Early Childhood Observation

Understand the stages of child development- This is very important, you need to know for a number of reasons. Nursery teachers need to be able to see the child's level of ability. Abilities can differentiate at preschool age and an effective nursery teacher will meet each child level and guide them on their pathway to achievement. It is also important so they know understand the children that they are working with

The preschool years which are the ages between 2 ½ years to five years old is an exciting time for children. It is during this time that they use all of the development learned during the infant and toddler stage to actively explore and engage in school. Preschoolers learn how to make their own choices, develop socially, and explore their environments. Parents and caregivers still play an important role in helping children during this time take initiative and explore their environments. Adult’s behaviors, attitudes, and styles of thinking contribute to preschooler’s

Toddlers and preschoolers are at different developmental stages, and therefore require their teachers to use different approaches and techniques to further learning. I completed my observations at the Bright and Early Children’s Learning Center where I observed a toddler classroom and a preschool classroom. My observations took place from 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on the 21st and 28th of September. The first day that I observed I was placed in the toddler classroom which had two teachers, Miss Ashlynn and Miss Miranda, and six students, most of whom were two years old. In the preschool classroom there was one teacher, Miss Stephanie, and eight students, each of whom were 3 years old or 4 years old. While the rooms were physically similar, the teachers used different strategies and activities to appeal to the different age groups.

During my observation at the preschool here at Harper, I looked around and realized a lot of similarities and differences it has; compared to other daycare and preschool centers. The age of children in the room I observed was ages 3-5 with one lead teacher, and depending on the ratio of how many kids showed up on that day, about three or four helping teachers. The program was set up to a very open, happy and overwhelming setting. Every furniture and object in the room had a sign saying what it was, and then underneath the typed out word was the children’s way of writing what the object was. For example, a book shelf was in the corner of the room; on the book shelf was the word printed out “Book

These subjects are taught using games, music, artwork, films, books, computers, and other tools to teach basic skills. The majority of children need adjusting when they first go to preschool it being their first time away from home and their parents. Because young children look up to adults and learn through examples, it’s important that the teachers are good role models.

When dealing with children in a nursery, teachers need to keep accurate pace of time with the amount of activities done in the day. Children loose interest very quickly and are easily influenced by other peers, so its very easy for one child to break the circle of concentration. Making short, captivating activities that are both educational and fun are the most effective ways of keeping children busy. These need to be controlled by time, because if they are being taught for too long, they will loose interest. This is a negative factor.

The Nursery set out many different activities for the Children. This is designed for them for the different areas that they develop within the Nursery. They are set to reach all the areas of learning, Personal social and emotional development, communication language and literacy development, problem solving reasoning and numeracy, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development. With all these different resources the Children begin to recognize their skills and how to use them. For an example, in the toddler room the creative area always has something out, the toddlers can then sit at the table, start to do mark making on the paper and realize they are drawing on paper. They created a picture!

It is important that an environment where children are going to be is a safe and friendly environment, and consists of everything that a child needs to be able grow and develop to the best of their ability. This includes challenging exercises and things that are able learn at their own pace. Whichever age group you a person is working with, it is important to ensure that the planning is done according to each child’s individual needs to ensure that that the development of each child is met. This is vital as every child is different and therefore activities that are put out should be able to be adapted so that every child feels as if they are able to have a go at doing it. A positive environment also includes the way that a room looks and if

The NAEYC statement on developmental practice indicates change and continuity and change in the early childhood education field is vital due to the fact that their main commitment is excellence and equity. Nevertheless, all new knowledge gained over time has been advanced and increased. This means that with understanding, it has allowed us to revise and refine ideas for promoting children's development and learning. With developmentally appropriate practice, meeting and enabling the children are required. This means that teachers should get to know them well and push them to reach goals that may be a challenge but are achievable for them.

For each shelf, center, table, chair and anything that can hold a label, I would like to have it label with a little clip art picture on it. For the chairs around the eating tables, which are rectangular, I would like to have the children's name printed on them. That way the children know what is there chair and they see their name each time they want to sit on it. I believe that it is very important for children to associate the letters in the word with the actual object. Such as associating the letters S.I.N.K with the actual sink.

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.

In this term paper I will explore infant and toddler curriculum. I will discuss: the developmental themes in infancy, infant toddler curriculum, and the differences between preschool curriculum and appropriate infant toddler curriculum. In conclusion I will share some of my personal feelings about infant and toddler curriculum, including the challenges and rewards.

The education of the young mind is an important step in preparing the child for future learning experiences. The evolution of early childhood education has changed how adults and parents view the importance of offering stimulating and exciting opportunities to the very young. Early childhood Education offers the young child learning experiences that benefit them throughout their educational career. They soon embark on a whole new world of learning. These children are not only experiencing standard brain growth, but verbal and physical skills as well. Early childhood education teachers use a variation of techniques for instructing. They use lesson plans, worksheets, and even teacher resources for these young minds.

During my observations in the different classrooms at “The childcare Center”, I learned about the proper environment, the fundamentals of the teachers lesson plans, their health and safety regulations, their approach to guidance and discipline, and overall quality childcare. The center has eight different levels of age groups; each of them has their own curriculum based on their age and developmental needs. This curriculum changes and has a new theme each month that helps the lead teachers to be able to start their lesson plans each week. From infants all the way to pre-K the lesson plans include fine motor, gross motor, art and sensory, math and manipulatives, music and movement, language including both signing and Spanish.

Every builder knows "A house is only as strong as its foundation". They also know that they have to evaluate and become familiar the land before beginning to work. This rationale can be used as a guideline for teachers across the world, especially with the children in the early childhood stage, ages 2-6, because how teachers assist children in this stage will serve as the foundation for the life ahead of them. A child develops physically, cognitively and socially. It is important for the teachers to know how the child is developing in order for them to effectively teach the students because they lack of understanding can lead problems for the child. Additionally, if the teacher is aware of how the