Child Observation

Resources are selected as part of my formative observations and planning system and reflect the requirements of the EYFS curriculum (Early Education/DfE,2012). When observing children’s play, it allows me to identify the child’s interests, how they learn and what is required to develop their learning further. As a practitioner I can then provide varied opportunities within my planning to support development.(KS1)

2 . Explain the importance of observing and analysing children’s and young people’s play. Through observing a child, it helps you to understand and be aware of the child’s interests

Young children learn and grow everyday. Especially, young children, the ages three years to five years old, learn important skills while they play with friends and interact with their teachers. Janice J. Beaty (2014) states that for young children, “play is their way of learning” (p. 167) Thus, teachers need to observe children while they play and assess the development of the child because “Knowing the development of a young child helps a teacher to plan the curriculum, to set up activities for individuals, or to ask for special help when necessary” (Beaty, 2014, p. 3).

As an early years practitioner you will recognise that children’s play is closely linked to their learning and development. Children learn in so many different ways but you will notice that they learn mainly through play. When children are able to do many different activity’s that allows them to lean but have fun at the same time thy will find what they are doing fun and will engage the children. It is important that when in you your setting you set up a variety of educational activity’s this way the children will be able to choose freely what they want to do.

After observing a nine month old child for this Child Observation paper, the author of this paper has taken copious notes during the session. The purpose of this paper is recognizing the biological, cognitive and psychosocial development of the child. The author of this paper identified the background history of the child, the observation made and the development process of the child.

This assignment is all about play and learning for children and young people. Play is engaging in an activity for enjoyment and pleasure however can also be used for learning purposes and development in children and young people. Play activities can be planned by practitioners within the setting or can be free-play, when a child goes off and plays by themselves. Play can be carried out individually or in groups and can also be carried out in different environments such as indoors and outdoors. ‘Research confirms the importance of play for infants in developing children’s brains and minds.’ (http://playtherapy.org.uk/ChildrensEmotionalWellBeing/AboutPlayTherapy/MainPrinciples/PlayDefinition) this is why practitioners encourage young children

All children are different in their unique way. The goal of this assignment was to observe different children in an uninterrupted environment. Although all the children observed were the same age, they all acted differently during their observation. The differences in the way we react to different situations are what make us human. These differences can be explained through the theories that different psychologist have developed over the years. Some children react better to things like praise from a teacher or being able to be creative in the activities that they are participating in.

Secondly, it is important to consider the strengths of naturalistic observation as a method. This was identified when the child was consistently moving and doing different activities that allowed me to understand how he communicates with other children, how he behaves and what he learns from others. In the play setting the child was able to develop his thinking and according to the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (DOH, 2000) through social relationships, the child was encouraged to express his feelings, emotions, which was achieved by the setting creating an enjoyment environment.

I went to the Gracepoint Church’s Fall Fest on Halloween eve. Many interactive booths were prepared for the children, such as ring toss, dance floor, fishing for rubber dolphins, bean bag toss, beading station, and face painting. I hid behind my roommate who was working at the face painting booth that night. The location was perfect because of the high chairs at the booth gave me an easy view of the families in line and the children at the face painting station. I focused this observation on one pair of siblings, whom I will refer to as Jane (5 years old) and John (6 years old). Most children were impatiently waiting in line with their parents, including Jane and John. The two children discussed profusely what painting they wanted on their

This observation took place September 26, 2014 at a daycare in Homestead. A friend of mine is a teacher at “My Little Angels” and while waiting for her, I sat down to watch some children playing. There were many kids to do the observation on, but a little girl playing kitchen set caught my eye. I started watching her from 2:00pm to 2:33pm. It is fascinating what kids do and what we can find out about their behavior by watching them for just thirty minutes.

Through play, children are also able to form relationships with their peers, therefore developing socially. They are able to “learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts, and to learn self-advocacy skills” all of which are important skills in a child’s world as well as the adult world (Ginsberg 183). This is especially prevalent in young school age children, who have had relatively few social encounters without the presence of their parents before entering school. These young children will often make life time friends by sharing a popular treat at snack time or borrowing a color crayon to another child who has broken theirs.

QP engaged Tatiana in participating in a CBT activity geared towards improving relationship with parent. QP explained to Tatiana that the activity will help her get a better understanding of how and why the relationship between parent and child appears to be different and what can be done to open the line of communication and build or repair trust. QP explained to Tatiana, that without mutual respect any relationship will be an unhappy one. QP asked Tatiana to list the things that people who respect each other does. QP explained to Tatiana that parents want to know what is going on in their child’s life; If the child keep them in the dark, they would not know when the child need their help or whether they can trust the child . QP discussed

In an early childhood setting, being observant gives professionals and family members a helpful portrait of the children in their care, and as future professionals it helps us see how intellectual, emotional, social, and physical development occurs in children. Observing, documenting, and assessing young children shows how they progress from one stage to the next or when there is a delay in progression. The reason we observe young children is that “there is so much that demands attention and response; at the same time, by building in systematic observation, teachers can improve their teaching, construct theory, assess children, assist families, and solve problems” (Gordon and Browne, p.180). It gives dynamic information about each child’s learning styles, interests, abilities, and needs. Observation helps teachers improve teaching by making them become more objective and self-aware of biases they may have. It encourages us to remember that early childhood development is highly individualized, so customizing activities to benefit each child will help them utilize their abilities to their fullest potentials, and through this we will be able to recognize what behaviors are typical of various age groups. The reason we document our observations is so that we can keep records and show proper evidence of each child’s individual growth and participation in classroom activities. With good documentation, family members will able to see the progression made by their child.

My experience with children deals largely with my five year employment as a summer camp counselor. While a summer camp is more of an informal environment when compared to a classroom, several incidents of misbehavior can still be observed. In terms of prevention, I learned early on the importance of limit setting because it helps decrease misbehavior down the road. During my first year of camp, I failed to identify specific acceptable behaviors and vocalize my expectations for the summer. As a result, the camper’s behavior become increasingly less manageable as the summer went on. After that first summer, I have always started camp with an introductory discussion about the rules and restated how campers should behavior in different situations, like lining up at the door. This simple change in the schedule showed an increase in appropriate and tolerable behaviors.

The key to understanding children is observation. As observers, we begin to look for daily patterns in their behavior. Once patterns of behavior are recognized, the observer can then give positive guidance in securing the child’s developmental needs.