Observation Toddler

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The rain is getting bigger and bigger, Ben looks at the tricycle and founds that it is too wet to sit on. Then he sees a water bucket near the water pool. Ben picks up the water bucket and a shovel. He uses the shovel to pick up some leaves in the grass and puts them into the water bucket. When the bucket is half full, Ben pours the leaves into the water pool. Another two boys notice what Ben is doing and imitate him to do the same action. The three boys are running across the play ground several times. After five minutes, the bottom of the water pool is full of leaves. They stare at the water pool for a while and begin to scoop the water out of the pool by using the bucket.

The teacher returns to the playground with some new papers and tells the children to fold some paper planes and kites. Ben puts down the bucket and runs to the teacher. All the students are around the teacher and wait their planes and kites. The teacher uses the paper to fold a plane and sticks the wings by the tape. The teacher passes a paper plane to a girl and then begins to fold a kite. She uses the paper to fold a square and sticks a line of knitting wool on the kite. When finishing, she passes a paper kite to Ben. Ben holds the knitting wool carefully and observes the paper on his hand. The teacher says, “Ben, you can run and then the kite will fly in the air.” Ben is running around the playground quickly and the kite in his hand is flying higher and higher.

Around 11:30 AM, all the children are holding their planes or kites on the hand and the teacher asks them to go back to the classroom. Ben goes back to the classroom with his kite. He pulls the zipper of his jacket off and takes off the jacket by himself.

Ben goes directly to the sink and opens it to wash his hands by himself. After washing his hands, Ben yawns and sits on the sofa. He picks up a book on the shelf and begins to read the book. Another boy is coming and taking the book away from Ben’s hand. Ben says No and tries to get back the book from the boy. The boy is shocked and is crying loudly. The teacher hears the crying sound and sits in the middle of the two boys. The teacher returns the book to Ben and lets the other boy to calm down. The teacher gets another book from the shelf and turns it to the crying boy. Ben looks at them and after the boy stops crying, Ben opens the book and starts to read it. When I finish my observation of toddler room, these two boys are sitting are the sofa quietly and are reading their own books.

- Conclusion

I enjoy observing Ben very much. I have a child ages two. I have always been an advocate for positive reinforcement. Erik Erikson proposes a psychoanalytic theory of psychosocial development comprising stages from infancy to adulthood. During each stage, the person experiences a psychosocial crisis which could have a positive or negative outcome for personality development. Between the ages of eighteen months and three, children begin to assert their independence, by walking away from their mother, picking which toy to play with, and making choices about what they like to wear, to eat, etc. If children in this stage are encouraged and supported in their increased independence, they become more confident and secure in their own ability to survive in the world. If children are criticized, overly controlled, or not given the opportunity to assert themselves, they begin to feel inadequate in their ability to survive, and may then become overly dependent upon others, lack self-esteem, and feel a sense of shame or doubt in their abilities. In my observations, at one point as the teacher is transitioning into the story time and asks all the students to sit down on the carpet, Ben walks to the teacher and sits near teacher’s low stool. The teacher says, “Ben, if you want to see story, sit there.” Ben stands up and goes back to the original seat. Ben is a strong-willed and independent boy. Ben knows he is doing something wrong and when he sees that she is in trouble he quickly stops. The teacher explains that it is good manner for Ben to sit among the classmates in the story time. Ben understands the teacher’s suggestion and alters his actions, which is good and appropriate manner. This will have assured Ben that his decision is good, thus reinforcing the positive. Hopefully, this would instill a sense of pride that could encourage him to continue his good behavior. The difference between autonomy vs. shame and doubt is demonstrated in Ben’s behavior.

In the aspect of biosocial development, toddler can run and will probably fall less. At this age, toddler might also jump on the spot, ride a tricycle, recognize objects and name them, and alternate feet when walking up stairs. Ben has mastered basic skills at his age, he can run, walk along the footstep and ride a tricycle. When the teacher asks him to take off the jacket from the hook, he can recognize his own jacket and pass it to the teacher.

In the aspect of cognitive development, toddler starts to understand the relationship between objects. Ben holds the knitting wool carefully and observes the paper on his hand. The teacher says, “Ben, you can run and then the kite will fly in the air.” Ben is running around the playground quickly and the kite in his hand is flying higher and higher. Ben starts to understand the relationship between running and kite’s flying.

In the aspect of psychosocial development, toddlers may begin to make the first connections between their own feelings and behavior and those of other people. When another boy grabs Ben’s book out of his hands, Ben feels angry and says No to the boy. When the teacher gives the boy another book and returns the book back to Ben, Ben feels relaxed and continues reading. Ben is learning to express his feelings and emotions. And when the problem is fixed, he can recover from sad feelings quickly.

Therefore, I am able to distinguish what domains are being used by toddlers by observing them, for the biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial domains I learned in CD 10G. Knowing these three aspects helps me see the results of early development and how that influences the affect of the child’s behavior. So from my experience of observing toddlers I learn a lot about what children do and how they differ from early age. And I enjoy watching their smile on the faces.