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What to put in a childminder daily diary

A daily diary sheet is a short note to a parent about their child’s day. This page covers what parents read, what can be left out, and how to keep it quick to write.

Start with the child

Put the name and how the day went at the top. A parent at the door wants to know whether their child had a good day before they want a nappy count.

Something they said or did

One line, in the child’s own words where you can. "I did a big jump and the floor wobbled." It takes seconds to write and it is usually the line a parent repeats at home.

What you got up to

Two lines is enough. "Painting after lunch, mostly on the hands" tells a parent more than "messy play".

Food

What was offered and roughly what happened to it. "Pasta and peas, left the peas" is more useful than "ate well".

Naps and nappies

Times and numbers. Parents use this part to plan the evening, so accuracy matters more than detail.

A note for the parent

Anything they would want to know. Something new the child did, or something to bring tomorrow.

Keep it a note, not a record

A daily diary is a note to a parent about one day. It is not a development record, and treating it as one makes it longer to write and less likely to be read.

Writing it while the day is still going

Most of the sheet can be filled in as things happen rather than in one go at five o’clock. Meals and naps can be written down as they finish, which leaves only the note for the parent to do at the end.

If you mind more than one child, doing them one at a time as each parent is due tends to work better than doing all of them at once.

When a day has been difficult

Say what happened plainly and say what you did about it. "Bit of a struggle at lunch, calmed down after a story" is enough. A parent who reads only good days stops trusting the sheet.

Anything that needs a proper conversation should be had at the door, with the sheet as a record of the day rather than the place you raise it.

Handing it over

Printed and handed over at the door works for most parents. A photograph of the sheet sent on a phone works for the ones who are late or who share care, and it gives you a copy of what you wrote.

What to leave off

• Anything that reads as an assessment. This is a note home rather than a learning journal.
• Filling every box for the sake of it. An empty line is fine.
• Anything you would not say to the parent at the door.