Planning in the Moment

Traditional weekly planning: Monday colour mixing, Tuesday phonics, Wednesday harvest theme, Thursday yoga, Friday baking. Activities chosen on Sunday for children the adult hasn't seen yet.

Problems with that approach:

• The children may not be remotely interested.
• The adult's energy goes into managing engagement, not extending it.
• What the children actually are interested in gets squeezed out.
• Documentation becomes evidence of activities, not evidence of learning.

Planning in the Moment: the room is set up with rich provocations (sensory, mark-making, construction, role-play, books, outside). The children direct what they go to. The adults notice what's happening and extend it through interaction. The "plan" is written after the day, capturing what happened and what to follow up.

This isn't laziness or anti-structure. It's a different theory of how children learn best — that depth happens when the child is genuinely interested, not when the adult demands attention to an unrelated topic.

💡 JLK practice standard: the weekly plan board shows the rich environment provided and the running themes children have chosen, not adult-scheduled activities by day.

• I understand the difference between planning AROUND and planning AT a child
• I can name 3 problems with traditional adult-led weekly planning
• I know JLK's default is planning in the moment

Notice → extend → capture. Three quick steps that turn a child's self-chosen play into a teachable moment.

1. Notice. Stop. Watch. What is this child working on?

• Are they exploring a schema? (See Schemas.)
• Are they at the edge of a skill (just-out-of-reach)?
• Are they revisiting a fascination from last week?
• Are they trying to solve a problem of their own?

2. Extend. Find the smallest, lightest move that builds on what they're doing. Examples:

• Add a resource: "I noticed you're loving the ramp — here's some marbles too."
• Add a question: "I wonder what would happen if the ramp was taller."
• Add a vocabulary word: parallel-play and narrate ("you're sorting them by size").
• Add a peer: "Tomi is also interested in this — shall I bring him over?"
• Add a future hook: "Tomorrow I'll bring out the magnifying glass for your snail."

3. Capture. A 10-second note — setting iPad, post-it, voice memo — while it's fresh. Goes into the JLK Story for the parent (every fortnight) and into the room's running observation log.

What NOT to do when extending:

• Don't hijack. "Oh let me show you the proper way" — takes ownership from the child.
• Don't overload. One extension per moment. Stacking 5 questions kills the play.
• Don't quiz. "What colour is that?" — tests, doesn't extend.
• Don't move on too quickly. Stay with one child at depth before moving on.

🎯 JLK extending principle: the smallest move that takes the child one step further. Then step back.

• I know the 3 steps: notice → extend → capture
• I can name 3 different ways to extend a moment
• I will not stack 5 questions into one play moment

Plan-in-the-moment doesn't mean no documentation. It means documentation runs in the opposite direction.

The JLK weekly rhythm:

• Friday afternoon (15 min, team): review the week's observations. What did each key child engage with deeply? What patterns emerged? What's next for them?
• Friday afternoon (10 min): set the environment for the following week. Rich provocations across the 7 EYFS areas, with one or two specific resources added based on what the team noticed.
• Monday morning (5 min team brief): "this week we're paying particular attention to…" Specific named children, specific interests.
• Through the week: notice, extend, capture continuously.
• Wednesday mid-week check (10 min): are we capturing enough? Any child whose week looks thin? Add a deliberate provocation if needed.
• End of every fortnight: JLK Stories written and sent to families (see Observation Excellence).

The "plan" exists. It just sits AFTER the experience, not before.

What this looks like to Ofsted: evidence of children's interests being followed, planning that responds to children, observations linked to next steps, JLK Stories as parent communication. Ofsted likes this; the EIF specifically values children's engagement and ambitious adapted curriculum.

What this looks like to a new staff member: at first — chaotic. After a fortnight — deeper. After a month — you can't imagine doing it the old way.

📅 JLK weekly rhythm: Friday review + reset · Monday brief · Wednesday mid-check · fortnightly JLK Stories. Documentation runs after the experience.

• I know the JLK weekly planning rhythm (Friday/Monday/Wednesday)
• I will write the plan AFTER capturing what happened
• I'll add a deliberate provocation if a key child's week looks thin

Scenario: It's Wednesday morning in the toddler room. The adult had loosely planned a "harvest" theme — pumpkins, autumn leaves on the table, baking apple pieces at snack.

At 10:00 the children mostly ignore the pumpkin and instead start a chain of dropping objects from the climbing frame. Eli drops a soft block. Watches it fall. Picks it up. Drops it again. Maya joins. Tomi joins.

Old-school response (don't): herd them back to the pumpkin table. "Come on, look at this lovely pumpkin we have today!"

Planning-in-the-moment response: the practitioner notices the trajectory schema. Adds a tray of varied weight objects at the foot of the frame — cotton wool, ping-pong ball, beanbag, small wooden block. "I wonder which one will fall fastest." The children spend 25 minutes exploring this with depth. Adult captures 3 observations.

End of day write-up: "Three toddlers spent 25 min in sustained shared thinking about object trajectory at the climbing frame. Resources to add tomorrow: ramps + cars (links to interest), feathers (lighter still). Next 2-week JLK Story for Eli will feature this moment with photos." The pumpkin gets composted; that's fine.

Reflection prompt: when's the last time you let a child-led interest divert you from your planned activity? What happened?

• I've reflected on a child-led diversion I followed (or one I overrode)