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Child Observation, Essay Example

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Ann is three years and two months old Caucasian girl. She goes to preschool at a local church. Ann is the only child in the family, thus getting all the parents’ attention. She is cute little girl with dark hair and wonderful green eyes. One would say she is too skinny, but I would say that it is just for now, because she is growing and is pretty tall for her age. Ann is actually 41 inches tall. I was observing the child in a preschool room of a church, and during my observation Ann was listening to a story, playing and interacting with her peers and her teacher Mrs. Harnett.

When Mrs. Harnett starts reading the story “A Trip to the Zoo” and all the children sit around and listen. However, Ann is not interested in the story, thus she is looking around the classroom, fidgeting, and playing with her pigtails. Ann is exploring the environment around her to better understand it and her peers. She definitely is I need for movement. When the kids are playing the “centers” game, in which everybody gets a chance to become a “leader”, Ann does not want to work in a team. She picks her own puzzle and starts working on it by herself. She is a “can do” child, though she cannot accomplish the task completely, she does it with the help of Mrs. Harnett. Ann is a quick learner, for after Mrs. Harnett advices her to try turning the pieces, she does it correctly right away and completes the puzzle.  Ann is developing her motor skills through interaction with small pieces of the puzzle. Ann is more interested in learning about other areas of physical development rather than simple interaction with her peers, thus she keeps working on her puzzle ignoring them. Ann grabs another puzzle and tries to solve it. When one of the girls starts playing cashier and yells: “Anyone coming to pay?” Ann overhears it and sharply says “No”. She demonstrates she does not want to interact with her peers and keeps working on her own. She also shows a great understanding of spoken language, and responds with an intonation expressing emotions. However, Ann does not refuse another child Kelsey trying to help her with a puzzle. After they successfully complete it, Ann suggests cleaning up, thus demonstrating she had learned a habit of not leaving a mess behind. Ann is very happy about completing a puzzle.

Another activity she gets enrolled in is working with dough. She is developing her fine motor skills when squeezing the dough and squishing it into a sheet of paper trying to make a star. She makes a remarkable comment on the good smell of dough, thus proving to intensely develop her sense of smell at the age of three. Mrs. Harnett tells all the children to clean up, and Ann looks at other kids first, and then starts cleaning up. Thus, she demonstrates she is aware of peers surrounding her. Also Ann cleans her hands after that, showing she has developed a sense of cleanliness. Again, Ann was very cheerful after she succeeded to make a star out of dough. Mrs. Harnett gathers all the children for another story and Ann sits down and listens attentively. After the story, the teacher asks questions about the story and Ann is the only one who does not say anything. She feels inferior towards her peers in the classroom because she is the youngest one in this class. However, Ann demonstrates clear understanding of questions and spoken language in whole, for she does not look confused on this one.

For her age of three years and two months Ann is very capable child comparing to other peers. She has demonstrated good learning ability, when following Mrs. Harnett’s advices and successfully completing the assignments. Ann did not frequently express her emotions, being inferior and intimidated by her peers because of the fact that she was the youngest in the group. However, she was very happy and cheerful after succeeding in any of the assignments, like solving puzzles and working with dough. Her physical development is on relatively high level, for she is relatively tall comparing to other children of her age, and possesses great motor skills, when interacting with the environment. I think the child is highly influenced by the environment for she is always aware, thus studying things and people that surround her.

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Writing Objective and Accurate Observation Notes

Written observations about infants and toddlers should be factual and objective to be useful and meaningful 1 . This means education staff should write only what they see and hear (e.g., the facts) and avoid using words that:

  • Communicate judgment about a child's feelings, intentions, and motivations
  • Are ambiguous and open to interpretation
  • Describe an opinion

One way in which staff may think about their own objectivity is to ask themselves, "Am I describing this child's behaviors and interactions in the same or a similar way that someone else observing this child would describe them?" 2 Consider the following observation notes about 8-month-old Umar:

Note 1: 11/29, 8 a.m., arrival Umar has a hard time when his mom brings him into the room. He doesn't like being put down on the floor. Ignores her when she tries to read a book to him. Crawls over to Lettie, takes ball from her hands; gets upset when mom kisses him, says goodbye, and leaves the room. Note 2: 11/29, 8 a.m., arrival Umar's mom carries him into the room, sets him down on floor next to book bin. Umar makes whimpering sounds (no tears). Mom sits down next to him, picks a book from the bin, shows cover to Umar, begins to read. Umar turns his head away, sees Lettie (child) holding and shaking a ball with a bell inside, holds his arms out to her, crawls over and sits next to her, takes ball from her hands, shakes it. Mom goes to Umar, kisses him, says goodbye, walks out. Umar starts to cry (tears).

Both observation notes describe how Umar separates from his mother, but the first note contains the teacher's assumptions about and interpretations of Umar's behavior. Someone reading this note may have different ideas about what happened because words such as "hard time," "doesn't like," "ignores," and "gets upset" are open to interpretation. The second note describes rather than interprets Umar's behaviors. It provides a much clearer picture about what Umar actually does and says during the arrival routine. 

Objective, factual written observations include the following:

  • Descriptions of actions
  • Descriptions of children's vocalizations
  • Direct quotes of children's language
  • Descriptions of facial expressions and gestures
  • Descriptions of creations (e.g., stacked blocks, scribble drawings, finger-painted pictures)

The following words are often found in written observation notes. 3 However, these and other similar words can be interpreted in many ways and express judgment. They should be avoided.

  • Lyle completes the two-piece shape puzzle correctly. He is such a smart baby!
  • Jorge gets angry and splashes water from the water table on the floor.
  • Sonia hits Andre when he picks up the doll she dropped because she wants her doll back.
  • Inette was distracted when I tried to feed her. She kept turning her head away.
  • Oliver does a good job putting the toys away.
  • It took a long time for Hannah to settle down and stop crying after her grandfather left the room.

Interpreting the meaning of children's behaviors and interactions is important. Impressions, feelings, and insights about children are extremely valuable to the individualizing process. However, staff first need accurate, factual information to draw conclusions later on about children's skills, behavior, interests, and needs.

1 National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative, Infant/Toddler Development, Screening, and Assessment (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010), 22.

2 Laura J. Colker, A Trainer’s Guide to Observing Young Children: Learning to Look, Looking to Learn (Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, 1995), 7.

3 Ibid, 7; Derry G. Koralek, Amy Laura Dombro, and Diane Trister Dodge, Caring for Infants & Toddlers, 2nd ed. (Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, 2005), 372.

Resource Type: Article

National Centers: Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning

Last Updated: August 10, 2023

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Home — Essay Samples — Philosophy — Child Observation

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Report on Young Child Observation

Children observation paper: a preschool child in natural environment, reflective report on children observation at church, reflection paper on children observation, choosing a proper parenting style, the correlation between corporal punishment and developmental problems with children, a look at students learning process in kindergarten, the role of management skills in parenting, social networking for children under 18, filipino orphan children: teaching life skills through forms of art, overview and analysis of inappropriate behaviors in toddler classroom, relevant topics.

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Spotlight on Young Children: Observation and Assessment

Teacher working with a young child as he writes in a notebook

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About the book.

  • What observation and assessment are, why to use them, and how
  • Ways to integrate documentation, observation, and assessment into the daily routine
  • Practices that are culturally and linguistically responsive
  • Ways to engage families in observation and assessment processes
  • How to effectively share children’s learning with families, administrators, and others 

Table of Contents

Book details, related resources.

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Holly Bohart is senior editor in Books and Related Resources at NAEYC. She formerly taught in special education early childhood programs.

Rossella Procopio is editor of Books and Related Resources at NAEYC.

This is a must-have book for both in-service and preservice teachers. It addresses the continuum of observing and assessing children from birth to grade 3, including approaches for children who are dual language learners. With engaging, easy-to-read articles written by various experts in the field, this text is ideal for college courses and makes the challenging task of formative and summative assessment not only understandable but doable. — Holly Seplocha, Professor of Elementary and Early Childhood Education, William Paterson University   This book offers practical strategies and solutions to help teachers of young children embed authentic assessment into daily routines and activities. The considerations for culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment and for children with disabilities, as well as the reflection questions, help professionals apply authentic assessment concepts to the children with whom and the settings in which they work.  — Margaret Gillis, Education Researcher, SRI International   Through a wealth of practical ideas and strategies, a strengths-based approach that includes families, and in-depth discussions of assessment methods, this valuable resource makes high-quality assessment an attainable goal for everyone. — Margo Dichtelmiller, Emeritus Professor, Eastern Michigan University   The process of assessment, including observation and documentation, is critical in assuring that teaching and learning are unequivocally linked. This collection of articles provides many perspectives and strategies for ongoing, authentic assessment in the early childhood classroom. — Alison Maher, Teacher Education Director, Boulder Journey School

Cover of Spotlight on Young Children: Observation and Assessment

Child Growth and Development Observation Essay

This observational research aims to explain the behavior in detail and analyze it in terms of child developmental psychology. Three one-hour observations of the subject going through their typical everyday school routine. These observations were conducted in a school setting. The topic of this observation is a five-year-old tall girl. As the observer, there was no contact with the subject. After three observations, the child’s physical development, gross motor, and fine motor skills-related activities were analyzed.

Initially, the participant was observed at recess and P.E. for one hour of playtime and physical activity, during which gross motor abilities were assessed. During the first half-hour of recess, the youngster could hop, leap, skip, run, and jump, demonstrating excellent balance and coordination. According to Paris et al. (2018), by age five, children get stronger control and more accurate movement and become less clumsy. According to the observation, it was clear that the individual enjoyed these intense exercises. During the second part of the provided day’s P.E. observation, several objects were available at various stations, including volleyball, jumping ropes, and cones.

The objective of these exercises was to arrange students at each station so they may practice each skill for seven minutes before moving to the next station. During these exercises, the subject had difficulty with the jump rope, which led to dissatisfaction. However, after receiving positive feedback from the adult, the subject seemed to strive harder to satisfy the adult and demonstrate new abilities. During the transition from jumping rope to volleyball, it was observed that the subject resisted participation, stating, “I am angry because I want to keep jumping” This demonstrates that the subject can articulate feelings clearly but has difficulty controlling anger, which is a normal developmental trait for a child of this age.

During the second and third observations, which occurred during writing and reading class, the emphasis was on fine motor abilities. The subject participated in three different centers: writing three letters correctly, making letters with playdough, cutting and pasting words, and matching them to images on paper. While observing the playdough center, the subject did not follow the instructions for the activity. Instead, the five-year-old female used playdough inappropriately, such as throwing it at her classmates. This was an unanticipated behavior, so the child was removed from the center for a few minutes before being allowed to return to the activity.

After some time away from the activity, the subject followed instructions and was able to make letters using playdough and fingers; nevertheless, compared to other children of the same age, the subject’s grip on the playdough did not seem to be fully developed. According to Paris et al. (2018), five-year-olds should be able to manipulate things and have more hand mobility as their muscles grow more refined. In addition, the kid had difficulty with the cutting exercise because it was difficult for him or her to grip the scissors, indicating that the child’s finger muscles are not fully developed. This developmental milestone may take some time to achieve at various ages.

In conclusion, it was felt that a five-year-old girl is developing properly in gross and fine motor abilities at a typical rate. She has gained and developed abilities commensurate with her age as a five-year-old girl and is eager to learn other skills. Because it may seem a simple chore, the observer was struck by how difficult it was for the youngster to grip scissors and how hard she struggled. However, at that age, it was not as simple as it may have seemed to adults; thus, it is essential to pay great attention to these particulars to offer children more possibilities to aid their growth.

Paris, J., Ricardo, A., Rymond, D., & Johnson, A. (2018). Child growth and development . College of the Canyons.

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Home / Essay Samples / Psychology / Child Development / Child Observation

Child Observation Essay Examples

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