What activities do you have available during arrival time? Do you have the kids have free play in the play area as soon as they come in, or do you have quiet activities set up for that transition period?

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Personally I have only a few of my learning centers open during arrivals because we eat breakfast as soon as everyone has arrived so I don't want to have a big clean up before we can eat. Typically I have the reading center, dramatic play and puzzles open during arrivals. A lot of days they will play with the dramatic play items and go to the front entrance every time someone arrives so they don't take a lot out.

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I usually put two or three large group activities such as blocks, puppets or some books or board games out. Once everyone gets here (usually by 8:30) then we start our day.

I do the same thing at the end of the day.

If we aren't outside for pick up, I limit the activities to two or three things so there isn't much clean up or chaos involved as our normal daily activities.

I try to rotate the 2 or 3 things I put out so that it isn't the same everyday.

A little variety goes a long way.

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We will usually watch a Disney Jr or Nick Jr show to give everyone arriving before breakfast time to get here. But my early arrivals are usually sleeping until 7 or so. Then we eat and proceed with the day.


How do you divide centers or let the kids know which ones are open or available?
I don't have centers, but am wanting to head in that direction. I just don't know how to work it.

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We're usually outside first thing, where they can jump right in to play. But sometimes I'm a bit slow to get out there, and my first family arrives while I'm still pulling myself together to go out. Then they can read or play with whatever I've got set out on the coffee table (there's always one thing there; this week it's pattern blocks). Those are also the choices when we come in from outside and I'm putting lunch on the table. Makes for a simple transition with not much clean-up when it's time to move to the next thing.

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My daycare is setup so that kids have access to every center pretty much all the time. I don't take things away and rotate that often. We just play with things in different ways.

My arrivals are staggered so my first arrives at 7:00 am and my last at 9:30 am. I use time in the morning to have one on one with the kids. Maybe work on a difficult art project, reading, speech (I have a few here getting speech services), etc.

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We eat right at arrival here and all but one child is here by breakfast. We eat and then when they are done, we have free play, I'm usually feeding a baby right after the older kids eat so it works out.

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Since we now have required supervision training that tells us that we must be eyes-on every child at every moment, I now have my kids sit at the table until everyone is here.
I have a cupboard full of table activities that we rotate through. I am lucky that my kids come in during a half hour period. It used to be one and a half hours and I think it's unreasonable to have kids at the table for that long.

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I have a few activities out for free play (the toys that are usually out, 2 shelves worth and a unit from Ikea). Those toys rotate every so often. Didn't do it so much this year, but in the past I have tried to be outside in the morning. At 8:00 we eat breakfast (I open at 7), and whoever isn't here needs to eat at home.

At the end of the day we have snack after nap, then I take out 1 or 2 toys and play with them until pickup, or we go outside, so my house is clean when they go home (except my own 2 year old...).

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My kids make a sticker chart for the day, first thing. They sit at the table trace their name I have already written on the chart, decorate it with stickers and put it on the wall. Then they can do free play. Depending on the chemistry of the kids I have schedules that day I might have a few toys set out right by the table (legos or train set) to keep them more corralled. It depends.

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In the winter it's usually free time,,,, for most ,,,,
In summer it's usually a educational move ( letter factory or something along those lines ), then we have snack and straight out side......

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I open at 6AM. It's sleep time until 8AM. So anyone arriving between 6 and 8 lies down for a while. Most of them are up too late at night and dragged out of bed at an ungodly hour in the morning. They are happy to lie down for a while. I turn the light on at 8AM and they get to wake up slowly before we go for breakfast. I love the slow and easy start to the day with kids who are a lot less cranky.

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We do free play most of the day so they just dive in when they arrive. If the playroom is decently clean at the end of the day we'll go outside or I'll suggest puzzles/coloring at the table so they don't get tons of stuff out again.

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