in more detail.
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4. Discuss with a partner why you think these are important.
LO4 Understand child-centred planning [AC 4.1]
Time: 10 mins
Consider at least four points that you would need to know about a child to enable you to plan effectively.
Discuss with a partner why you think these are important.
Teacher notes:
This will support and determine what knowledge the learners already have.
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5. Discuss with a partner how you could involve children in planning.
LO4 Understand child-centred planning [AC 4.1]
Time: 15 mins
Discuss with a partner how you could involve children in planning.
Consider:
How would this support child-centred planning?
How does this ensure individual needs are met?
Teacher notes:
Learners should discuss the benefits of involving children in planning.
Examples:
Planning will reflect children’s interests
Activities would be set at a child’s own level and pace
Children would feel valued.
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6. Feedback your thoughts from the Pairs activity.
LO4 Understand child-centred planning [AC 4.1]
Time: 10 mins
Feedback your thoughts from the Pairs activity.
Discuss this information and share it as a group.
Discuss why it is important to involve the children in the planning.
Teacher notes:
Learners should share information from the Pairs activity, so that all learners are aware of the different ways that a child can be involved in planning and why this is important – the positives and the negatives.
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7. Identifying children’s individual needs and interests
LO4 Understand child-centred planning [AC 4.2]
Identifying children’s individual needs and interests
By identifying children’s needs, interests and stage of development prior to planning, practitioners can:
Build on children’s existing skills, knowledge and interests.
Provide support for children’s areas of development that require improvement.
Teacher notes:
Discuss these points in more detail.
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8. LO4 Understand child-centred planning [AC 4.2]
Time: 15 mins
Discuss how practitioners can monitor children’s individual needs and interests within the setting.
Consider:
Observations
Circle time
Talking to children.
How will this information inform planning?
Teacher notes:
Examples:
Children may be wildly excited about a worm found in the garden, so a practitioner may plan activities around the topic of ‘mini beasts’.
Observing a small group of children who are improvising in the home corner and role playing a vet’s hospital would prompt a practitioner to plan the area accordingly.
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9. Child-centred Planning
LO4 Understand child-centred planning [AC 4.3]
Child-centred Planning
Plan an activity for a child in your setting based on their individual needs and interests, include:
A trigger
The activity
Skills that will be learnt
Observation
Evaluation
Next steps
Teacher notes:
Discuss these points in more detail.
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10. LO4 Understand child-centred planning [AC 4.3]
Working with others
As practitioners working in early years you will be required to share information with others. This could be other professionals or the child’s parents/carers.
The information you share from observations carried out on the children will form the children’s next steps and influence planning.
Teacher notes:
Discuss these points in more detail.
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11. LO4 Understand child-centred planning [AC 4.3]
Time: 15 mins
You have been asked to plan a social event for parents/carers at the setting to explain the importance of child-centred planning. Create a poster to advertise the event, making it inviting and appealing to parents/carers.
Consider:
A brief explanation of the event
Some examples of child-centred planning
Popular interests of children that parents/carers could use to extend learning and development.
Teacher notes:
Posters could be shared and displayed.
Content could include:
A list of interests such as bugs, colours, transport, numbers, shapes, animals
How these support learning – for example, counting bugs, matching colours or spotting cars.
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12. The age and stage of the children Meeting individual needs
LO4 Understand child-centred planning [AC 4.3]
Time: 15 mins
Research two other professionals who could support child-centred planning in the setting.
Consider:
The age and stage of the children
Meeting individual needs
Children with additional needs.
Teacher notes:
Examples:
Speech and language therapist to support practitioners to understand the interests and wishes of a child with communication difficulties
Interpreter to support a child who is new to the setting.
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13. LO4 Understand child-centred planning [AC 4.1, 4.2, 4.3]
Time: 15 mins
A group of children have come in from the garden and are very excited to show a practitioner a caterpillar on a leaf. The practitioner dismisses the children and sends them back out to the garden.
Consider:
What should the practitioner have done?
How could this situation have informed planning?
How could the planning from this situation support children’s learning and development?
How could parents/carers be involved in this situation?
Teacher notes:
Learners should consider missed opportunities for children’s learning and development.
This activity will enable learners to describe good practice.
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14. Learnt how individual needs are met through child-centred planning.
In this lesson we have:
Learnt how individual needs are met through child-centred planning.
Discussed how to identify individual needs and interests.
Shown how working with others supports child-centred planning.
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15. Explain what is meant by child-centred planning.
Describe two different activities to support a child’s interest in all things red.
Name one other professional who may support practitioners in child-centred planning.
How can a parent/carer support their child’s learning and development through their current interest in stacking objects?
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