Childcare Observation & Future Planning Examples: Past, Present and Next Steps

Past, Present & Future: Simple Childcare Planning Examples

When planning from children’s learning, it can help to think in three simple steps:

Past – What experience has already happened?
Present – What did you notice the child doing, saying or learning?
Future – What could you provide next to extend the learning?

You do not need to make future planning complicated. Start with what you actually observed and build from there.

Simple Planning Format

Past: What did the child experience or explore?
Present: What did you observe?
Future: What could extend the learning?

Example

Past:
Children explored magnetic tiles and connected pieces together.

Present:
Children experimented with balancing, connecting and rebuilding their structures.

Future:
Provide photographs of buildings or different construction materials to extend their ideas.

Type	Past (Done)	Present (Observed)	Future (Planning)
Magnetic Tile Construction	Connected long pathways and experimented with building upwards.	Children showed spatial awareness, problem-solving and fine-motor skills while connecting and balancing the pieces.	Introduce photographs of buildings and different construction materials for children to investigate and recreate.
Outdoor Nature Walk	Children searched around the garden and discovered leaves of different shapes, colours and sizes, as well as several tiny insects hiding amongst the plants.	Children showed curiosity, observation and communication as they explored, investigated their environment and shared what they noticed.	Provide magnifying glasses, nature collection baskets or photographs of local plants and insects to encourage further investigation.
Painting and Colour Mixing	Children became colour investigators as they experimented with red, yellow and blue paint.	Children watched colours change as they mixed them and shared their discoveries with others.	Extend the exploration using coloured water, droppers, transparent colour paddles or adding white and black to investigate lighter and darker shades.
Group-Time Songs and Movement	Children chose their favourite songs and joined familiar actions and movements.	Children listened for familiar words, copied movements, remembered parts of songs and anticipated the next action.	Introduce musical instruments, picture cards, new action songs or invite children to create their own movements.
Wooden Blocks	Children selected blocks and stacked or arranged them to create different structures.	Children used problem-solving, spatial awareness and persistence while balancing, rebuilding and modifying their structures.	Add photographs of bridges and buildings, loose parts, measuring tools or toy people to encourage more complex construction.
Water Play	Children poured water between different containers and experimented with filling, emptying and transferring water.	Children developed hand-eye coordination and fine-motor skills while exploring concepts such as full, empty, more and less.	Introduce measuring cups, funnels, tubes and different-sized containers to continue exploring capacity and volume.
Playdough	Children squeezed, rolled, flattened and shaped playdough using their hands and tools.	Children used fine-motor control and imagination as they manipulated the playdough and created different forms.	Add natural materials, cutters, rollers, letter stamps or loose parts to encourage more detailed creations and storytelling.
Puzzle Play	Children explored puzzles by selecting, turning and testing pieces in different spaces.	Children demonstrated persistence and problem-solving as they rotated pieces, matched shapes and tried different strategies.	Introduce slightly more complex puzzles, matching games or shape-based problem-solving experiences.
Drawing and Mark Making	Children explored pencils, crayons and markers to create lines, shapes and pictures.	Children experimented with different marks and began using drawings to represent people, objects or experiences.	Provide different drawing tools, clipboards outdoors, name cards, photographs or opportunities to draw familiar experiences.
Dramatic / Pretend Play	Children used dolls, kitchen materials and everyday objects during imaginative play.	Children recreated familiar experiences, used objects symbolically and communicated different roles and ideas with their peers.	Add props based on children’s interests, such as menus, shopping baskets, doctor’s equipment, phones or dress-up clothing.
Sand Play	Children filled containers, dug in the sand and experimented with making different structures.	Children explored texture, capacity and cause and effect while noticing how dry and wet sand behaved differently.	Add water, moulds, pipes, construction vehicles and measuring containers to extend investigation of materials and volume.
Sorting and Classification	Children explored a collection of objects and grouped them according to similarities they noticed.	Children identified differences and similarities in colour, size, shape or type and began creating categories.	Provide natural materials, buttons or loose parts and invite children to develop their own sorting rules or patterns.
Outdoor Climbing and Balance	Children climbed, balanced and moved across outdoor equipment in different ways.	Children demonstrated coordination, body awareness, confidence and persistence as they adjusted their movements to complete physical challenges.	Create an obstacle course using stepping stones, hoops, balance beams and other equipment with different levels of challenge.
Books and Storytelling	Children explored a familiar story with an educator and discussed the pictures and events.	Children recalled familiar words, pointed to illustrations, predicted what might happen next and connected the story to their own experiences.	Introduce puppets, story props, sequencing cards or drawing experiences so children can retell and extend the story.
Peer / Cooperative Play	Children played alongside one another using shared construction or dramatic-play materials.	Children communicated ideas, shared resources, negotiated roles and began cooperating towards a shared goal.	Provide collaborative experiences such as large construction projects, group artwork, gardening or shared dramatic play.
Loose Parts Play	Children explored a collection of open-ended materials such as lids, stones, rings, sticks and containers.	Children arranged, combined and repositioned materials in different ways, demonstrating creativity, problem-solving and decision-making.	Add new materials of different textures, sizes and shapes and encourage children to use them for construction, patterns or imaginative play.
Sensory Play	Children explored sensory materials using their hands, scoops and containers.	Children investigated different textures and experimented with squeezing, scooping, pouring and transferring materials.	Introduce contrasting textures, tools or hidden objects to encourage further sensory investigation and descriptive language.
Gardening	Children helped dig soil, plant seeds and water plants in the garden.	Children showed curiosity about living things and noticed changes in the plants over time.	Encourage children to photograph or draw plant growth, measure plants and investigate what plants need to grow.
Cooking Experience	Children helped measure, pour, mix and combine ingredients during a simple cooking experience.	Children followed a sequence, developed fine-motor skills and explored changes that occurred when ingredients were combined.	Extend learning through measuring, recipe pictures, discussing healthy foods or comparing ingredients before and after cooking.
Transport / Cars	Children moved toy vehicles along roads and created pathways using blocks and other materials.	Children explored movement, direction and spatial relationships while creating imaginative scenarios around transport.	Add ramps, road signs, maps, bridges or different surfaces to investigate speed, distance and movement.
Ramp Exploration	Children rolled cars and balls down ramps of different heights.	Children observed differences in how objects moved and repeated the experiment by changing the ramp or object.	Introduce ramps with different slopes, surfaces and objects and encourage children to predict which will travel faster or further.
Music and Instruments	Children explored drums, shakers and other musical instruments.	Children experimented with sound, rhythm, volume and tempo and responded to the sounds created by others.	Explore fast/slow and loud/quiet music, copy simple rhythms or invite children to create their own musical patterns.
Counting and Number Play	Children counted objects during play and matched quantities with familiar numbers.	Children used number words, one-to-one counting and compared groups containing different quantities.	Introduce counting games, number cards, dice or real-life counting opportunities during routines and play.
Shape Exploration	Children explored and compared different shapes using blocks, puzzles or loose parts.	Children recognised familiar shapes and noticed similarities and differences between them.	Encourage children to find shapes around the environment, create pictures using shapes or explore how shapes can be combined.

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