Planning in the early years can often feel like a conundrum but in actuality the planning cycle is researching .  You know that there is a planning cycle that guides us but I find early childhood educators often ask these questions:

• What do you observe?  
• What to document?  
• Where to go next?  
• What if there are many interests?

OVERVIEW OF THE EARLY YEARS PLANNING CYCLE

Intentional and meaningful planning is not outcome driven but rather a path to further knowing through exploration, investigation and trial and error.

WHAT DOES PLANNING MEAN?

Planning is actually a word I am trying not to use as much anymore.  I find there are preconceived notions about this word that plays a major role in how we as the educators plan for the children.

The word planning has many interpretations but I think it’s important for us to be aware of these preconceived notions about this word and how we subconsciously make meaning of it.

Planning is typically tied to thinking about what to do and creating a path to move forward but it is often tied to an outcome.

In the early years, we are moving towards a more child led mindset but I can’t help but wonder if the use of the word is what is holding us back.

I know that we’ll continue to use it, it’s embedded into our profession and everyday use.  It’s what we are taught to use and parents understand when we use it.

But what if we reflected on our own mindsets about this word and considered our images of the educator.

The great news is the planning cycle is researching, it’s our mindsets that can make all the difference.

We go through the planning cycle on an everyday basis.  You observe, collect audio/video/pictures/transcribe, think about what to do next and then plan an experience based on your findings.

INTEGRATING PLANNING AS RESEARCHING

What can get educators stuck while planning is going too broad; only looking at the surface level and not the depths of what children are exploring.

For example, an interest in cars.  This has come into every early childhood setting across all ages.  What typically happens is we do car painting, label car parts, bring out every car item we have, and put them in the water/sand tables.

Instead when we approach the planning cycle as researching there is a greater likelihood of reflecting and analyzing the WHY behind your observations.

Consider asking questions like these:

• Why are the children manipulating the cars this way? 
• What are they trying to make sense of? 
• What is it about the motion they are exploring? 
• Is it about the places they go? 
• Or the people that are in the cars?

Sometimes knowing where to go next can be a hurdle too.

This is where the reflection phase of the planning cycle is helpful.  Where you brainstorm potential ideas and pathways but on a much deeper level.

It’s also important to remember that researching isn’t about knowing the outcome, rather it’s about trial and error, analyzing your observations and artifacts, and then thinking about what is going on to come up with your own hypothesis of where to go next.

Then you plan out what you’ll need and continue the planning cycle by observing what happens.

MORE RESOURCES

Planning For Our Senses

Planning For Multiple Interests

Getting Started With The Reggio Emilia Approach