OBSERVATION OF A CHILD

03.20.2012

Tyler, 21 months old

Tyler is 21 months old and has brown, mid-length, soft and curly hair. She has almond shaped brown eyes, and a dark complexion. She is in her back yard with her 6 year old sister. Today is a warm day with lots of sunshine. The children are dressed in shorts and tank tops.

C1 How did the play get started?

Tyler walked out of the family’s back door first and went straight to her tricycle. Her oldest sister, Dyari immediately followed her and began to help her onto the tricycle, as directed by Tyler, non verbally. Her sister, Mya, 4, went straight to the flower bed to dig with the shovel and buckets that were sitting there.

C2 What is the situation in which the interaction occurs?

Tyler has just finished a snack eaten at her kitchen table. She seems in a happy mood and ready to play. When Tyler goes into her back yard she immediately goes towards her tricycle followed by her sister. There are several toys in the back yard. There is a child size pool, two push toys, a large ball a few buckets with shovels sitting next to the flower bed and various other cars and a doll. Tyler chose the tricycle first, possibly because it was the toy nearest to the back door. Tyler and her two sisters ages 4 and 7 are present.

C3 What roles are taken, and by whom? (Who is who or what? Note role shift, what sort of dog, daddy, baby, etc. is the child? What position does he have in the group- organizer, follower, scapegoat, etc.)

Tyler at first seems to be the one controlling the play. She approaches the tricycle and is followed by her oldest sister, Dyari. Tyler directs her sister, nonverbally to help her get on the tricycle. Tyler is on the tricycle and Dyari is standing close as if she is ready to protect her is Tyler falls off. Tyler is wiggling the handle bars back and forth making car sounds and pushing air through her teeth. Tyler starts to get off the bike and Dyari assists her. Then Dyari says “C’mom Tyty let’s get the baby”. Tyler follows Dyari over to where the baby is and Dyari picks it up and is fixing it’s clothing. Tyler is watching. Dyari goes across the yard and gets the baby’s bottle. Now she is feeding the baby and then hands the baby to Tyler who starts to feed the baby. Tyler notices a leaf on the baby dress and takes it off then starts to examine it. She crinkles the leaf in her hand and then throws it and the baby down. Tyler seems to want to lead the play but Dyari is the one who is leading the play at this point. Dyari is paying close attention to Tyler’s actions and reactions to the play. Tyler lead the play at first roles quickly shifted to Dyari leading and directing the play. Tyler was happy when Dyari asked her questions about what she wanted to do, or what she was doing but lost interest in the play and wanted to move on to something else, as if she wanted to lead but Dyari quickly began directing the play. Tyler seemed used to this from her sister and accepted this treatment but liked to change the play so she could be in control for a moment.

D5 What is the child’s emotional response to the play? (Invested on the fringe, timid, anxious, over-stimulated, etc.)

Tyler seemed to be very calm during the play. She was very aware of her sister’s actions and was interested in what her sister was doing. Tyler is not timid, she is very calculating in her actions and checks others reactions. She is very expressive with her face. When spoken to, she looks directly at the person, but stays mostly nonverbal in her reactions. When thinking her eyebrows come together and she tilts her head in a downward position. When she is pleased she often smiles and clasps her hands together for a second and then drops them to her side. Tyler is very easy going when it comes to play with her older sister and will accept her sister’s suggestions. She is trying to discover her role in the play and likes to show her independence intermittently.

Rationale:

This assignment is about evaluating the effectiveness and appropriateness of physical development activities for infants and toddlers through observation of child responses and alters experiences as appropriate. It relates to NAEYC Standard 3 as it requires understanding and using observation, documentation and other appropriate assessment tools and approaches.