Feeling Like I'm Not Doing Enough

[Indoorvoice]

Ah! You all are wonderful! I think my problem is that I'm starting this daycare after being a teacher for 6 years. I'm used to planning and coming up with activities, but I'm just not used to this age group yet. I have a ton of actual curriculum that I was going to use and got parents all excited about but I can't sit and teach a lesson like I anticipated. I should also say that I only have one full time and she is only 15 months. Everyone else comes 2 - 3 days and so it's hard to do actual lessons on things because some will miss it or I will have to repeat it over and over. So maybe some of my problem is that I spend a good part of my week getting everyone used to my house and my rules again after spending so much time away from me?

I will definitely use some of your ideas. I think I'm wanting to run a "preschool" when my home is not set up like one and I don't have all preschool aged kids. I have to run it like a home daycare and be more realistic. I LOVE the voluntary circle time and doing art at a more leisurely pace and doing it one on one. I still feel like the 12-18 month olds might get left out on most things that I tend to choose, but maybe that's ok? What are your go-to resources for activities for that group? I feel like everything's a choking hazard or they will just make a chaotic mess with it.

[AuntTami]

I still feel like the 12-18 month olds might get left out on most things that I tend to choose, but maybe that's ok? What are your go-to resources for activities for that group? I feel like everything's a choking hazard or they will just make a chaotic mess with it.

I wouldn't worry too much about "structured" play for the little ones right now. They don't have the attention span to sit and be taught something as young toddlers. We learn a lot of stuff through play around here. We have a large organic garden and an outdoor rabbit, so the kids LOVE to pick the (now dying) vegetables from the garden and give them to her. We identify the vegetables as they go, and they're learning where their food comes from! I have my 15 mo old DCB saying "tomato" every time he picks a tomato for the bunny. It's not clear, but he knows what it is!

We do a LOT of sensory play around here too. Similar to the monster box ideas, paint in a bag, or my favorite, cloud dough! Cloud dough is simply flour, vegetable oil and some food coloring. It's safe and edible for the youngers to put in their mouth(it doesn't taste good, but it's not harmful) and it squishes more than regular playdough so the littles really enjoy that! It is quite messy, but I just take their shirts off and put them in the highchairs to play with it. A quick rag cleans them up and I throw the highchair tray in the dish washer.
We also do paint in bags. I get a big gallon zip lock, pour some paint in it(I use acrylic since that's what I have and they're not going to be touching it anyways) seal the top, tape the top so none can come out, and I either tape it to the table or to a low window, and they paint in the bag.

I'm not a huge fan of messy activities. I like to do them, but OUTSIDE and it's getting too cold to do most activities outside(thanks Wisconsin!) so I've been scouring pinterest looking for activities to do inside that aren't SUPER messy.

[Josiegirl]

Cool ideas everyone!! Love the letter ideas and taping the sensory bags to the windows! And I haven't done cloud dough in awhile, have to make some of that again!

You don't need to put so much pressure on yourself to be perfect. You are a home daycare, which to me, equals extended family. Kids learn so much by being with other ages, helping, interacting. You have to somehow switch your mindset to teaching in a different way. It will work out so cut yourself some slack.

[Laurel]

I think what you're doing is great! Are you looking for more preschool academics?

A couple of things I do, that I don't have to be involved at all/minimally are:

Hide letters around the room that make up a secret word of the day/week. Word is on the wall of the playroom in sticky tack. The kids find the letter, identify it, then put it up. If they haven't guessed it at the end of the day, I whisper it to them as they go home. I drop hints, and my oldest always start to sound them out and usually guess them.

Letter/number hop. Letters or numbers on paper taped to the floor to HOP out the word or count.

Today we played "feed the monster". I set up a cardboard box with a mouth 'hole' cut out, let the kids all decorate it, then they threw plastic balls with letters written on them into it's mouth.

All ideas where you could just supervise, but they are actively learning. For parents to SEE the learning, just take a picture!!

Oh I forgot, I used to send pictures home too. Not always but when I had the urge. That was when I had less children though, near the end of doing childcare.

Laurel

[NightOwl]

I got my parents all worked up about a curriculum too and then had to say to them, ya know what? This is not working for anyone! It stressed me out trying to conduct lessons with a wide range of ages, and the kids in turn felt that stress. Lesson time was prime time for acting out. I took my cue from the kids and decided to lean more toward a creative, play based program where we find lessons in everyday activities. They're happier, I'm happier, the parents were cool with it! And with me sending pics via text or through the Facebook page, they see that their children are in fact learning, but in a much more fun, less structured way. Right now, the kids are running around the playground with magnifying glasses looking for bugs and interesting leaves. Science!! ::

[daycare]

I have kids 17 months to 5 years not enrolled in school.

everyone of them attend circle time which is 1.5 hours long.

the only thing that will work is consistency. when there is a set and consistent routine in place, the children will learn what to do, when to do it and learn to expect it. all of my kids youngest to oldest can tell you what will happen next, because we have a daily written schedule that we follow . We may not get to do it in that order 100% every day and that is ok, but we do make sure that we do ever single thing on our schedule every day.

once you got the consistency down, you need to have clear instructions. i like to think that my classroom is a well-oiled machine. all of the kids know what is expected of them and how to go about doing it with little to no instructions, because we are so consistent. I am very proactive about setting up my day, so I am not wasting time looking for things, trying to find materials and etc.

there is a lot more to it than just that like knowing what types of activities to set up for a group with such a wide age gap and how to involve everyone. it takes time to learn that part, but it can be done.

for example you might be reading a book about farm animals you have kids 18months to 5 years. you can ask the 18 months old what does the cow say, and ask the 4-5 year olds, how do you think we spell cow? or what letter does cow start with, C, yes thats right. what does a C sound like, look like etc. then have the older kids team up with a little and look for 1 object in the room that starts with C........................

what color is a cow, this one is ____________let older kids answer and then again can you find something the color back or white like the cow. have them bring it back, then go over it, Billy found a black marker, Jill found a white block etc etc.......

I love teaching to a mixed age group its always a challenge............

[KiddieCahoots]

Feeling the pressure to mold these little minds can be overwhelming, especially with all the attention on curriculum now a days.
Like others have posted, feel we are our own worst enemy on this endeavor.
I just took a training on this very subject, and the instructor that lead the class had a young day care herself.
She emphasized having a routine, but allowing to stray from it with normal day situations that can arise with a young group.
Her approach was to have themes appropriate for the young ones that were simple and appropriate to their short attention span, (barn yard animals, tropical forest animals, ways of transportation, etc.)and part of this was to change up the day care room to accommodate the theme, but having the curriculum mostly based on play and discussion of the theme.
I do this, then once the little's are occupied with their play, I'll take aside the older children to have some one on one, with more in depth activities and conversation on the theme.
I'd say, don't beat yourself up about it, just by posting this shows how much you care about this, and that alone speaks volumes.

[daycare]

reading what some of the others posted. I think as providers we are always in the game of we are not doing enough or we end up doing too much and either way we end up stressing over it.

I have a set list of things I have to teach and I make sure each day I just check them off, but it's stressful always trying to stay on top of each and every child how they are doing and MOSTLY stressing about developing your curriculum.

Don't over think it......

I say play and keep it simple