What is a Family Day Care Play Session?
Experience
The Term “Play Session” is used to describe the planned experiences where two (or more) Educators participate with their children to partake in child-focused play experiences. Play Sessions may be organised by the Educators themselves or by the Co-ordination Unit Team.
Supervision
Find a session near you
Music and Yarning Sessions
NQ Family Day Care run regular music sessions with Uplift Music. Registered Music Therapist Jaye Odgers facilitates the sessions run from our co-ordination unit at Edge Hill, or alternatively at Goomboora Park.
Parents and community participation is welcome. If your child is not in care on the day of the music session, you are welcome to participate. Phone the co-ordination team to find out dates and book attendance.
What Happens In A Play Session?
Preference is given to open ended materials that can be used in a variety of ways and reflect the diversity that exists in our community. Our Coordination Unit team observes and engages with the children during play and document their observations in learning stories and curriculum pages.
These observations are then used to further refine the program for the individual children’s needs, developmental progress and interests. The program is developed collaboratively with the Educators where appropriate. Home visits to Educators also assists in planning for children’s needs. Children’s personal information and any documentation/observations will always remain in compliance with confidentiality guidelines.
Each Play Session program is assessed against the framework outcomes and critical reflection by the Play Session Coordinators, Educators and children. We encourage feedback about the children’s responses to the environment, the resources and the activities; and respect and appreciate any ideas for future sessions that either the children or Educators suggest.
Experiences at NQ Family Day Care include:
- Physical: Dancing, Running, Jumping, Obstacle Courses
- Creative: Art and Craft, Play dough, Clay
- Sensory: Finger Paint, Goop, Slime
- Music: Instruments, Singing
- Cognitive: Puzzles, Constructing with Blocks
- Language: Stories, Puppets
- Life: Dramatic Play
- Cultural Celebrations
- Nature Play: Gardening, Nature Investigations, Caring for our Environment
The Curriculum
The curriculum is designed to offer children many opportunities to explore and learn through a variety of materials and experiences. The children are encouraged to choose and explore in an unhurried manner. This is reflective of the BBB and MTOP.
A variety of learning resources are on offer, such as:
- Creative materials – paint, glue, dough, sand, fabric, drawing materials
- Musical instruments – a variety from many different cultures
- Functional Equipment – for pretend play
- Equipment that extends their gross motor skills
- Mathematical Tools – scales, measuring cups, sorting resources
- Construction Materials – blocks, junk materials
- Books and reading material
- Natural resources
- Gardening and care of environment
