Posted: November 20th, 2014

child observation

child observation

Notes for Trish’s observation

Session Number:  1                Age of child:      3 years/ 2months            Setting: Playgroup

What I saw    My thoughts    My feelings

Trish arrives at the playgroup holding on to a teddy bear. Her mother signs her up and gives her a kiss. Trish holds on tightly to her skirt and begins to cry. The

caregiver tries to pry her away from her mother and she shouts, “No!”. Her mother manages to slip away from her and bids her goodbye. Trish begins to cry and screams,

“Mummy!”. The caregiver takes her and brings her to the toy shelf. Trish stops crying and chooses a tray of blocks to bring to the table.

Trish’s friend, Nate also arrived and took a seat beside Trish. Trish looked at him and the caregiver told her to say hello to Nate. Trish said “Hello!” and continued

playing with blocks. Nate took some of her blocks from the tray and he also began to build something. Both children did not speak to each other and were very busy with

what they were doing.
I think Trish wanted to hold on longer to her mother because she is aware that they will be apart for the day. She was trying to assert her independence when she said

“No!” which I believe is a powerful word for toddlers because it shows they can speak up for themselves. As her mother was walking away, I wonder what was running

through Trish’s head. Is she afraid she will not see her mother anymore? Does she want to go with her mother?
When the caregiver took her, it did not take long for Trish to stop crying as she was attracted to the toys on the shelf. I thought toddlers get distracted easily and

they are fascinated with objects that stimulate their thinking. I think this is because they are in Piaget’s Pre-Operational Stage of Development when they begin

playing with toys as symbols for something else. I believe she sees the blocks as tools to give life to her imagination. . I learned from Piaget  that especially for

very young children, they need concrete materials to help them learn better

I think Trish felt comfortable with Nate because she did not mind him sitting beside her and taking some pieces of her blocks.  Trish is still learning verbal skills

and at her age, it is still very limited. I think if she had more verbal skills, she would engage in a conversation with Nate.

I felt sorry for Trish when she clung to her mother. I just wanted to pick her up,  comfort her and assure her that her mother will be back soon. As a mother myself, I

feel her mother’s pain in leaving her at the centre but also understand that she needs to work.

When she stopped crying, I felt relieved and was delighted when she made a choice to pick the tray of blocks.  I could just imagine how much fun she will have with

those blocks.

I was delighted to see the two children play side by side.  I kind of expected Trish to complain when Nate took some of her blocks and was surprised that she didn’t

mind.

Session Number:  2                Age of child:      3 years/ 2 months            Setting: Dramatic Play Area

What I saw    My thoughts    My feelings
Trish was playing by herself at the play stove. The caregiver squatted near her and asked her what she was doing. Trish said “Eggs”. The caregiver tried to make more

conversation and Trish announced “Mummy hungry!”

Trish went to the big box of props. She picked out a lavender hat with a huge flower. She wore it on her head. She also took a pair of sunglasses and wore it. She

walked to the mirror to check herself out. She smiled at her reflection then walked away to play some more without taking off the hat and sunglasses    I think Trish

was very much engaged in her play but she was thinking of her mother. She pretended that she was cooking eggs for her because she was hungry. I believe Trish is trying

to mimic what she sees from her own mother when she cooks for her. Being in Erikson’s Initiative vs. Guilt stage in Psychosocial development, Trish shows her

initiative in pleasing her mother even if only at play.

Trish was enjoying her pretend play. As she took some props to wear, I think she was imagining she was someone else. In play, children can be anyone they want. Pretend

play enhances their imagination and helps them learn more about the things around them.     I felt touched that this little girl can be so thoughtful in pretending

to cook for her mother.  I would be thrilled if my own baby daughter can also do that for me even just in her play. It would show that I am in her thoughts.

Trish was so cute when she wore the props and checked herself in the mirror. I felt she was growing in self-awareness and was proud that she was growing up well.

Pretend play makes her happy and content even if she only played by herself.
Session Number:  3                Age of child:      3 years/2 months            Setting: Snack Area

What I saw    My thoughts    My feelings
Trish sat with 4 other children at the snack table. She nibbled on her crackers and peanut butter snack. As she ate, she would interact with her peers and would often

smile and laugh with them. After she finishes her snack, she puts away her bowl and glass to the shelf near the sink.

This observation made me think that Trish was good at interacting with others. She seemed to enjoy the company of other children as they all ate together.

After eating, Trish was responsible enough to put away her dish and cup to clear the table. I believe Trish is learning to be independent. From Brofenbrenner’s theory,

I think Trish is  very much accustomed to the routines of the playgroup, which Brofenbrenner will agree that it is part of her microsystem.    As I observe Trish show

more independence, I think of my daughter who is a year and a half. Pretty soon, she will also learn independence and self-help skills like Trish. I am closely

observing Trish’s actions and envision my own daughter doing the same things when she gets to be Trish’s age.

Session Number:  4                Age of child:      3 years/2 months            Setting: Quiet Area
What I saw    My thoughts    My feelings
The caregiver read a book to Trish on her lap. Her story was “Goodnight, Moon”. Trish was listening eagerly and pointed to the pictures on the pages once in a while.

She was holding her teddy bear the whole time.

After story time, the caregiver asked the children to put away the books and lie down on their naps to rest. The caregiver played some soft music and turned off the

lights. Trish brought her teddy bear with her and laid on her mat to close her eyes.

Trish seemed to very interested in reading. Not only was she enjoying the comfortable position she had on the caregiver’s lap but she tried to participate by

pointing to the pictures and repeating some words she hears from the story. Story-telling is one way for young children to learn reading as they associate pictures

with words. I think this activity should be promoted more so that more children get to develop a love for reading in addition to the bonding moment with the

storyteller.

Trish was aware of the routines in playgroup. She did not hesitate following them. She seemed to look forward to taking a short nap as she was tired from all the

activities she has done the whole morning. Her body needed to rest.    I felt a warm glow watching Trish enjoying the story with her caregiver. It was such a solemn

moment for them and I felt their bond was strong. I share the same bond with my children when I read them stories. My little boy, especially, likes to be read to and

he chooses his own books for me to read. However, since he is autistic, I need to keep his attention to the book because he would often wander around. I was impressed

Trish sat still the whole time the story was being read to her.

Trish closed her eyes and seemed to doze off to a nap a few minutes later. I felt the children were all comfortable in the environment because the soft music calmed

them down. For me, it was an effective way to make children rest. I myself felt sleepy with what I observed. I was glad to learn that soft music can naturally calm

children down. I should try that with my own children.

Session Number:  5                Age of child:      3 years/2 months            Setting: Art Area
What I saw    My thoughts    My feelings
The caregiver handed a tray of paints and large paintbrushes to Trish and Melissa. Both little girls were standing in front of their easels wearing their smocks. Trish

dipped her brush in the red paint and began to swirl it around on the large paper on the easel. Then she dipped the brush in the yellow paint and swirled it again on

the paper but stopped to look closer at the marks she made. She looked at her paintbrush and the cup of yellow paint. She said “Where’s the yellow now?”    I just

observed Trish discover the magic of color mixing. Perhaps she still was not aware of the process, but in stopping to check the colors, I think she was processing what

was happening. She checked the cup of yellow paint and wondered why the color changed, not realizing it was her act of dipping her brush, still with red paint in it,

causing the yellow color to change to orange. I think being in Piaget’s Pre-Operational Stage of Cognitive Development makes her more curious about the things around

her and how they work. I think Trish is a smart little girl to notice changes and details. She uses her senses to learn more about her world.     I had to stop myself

from telling Trish not to dip her paintbrush with red paint in the yellow paint cup. As an adult, I knew that it would alter the color, but I needed for Trish to

discover it herself. I patiently watched her notice the effect of her action. When she asked where the yellow color was, I again refrained from answering it. As a

mother, I am so accustomed to answering my children’s question. I am learning that they also need to discover things for themselves. I felt my patience in just

watching Trish was worth it because she learned how to question things. I feel that is a good thing for a little child to do.

Session Number:  6                Age of child:      3 years/2 months            Setting: Playground
What I saw    My thoughts    My feelings
Trish climbed up the slide. At the top, she called Bernice and her friend rushed to the end of the slide. Trish slid down and when she reached the bottom, Bernice said

“Tickets please”. Trish tapped Bernice’s palm as if she gave her something. Both girls smiled and ran away together.

Trish was on the tricycle and she was going up and down the pavement. Charlie screamed, “My turn!”. Trish suddenly stopped and gave the tricycle to Charlie and then

she walked away to the sandbox.

I thought the two girls had a secret that only the two of them shared. They seemed to have a secret exchange at the bottom of the slide, as if Trish needed a

ticket to get off the slide and go somewhere. Trish’s imaginary ticket was handed to Bernice who accepted it. I think this imaginary game they share has already been

played before as both girls were familiar with the actions. Perhaps they planned it together before and were both satisfied that the other remembered how to play it

even without explaining anything.

At her young age, Trish has learned to share. Although she was enjoying the tricycle, she was aware that other children would want to use it too. She was gracious

enough to give Charlie a turn and then find another activity to engage in.     The girls’ imaginative play amazed me because both girls seemed to be in sync on what

to do. I remember my siblings and I used to play a lot of pretend games and up to now, when we share those childhood games in our stories, it never fails to give us a

big laugh.

I feel that this kind of play should be encouraged in children because it  enhances their imagination and creativity. I see that in my own children when they play with

their toys. It is as if they are transported to their own world that they created themselves.

I felt proud of Trish when she shared the tricycle to Charlie. I have grown so fond of this little girl because she is so nice and well-behaved. I hope my own daughter

will grow to be a nice little girl like Trish. I feel her parents are doing a great job in raising her. Since this is my last observation session, I know I am going to

miss Trish very much.

It is very different, in several ways:
The presentation will approach your child observation as a whole experience, rather than requiring you to focus in individual sessions.
You will be using visual material, e.g. PowerPoint slides.
It has a specific structure, consisting of the following five headings.

Brief outline of the child and the setting in which the observation took place, suitably anonymised (10% of time)
Consideration of relevant theoretical perspectives on child development, including critiques of these perspectives (25% of time)
Reflections on the process of observation and the issues that arise in your preparation for and contacts with the child and his or her carers (25% of time)
Consideration of your own values and beliefs and the significance of oppression and anti oppressive practice (20% of time)
Significance of learning for social work practice (20% of time)

Brief outline of the child and the setting in which the observation took place (suitably anonymised)
As a minimum, this should include the age, gender and race/ethnicity of the child and a brief description of the setting in which the observation took place, e.g.

nursery, home setting.
It must be anonymised, i.e., rather than saying ‘Smiley Face nursery in Peckham’, saying ‘a nursery in South London’. If you think that the particular social, economic

and/or demographic features of the local area are important, then describe them.
Choose a pseudonym for your child early and use that in your note-taking so that you learn to use that as your child’s name. This avoids you accidentally naming the

child during your presentation.

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