Today a little boy (46 months) brought in his library book. His interest in the numbers was obvious as we read the story. This little boy loves to race around the garden on his scooter and likes me to time his laps on the stopwatch.
Planning in the moment is about firstly getting to know what every child is currently interested in (observation), then considering what that tells us about the child (assessment) and then it is about being ready to respond, using well timed appropriate strategies to support the child's learning and well-being.
From this little boys interest came 'the teachable moment' as I was able to suggest making a telephone, which would give him opportunities to look at numbers and write them. He eagerly used number tiles and the landline phone as reference and we were able to talk about the hash key and star key functions.
He then asked whether he could make a clock.
He asked to make a clock similar to a favourite bear story, where the clock is used to sequence the time of everyday tasks bear enjoyed through his day. Appropriate images were gathered from stock to make this instantly achievable for the child. He carefully coloured the pictures and added the hands screwing the fixing together himself. He then turned the hands, setting them to half hour and hour positions to tell the time (another current interest).
His confidence and sense of self esteem were supported effectively and his enjoyment was evident throughout the whole process. He persevered writing the numbers on the telephone and was highly motivated to get them just right. This attention to detail continued as he neatly and carefully coloured in his pictures, chatting happily about his choice of colours.
Personal, Social and Emotional development, Physical Development, Speech, language and Communication, Maths, Literacy, Expressive Art and Design and the Characteristics of Effective Learning were all observed during this activity and the Wow moments of the observation were shared with mummy and daddy.
This is why I am so passionate about 'Planning in the Moment'.