How Much Free Time Do You Give Per Day?

[mom-in-alberta]

7:30- open, play with toys kept on the main floor until everyone arrives. The TV usually has a children's show on, for those that are still "waking up" to sit for a little bit if they are groggy
8:30- move to the playroom, where they are free to play with whatever is set up (a few different "centres")
9:30- clean up playroom, go upstairs, wash up for snack (usually need to do a round of bum changes), serve snack, clean up after
10:15ish- play outside if weather permits, or directed "active play" in the playroom (they have to burn off the energy, to facilitate a good nap time, lol)
11:30- wash up for lunch, coloring and books while I prepare the food, eat and then clean up afterward
12:30- diaper changes, snuggle and a song for each, then lay down for nap/quiet time
2:30/3ish- bum changes again, free play in the playroom
3:30- wash up for snack, serve snack, and clean up after
4:00- craft time/ music time/ directed games (whatever is on the agenda that day)
4:45- clean up play areas, play outside until pick up
5:30- CLOSED

By free-play, I mean that I am at their level, playing "with" them but not "leading" them, necessarily. As others have mentioned, they are making me pretend tea, chasing dinosaurs around me, showing me the tall, tall towers that they are building. Throughout the day we are reading, singing, counting, discussing colors/letters/other concepts.

[Momof4]

Give yourself a break! You are all doing great and the children are all doing great. That is what I realized. We have a few outside mornings every week, a few mornings to discuss our letter and number and theme of the week with crafts involved, stories, songs and silly extras.

We don't have to be super-women and we are not even the 1st line (parents), we are the 2nd line you know? I've calmed down and relaxed about this so much over the past few years after the first graduates from my program started JK and are doing so great. Our repititive stories/songs/letters/numbers do work and it all comes out in the end but I just think we worry too much and really don't have to do that.

[Cadillac]

Give yourself a break! You are all doing great and the children are all doing great.

I've calmed down and relaxed about this so much over the past few years after the first

I'm starting to relax too. I used to spend hours on the computer every night planning, then I created a theme based program and spent months completing it. I tried to do a theme each week (trying to complete EVERY activity) and realized how thin I was stretching myself. now my themes are every two weeks. I plan all my activities quickly every other sunday since the program is completed and if the kids are too busy having fun to do an organized game I let them play. we'll do it later, or not at all. As I tell my parents, structure is introduced, but its not the be all and end all.

I see how intelligent my kids are. The parents and I are doing great with these kids.