Publications
My very good friend and colleague, Dr. Susan Manning, and I just finished the editorial process for our book, Online Education for Dummies.
Planning For Kids By Kdis
National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Johnson, K. (1995). Planning for kids by kids. In Todd, C.M. (Ed.), *School-age connections*, 4(4), Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service
"Developmentally appropriate" is probably the most common buzzword in child care today. According to early childhood educators Sue Bredekamp and Teresa Rosegrant, "Developmentally appropriate practice is not a curriculum; it is not a rigid set of standards that dictate practice. Rather, it is a framework, a philosophy, or an approach to working with young children that requires that the adult pay attention to at least two important pieces of information: what we know about how children grow and develop and what we learn about the individual interests and needs of each child in the group" (Bredekamp and Rosegrant, 1992, p. 2).
How do you plan developmentally appropriate activities for school-age children who seem to know everything and are bored with the normal daily routine? Three ideas that might help are providing choice-directed activities, using special-interest groups, and starting a participant advisory board.
In choice-directed activities, the group is given a choice of activities, no matter how limited it is. Activity or learning centers are good for younger groups. "Option" days let kids choose from a variety of activities, depending on their interests. Or you could let groups plan their own activities for the week. Learning to make choices is an important developmental task for school-age children.
Special-interest groups or "clubs" are another good way to keep children interested. Set aside one day a month to focus on special interests. Survey your group to find out what their interests are. You may find interest in checkers, chess, basketball, finger weaving, card collecting, and soccer. Setting aside a day a month to focus on these interests gives children the chance to develop these skills and learn more about their special interest. Special-interest groups also increase leadership and social skills.
Some older school-agers think they run the program anyway, so go ahead and let them. Ask them to help you start a participant advisory board. This board would be a group of children who represent the entire group. The number of participants is up to the director. Members can either be elected by the other children, or they can be chosen by the director or leaders.
These groups help directors and leaders in many ways. First, the children will give you feedback about the program. They can also help make decisions about field trips, special events, and program rules. And they can communicate with other participants to be sure all their needs are being met. If the board finds that not all needs are being met, it is their job to come up with problem-solving ideas. Set aside time once or twice a week for the board to meet. The director or assigned leader should head the meeting. Decisions can be voted on by the members, with the director reserving the right to veto.
Giving school-age children more choice in their activities helps get rid of boredom. Giving them more responsibility keeps them interested in your program. Work with these three ideas, testing and changing them until you find a system that meets your program's needs. It will take time, but the results will be worth it.
REFERENCES
Bredekamp, S., and T. Rosegrant. 1992. Reaching Potentials: Introduction. In S. Bredekamp and R. Rosegrant (Eds.). *Reaching Potentials: Appropriate Curriculum and Assessment for Young Children,* vol. 1, pp. 2-8. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children.