All about me folder

[jen]

was just wondering how other childminders collate information about their mindies?

I am thinking about doing an 'All about me folder' and including new things i notice the children do and achieve and also include photographs and bits and bobs i will be doing with them e.g. pictures etc.

But do i need to make it more formal and use 'milestones' in the folder too?

I have no idea how i can set it all out. anyone have any ideas?
also does anyone know anywhere i can get 'milestone' ideas from just based on the spice charts?

I have worked in day nurseries before and i thought the childrens files where all the same. They never seemed to show any special achievements a child made etc. i want to be able to make it more interesting for a parent and child to read and look at together.

Sorry to be a pain
Jen

[Pauline]

Hi Jen

I have "About Me' folders. I'm off out soon but I'll get back to you and explain what I have as soon as I can, might be tomorrow though if that's OK.

[angeldelight]

I do too but I will leave it to Pauline to answer you

It is a great idea and the parents and the children always love it

Angel xx

[Pauline]

Share yours too Angel - they might be better than mine!!

[angeldelight]

Haha that is not fair Pauline I thought the same about yours therefore I left it for you to explain haha

I will be back later to give more information

Angel xx

[bessie]

Hi there

I do a daily diary for my chn. The inspector suggested it at my first inspection and I thought it was such a good idea I've kept it up for the past 4 years. Some other childminders up here do it too but we don't have to.

I use a notebook and get the chn to decorate it - one book for sibs.

I either write through the day bits and bobs or do last minute frantic jottings at tea time!

The parents keep them at the end and as well as being anecdotal it does include important milestones too and if I have to pass message on from playgroup, if constipated baby has pooped etc!.

I give the parents a photo album for christmas with about 20 or so pics from the year. They say it's their best present and they always look forward to opening it.

Bx

[jen]

Thanks for your advice.

i have already sorted out diaries as i know parents find these useful in other settings i have worked in. it just all seems to be paperwork and more paperwork at the minute

The photo album as an xmas gift is a great idea. i will keep that one in mind.

Thanks, Jen

[bessie]

Hi Jen - the paperwork does get a bit much at times doesn't it.

Re the photo albums I always look out for small ones holding say 24 pics during sale times in Woolworths or Tesco and would usually pic them up for 99p - I'm very frugal!

I love the sound of the all about me folders. You could really go to town on those. I'll be interested to see how others do theirs.

Bx

[Pauline]

Hi Jen

Sorry it's taken so long for me to get back - been busy doing a website!

You've had some great suggestions which are brilliant.

also in my own "About me" folders I have:

"today I"............

Tied my own shoelace
Walked for the first time
Put on my own coat
Coloured a picture

put just what you like really, there should be a mixture of easy and more difficult things to do. As they are achieved write the date next to them. You could do them as a list or a chart, with a comments section where you could add any specific observations you have.

I do some as building blocks with the things written on the 'blocks' and the child colours the block as they achieve it - (they are ones I drew and now photo copy as I need them, I haven't got any on the computer or I could share them. But they are really simple to do).

They are great to share with parents and the child feels a great sense of achievement.

Also in the "About Me' folder you could have photos, drawings etc.

It's really all about showing that you gather and use information to provide activities suitable for the child's stage of development.

Hope that helps.

[bessie]

Hi - I was interested to read about how you do your all about me folders Pauline, esp the building blocks.

Can I ask though about the taking first steps? Do you tell parents if their child took first steps at your house? It was one of the first things we were told at our training not to do and I never have with baby taking it's first steps always at home if you get my drift!

Recently I had to make sure the 4 yr old was in the garden when other mum came to pick up baby as he'd been so excited earlier in the day when baby took steps and I knew he would want to share this with the mum concerned.

I'd be interested to hear what others do about this.

Bx

[jen]

Hi Bessie, i'm not childminding yet but i have worked in many different childcare settings and it was different for each setting to tell parents if their child did something for the first time.

Sometimes it depends on the parents though, you can tell which ones would be pleased if you said anything.

As a childminder you have a much closer working relationship with parents compared to working in a nursery, so i think you know what and how much information each individual parent would like.

I remember one little boy i looked after in one nursery and he walked and we told mum he had really been trying and she said he had been walking all week at home and she had never mentioned it before!

I think when i have an initial chat with new parents and they have younger children i may ask them if they would prefer to know or not.

I get so excited when my 16month old daughter does something new i'm not sure if i could keep quite though!!

Hope that helps
Jen

[Pauline]

That's a really good question Bessie, no I wouldn't tell them any of the most significant milestones, like first tooth, first steps etc. (I had one little one who had a tooth for over a week before Mum came rushing in one morning to announce it!! I never told her that I already knew).

If I was filling out the 'about me' book, first step, I would leave that for the parents to enter as they are encouraged to help fill in the books.

I know that perhaps it doesn't give an absolutely complete picture but it's more important for parents to feel they see things first.

[angeldelight]

Hi

My books are almost the same as everyone Else's on here

I have 2 folders , one "all about me" this is for new things that they do , observations , things that we have done that week , new foods we have tried , new places we have been etc etc

Then I have another folder for each child
It has all the topics that we do we are going to be doing about spring soon
So we do worksheets , pictures, we take pictures, we write about it, we make things etc etc that type of thing
We have topics about
Bonfire Night
Halloween
Christmas
Mini Beasts
Science experiment's
Cooking with a theme ie Christmas
Staying healthy
Staying safe
etc etc the list goes on
It can get really full with all the work we do through out the year but its nice to look back and see what we have done and also it is proof about what we do and it is amazing to look back and see how children develop in a year
The children love to look back on it too

Angel xx