Course Title: Early Childhood Care and Education

Name of the Content Writer: Mrs. P. Jagathambal Module 17

THE PLANNING PROCESS - LONG TERM, MEDIUM TERM AND SMALL TERM

Introduction
Each and every child is a unique individual. Each child possesses skills and
abilities that can be further enhanced and developed. A good early childhood
education programme respects the various pace of development of all the children
and guarantees that the child develops to their full potential in all the domains of
development namely physical, social, emotional, moral and intellectual. So, the main
aim of providing quality care and education during the early years is to facilitate the
child to develop as a holistic individual and apprehend his/her potential to the fullest
in all the areas of development. The programme planning in an Early Childhood
Centre should address the interrelated domains of holistic development through an
integrated and play based approach which focuses on development of life skills.
Early childhood education can be defined as an informal teaching learning
process which consists of activities and experiences which are intended to bring out
changes in the developmental domains of children before entering into formal
educational set up. Early childhood education (ECE) includes all types of educational
programs that serve children in their early childhood years and are designed to
improve their later school performance. Early childhood education can instil
substantial upshots in kids' wisdom and progress.
The Early Childhood Education Programme aims to provide more need based
inputs and also an enabling environment to implement the same. These needs are
determined by children’s developmental and contextual needs. This necessitates the
provision of need based individualised approach and questions the appropriateness
of a common programme or curriculum.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this session you will able to

 Describe the programme planning in early childhood education.

 Outline the elements of a good preschool programme
 Appraise the different types of programme planning
 Identify teachers’ roles and responsibilities in planning a preschool
programme

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Course Title: Early Childhood Care and Education
Name of the Content Writer: Mrs. P. Jagathambal Module 17

 Write weekly lesson plans to promote physical and motor, social, emotional,
and cognitive development in young children.
 Plan and demonstrate circle time and small group activities for promoting
learning outcomes for all young children.

Programme Planning – an overview

Programme planning is an essential component in imparting effective early
childhood education (ECE) service to provide quality education and care for young
children. There are countless means in which we could plan things. Planning in ECE
cycle has no beginning and no end; it continues as an on-going cycle day after day,
week after week and year after year for the young children. The main purpose of
programme planning in ECE centres is to enhance and enrich the ways in which an
early childhood educator should work with children to create a favourable teaching
learning environment.
The Early Childhood Education recognises that the best method of teaching
learning for children is play because they love play and learn easily by doing rather
than listening. Over the years it was very much evident that the children of early
childhood years are quiet inquisitive to explore their immediate world by using their
sensorimotor skills. We can observe that young children are in constant interaction
with their environment, they want to fondle everything they see. Furthermore children
learn by doing, by experiencing and actively participating in the learning process. In
a nutshell the learning processes in early childhood centres should be based on the
needs, interests, abilities and social context of the children for whom it is intended.

Elements of a Good Preschool programme

A good schedule is predictable.

The sequence of events is always the same, although the actual clock time may vary
a bit.
A good schedule is flexible.
Flexible time-blocks allow for both predictability and flexibility. While the sequence of
events is predictable, the early childhood educators can adjust the length of time for
each block according to the children’s involvement or restlessness.

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Course Title: Early Childhood Care and Education
Name of the Content Writer: Mrs. P. Jagathambal Module 17

A good schedule includes a variety of developmentally appropriate

activities.
Children should be able to explore a variety of materials. Activities should include all
areas of development: physical, cognitive, social and emotional, and language and
literacy. Children should be allowed to make choices and pursue their interests. The
schedule should balance child-initiated activities and adult guidance and support.
A good schedule balances active and quiet, and indoor and outdoor,
learning experiences.
Alternating active and quiet activities helps children avoid fatigue and boredom and
helps them maintain self-control. Children need both indoor and outdoor experiences
every day.
A good schedule includes at least one hour of outdoor play in suitable
weather.
Children will experience outdoor play for a portion of every day unless weather
conditions are extreme.
A good schedule provides a reasonable pace for children’s participation.
A hurried schedule opposes a positive learning environment, leading to boredom and
conflict. A helpful schedule allows time for children to complete tasks in a satisfying
way.
A good schedule recognizes developmental differences in attention span.
Most preschool children can sustain interest in self-initiated activities for relatively
long periods of time. During group times, 10-20 minutes is the expected attention
span for most three to five year olds.

Types of programme planning

A good early childhood programme is to be planned and executed effectively
so that the needs of each and every child is meet individually and it should cater to
the needs of the children in the group. Effective planning is a vital necessity for an
Early Childhood Education programme. The following components of planning are
imperious for effective transaction of teaching learning in the early childhood
education centres. Planning of programme in early childhood learning centres is
usually carried out in three facets. They are
 Long term planning

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Course Title: Early Childhood Care and Education
Name of the Content Writer: Mrs. P. Jagathambal Module 17

 Medium term planning

 Short term planning

Long term planning

This is the aspect of programme planning that enhances the learning process
of children over a year and is also concerned with a child’s right for an extensive and
balanced curriculum addressing the long term goals of all domains of development. It
encompasses the span of time that a child spends in an early childhood education
setting - it could mean from 6 months to 6 years. Due considerations need to be
given to the planned programme to check whether the programme covers all the
essential elements of the given curriculum and also to check if other significant
aspects of the setting has been included. Usually educating children less than six
years of age is done only through the daily experiences which need to cover all the
domains of development. But we should be aware that certain aspects within those
areas of learning are to be emphasized in different ways from one term to the next.
The long-term plan summaries the general content of areas that need to be
covered for the entire year. It serves as a basic guide for the year to include the
types of activities that are to be planned to meet the goals of early childhood
education centres. An early childhood educator can apply different strategies to
develop a plan for the year.
1. Consider the developmental milestones that children are expected to achieve for
their ages
2. Enlist the kinds of activities that will help children of that age to learn and to
progress.
3. Trace the sequence of the activities in which they should happen. Decide on the
order in which the activities should be offered. This implicates certain sequencing
principles:
• From the known to the unknown. Start with what the children already know and
build on this. For example, first the children will learn about the happenings within
their family in their daily lives. Next, they will explore what happens around them in
their society, and then subsequently children will be ready to learn about things that
are not familiar to them.

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Course Title: Early Childhood Care and Education
Name of the Content Writer: Mrs. P. Jagathambal Module 17

• From the concrete to the abstract. Young children will learn when they can
explore through seeing and touching real things, and later will be able to understand
the pictures stand for things they see in real life.
• From the simple to complex. Start with simple ideas and then move on to more
complex ones. A child will understand that airplanes fly through the air, but they will
take time to understand the complex concept of what makes the airplane to fly
through the sky.
4. Use a calendar for the year to mark the school and national holidays and any
other important community events. Divide the activities into the school terms. Look at
the plan to see if there is a balance of activities.
• Are activities creative and planned for each developmental area and age group?
• Is there a variety of free-play and group activities?
• Are the activities divided more or less equally for each term?
• Is there enough time for children to practice their skills?
Medium term planning
Medium term planning is usually a breaking of long term planning into
segments to aid in the effective implementation of the intended curriculum. It takes
into consideration the general interests of children across different groups. It
addresses the continuity and progression from one stage in each area of learning to
the next and from one setting or class to the next, based on the long term goals and
policies and principles of curriculum. It need to identify skills, knowledge and
dispositions to which the children will be introduced over a specific period of time. In
this aspect of planning, the curriculum may be comprehended as most efficiently
planned by relating the different areas of learning through themes or topics. The
most effective medium term plan depicts the evolution of concepts, skills, knowledge
and attitudes in each area of development.
Most of the early childhood educators find it helpful to have a medium-term
plan that offers more aspects for each term or each month. Most early childhood
educators find that they can plan their weekly and daily activities using the yearly
plan, which is broken down into terms, as a framework.
For example, once the children have begun to identify the colours and shapes
of any objects like fruits or vegetables, then the early childhood educator can plan for
further complex concept of assorting the objects.

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Course Title: Early Childhood Care and Education
Name of the Content Writer: Mrs. P. Jagathambal Module 17

Short term planning

This Planning is generally based on the needs of individual child in the group. It
is concerned with weekly/daily activities laid out with differentiation and planning for
needs of the specific groups and individual children. It provides all the details of
activities, experiences, resources, groupings, and teaching strategies which are
identified through on going observations and assessment of young children.
What is to be taught is already in place at the long and medium term planning
stage and now is the time to make decisions about how these concepts, skills and
attitudes are to be introduced to the children in the ways that are relevant and
meaningful. The short-term plan for weekly and daily activities is based on the long-
term plan. The short-term plan provides the details of exactly what the early
childhood educators will do. Early childhood educators usually combine a weekly
with a daily plan. It is at this stage of planning that early childhood educators think
about the individual developmental needs and interests of the children in their groups
and plan ways to meet these.
Considering the above in mind, it is advocated that a preschool programme
should have the following:
1. Yearly plan
2. Weekly schedule
3. Daily routine
1. Yearly plan
Yearly plan is used for identify the ways of preparing the plan for the year and also
to identify the theme/topic for each month or so, along with the activities on different
development domains to be undertaken. Some of the suggested themes/ topics are:
• Festivals and celebrations: regional and national festivals
• Nature: plants, animals, birds, fruits and vegetables
• Physical environment: air, water, earth, universe and seasons
• Social environment: My country, neighbourhood, transport.
Under each of these themes, organize the goals and indicators of development and
learning to ensure that all the domains are addressed in an integrated manner. It will
also help to ensure that the activities and experiences are balanced,
developmentally appropriate and enough opportunity is available for revisiting of

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Course Title: Early Childhood Care and Education
Name of the Content Writer: Mrs. P. Jagathambal Module 17

concepts, skills and dispositions. Activities should to be planned for different age
groups of children with increasing order of difficulty.
2. Weekly schedule
Weekly schedules should be designed by the early childhood educator so that they
are activity-based, theme-based and age-appropriate. While drawing up a weekly
schedule, it should be ensured that the theme-related activities for all developmental
domains are covered over a course of a week.

3. Daily Routine
The daily routine is an order of events that shape a child’s day so that they can
anticipate what will happen next. In general terms, it should consist of ‘activity
blocks’. The daily schedule must meet individual needs, and therefore variations in
scheduling will occur. Daily routines should be planned in a manner such that it:
• Includes a balance of active and quiet activities.
• Provides for individual, small and whole group instruction and interactions.
• Allows for active exploration of materials within the learning environment.
• Encourages flexibility to meet children’s varying needs.
• Incorporates both indoor and outdoor activities.
• Has a balance of both child-initiated and early childhood educators-directed
opportunities.
• Has a balance of structure and flexibility.
Steps in planning
1. Developmental needs and interests: The early childhood educators consider at
the year plan to see what has been planned for the term. This will include:
• The on-going activities to meet the educational goals in the learning corners; for
example, drawing, puzzles, and bead-threading to develop small muscles and
fine motor coordination
• Theme topics
The early childhood educators’ appraises the developmental milestones and
developmentally appropriate practices to determine what children are expected
to achieve for each developmental area according to their age groups. This will
help her plan age appropriate activities.

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Course Title: Early Childhood Care and Education
Name of the Content Writer: Mrs. P. Jagathambal Module 17

• Most free-play activities can be used with both age groups, but early
childhood educators need to be sure that activities include suitably
challenging materials for older children.
• More consideration needs to go into planning age-appropriate group
activities when children are divided according to their ages.
2. Individual needs. This does not mean providing different activities for each child.
The program activities should already be meeting most of the children’s
developmental needs. If a variety of materials with different levels of difficulties are
set out every day, children with different learning styles and abilities can use the
materials in different ways. The early childhood educators needs to carefully observe
and get to know each child in her group and find out what skills each child has
mastered and where he/she still needs help. She also needs to consider the social
and cultural background of each child such as the language and religion of the child.
During weekly and daily planning, the early childhood educators thinks about the
kinds of activities that will help individual children and any extra materials that may
be needed, or how an activity could be adapted for a child with a disability or with a
different social and cultural background.
3. Set objectives. An important part of the planning process is for early childhood
educators to decide what they want children to be able to know and do for each goal
that has been set. This will help them in planning suitable activities. For example,
one of the educational goals is for children to learn about themselves, their families,
and the people around them.
Some objectives might be:
• Children need to know and appreciate their families.
• Children need to be encouraged to talk about and develop a sense of pride in their
own family and culture.
• Children need to recognize that not all families are alike.
A developmentally appropriate curriculum requires thoughtful planning. Consider the
following guidelines as you plan and implement learning opportunities for children.
Interesting: Children give their full attention to activities and learning materials, with
little prompting from the early childhood educators. You should have many hands-on
activities and materials that children can use with little or no assistance from the
adults.

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Course Title: Early Childhood Care and Education
Name of the Content Writer: Mrs. P. Jagathambal Module 17

Integrated: It is difficult to compartmentalize learning. A good learning opportunity

addresses multiple areas of development and content areas. For example, acting out
a story can develop language, literacy, social, and physical skills.
Sequenced: Each day and week builds on the experiences from the preceding day
and weeks. Organize the activities so that children are ready for the next step. This
pacing allows children to build their understanding as you support their efforts.
Connected: Know your children and plan a curriculum that is meaningful to them.
Consider what experiences your children have had and build on those experiences.
Plan activities and provide materials that connect to the child’s home and culture, as
well as to individual interests.
Engaging: The focus of the curriculum should be on opportunities for children to
actively explore the world around them. By investigating topics of interest to them,
children learn to ask good questions, predict results, and solve problems.
Comprehensive: Every day should include activities that support growth and
development in all areas: social, emotional, language, cognitive, and physical.
Provide many opportunities for children to explore and acquire key concepts in all
subject areas, such as reading, writing, math, science, social studies, physical
education, the arts. Be sure that your curriculum supports your program’s learning
goals and standards.
Effectively implemented: Your curriculum should allow and encourage flexibility. A
good curriculum will encourage you to make adjustments based on the interests and
needs of your group of children. Throughout the day, the curriculum should provide a
predictable routine, but also allow flexibility for unanticipated opportunities for
learning.
Linked to assessment: Your curriculum should enable you to observe and assess
each child’s progress. You use the results of your assessment to make adjustments
in the curriculum for the group as a whole and for individual children.
Conclusion
The early years in children’s development are prominent in building their personality
and shaping their character. Preschool offers an educational framework for children
between the ages of 3 to 6 that significantly contributes to their development and
addresses their needs at the start of their journey through the state education
system. The curriculum is an educational tool to help the early childhood educators

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Course Title: Early Childhood Care and Education
Name of the Content Writer: Mrs. P. Jagathambal Module 17

implement the preschool’s educational goals into practice. It contains both

educational and administrative elements that allow the early childhood educators
and her staff to organize and carry out their work. It is important that the curriculum
be adapted to those who use it and, therefore, it needs to be determined by the early
childhood educators in conjunction with her staff.
Programme planning is determining what needs to be done and who does
what, when and where. There are two crucial elements in programme planning – the
programme itself and the interest and involvement of children, students or parents in
the programme. Success of any teaching learning centre depends upon the
planning and execution of programmes and ideas. Planning of a programme is an
everlasting process - encompassing careful observation to identify the needs and
capabilities of children, provision of required resources, assessment and evaluation.
Planning generally originates from observations of the children to know their needs,
abilities and behaviours.

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