Motor Development Observation for Preschoolers

For this assignment, you will need:

-A child between the ages of 3-5 years (not your own child)

-Running Record form

-Developmental Range form

-Permission to Observe/Confidentiality form (use if you need to make arrangements)

-Download and save a copy of NC Foundations for Learning and Development — For this particular assignment, students will use pgs. 75-76 Goal HPD-4 or HPD-5 (Print out the pages you will be using –see below)

 

*Help: It may be helpful to review or take with you a copy of pages 75/76 to give you an idea of the types of activities you could observe.

 

1. For this assignment, choose a child between the ages of 3 to 5 years. You may use a child in your family or ask someone to let you observe their child at play or visit a motor specific play area where you discreetly choose a child (no permission form required) playing based on the goal you choose. You do not need to use the real name of the child for this assignment.

2. Choose a goal: small muscle HPD-5 or large muscle HPD-4 and document this goal at the top of the Running Record form.

3. Observe the child for at least 15 minutes and record your observations on the running record form (a copy is also located in Blackboard). You will want to observe the child doing something that requires them to use either their large motor or small motor skills, depending on the goal you have chosen. For example, if you are watching a child run and climb on the playground, you will be observing for the large motor skills development. If you are watching a child cut with scissors and draw, you are observing the fine motor skills.

4. After the observation, complete the Range Indicator (shade in all the spaces up to the observed skill level of the child).

Summary and Reflection (please see the supporting documents on reflections and summaries provided in Blackboard):

Summary paragraph:

· *Describe why you chose the child in the observation? (use developmental vocabulary)

· Which motor skill did you choose to observe? Large or small? Why?

· Where did the child fall on the range indicator sheet, (beginning, middle, end or between two ages)? Explain with elaboration.

· Which of the behaviors (actions of the child) you observed gave you evidence as to where the child was developmentally? Describe the behaviors.

Reflection paragraph:

· *Describe what you learned from this observation assignment. Did you find it helpful, easy, or difficult, etc.? Explain.

· What do you wonder about the child’s future development, long-term and short term? List and describe in detail at least two (2) thoughts that you have for what you wonder (elaborate on one long-term thought and one short-term thought).

*Describe: I am looking for you to exhaust your thoughts into details that include the use of vocabulary from the text along with: what you see and hear, what happened, what was important about your observations, why you chose this child, event, place, etc., final thoughts, feelings, the connections you can make to your own life or the life of someone else close/important to you, connections to what was learned in the text.

 

 

A Profile of a Preschooler

 

Description of Assignment

 

After observing a young child between the ages of three to six, you will learn about several domains of development, identify characteristics of developmental stages of development, and develop a profile of a child.

 

The objective of this project is to be able to use the assessment strategies of observation, documentation and interviewing parents in order to be able to describe stages of development and identify milestones in three domains either, Younger Preschoolers, 36 to 48 months or Older Preschoolers, 48 to 60 months. After gathering information to inform your knowledge of child’s development, you will write a summary of the child’s development using the supporting documents that include information gathered during the family/parent interview as well as information gathered during observations of the child at his or her school or home. Then, you will write a reflection responding to two questions about how the information you gathered from the family as well as your observations, can inform your practice.

 

Upon completion of this assignment, you will be able to meet the course objectives specified in the Course Description and course objectives which align with NAEYC Standards.

 

1. Describe stages of development and developmental milestones in all domains of one child from conception to preschool. (NAEYC 1a)

2. Explain ways in which biological and environmental factors influence all children’s development and learning from conception to preschool. (NAEYC 1b)

3. Knowing about and using observation, documentation, appropriate assessment tools and approaches, including the use of technology in documentation, assessment, and data collection. (NAEYC 3b/2c)

 

The assignment has three parts. Each part will be explained in detail below.

 

Part I: Gathering information to inform your knowledge of child development through practice.

· IA – Assessing your knowledge about the stages of development and domains

· IB – Gathering information from family members (see handout)

· IC – Observing the child using assigned observation tools (see handouts)

 

Part II: Making Connections

· IIA – Identifying and summarizing developmental indicators (see handout)

· IIB – Compiling information gathered from the family to reflect development in three domains

· IIC – Summarizing the information gathered from the family and through observation to make connections between the information gathered, the developmental indicators as identified in NC Foundations, and what you have learned about the child’s development

 

Part III: Reflecting

· Responding to the two questions listed in assignment by reflecting on the information gathered; Reponses can inform practice

 

Instruction Sheet

 

For successful completion of this assignment, follow the steps described below.

 

Part One: Gathering Information

A. Assessing your knowledge of child development in three domain: Cognitive, Language, and Social Emotional.

 

· Review the pages of the text and your class notes about the three developmental domains that will be the focus of this preschool profile.

 

· Cognitive Development in the Preschool Years, Chapter 11, pages 242-270

· Symbolic Thought: Play, Language, and Literacy in the Preschool Years, Chapter 12, pages 271-309

· Social and Emotional Development of Preschoolers, Chapter 13, pages 310-343

 

· Review these sections in the box below from NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development and your class notes about NC Foundations.

 

Cognitive Development Domain (CD), Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning (Subdomain), CD 1-3 Goals, pages 117-124. See Cognitive Development Domain and Goal Handout. Language Development and Communication Domain (LDC), Learning to Communicate, (Subdomain), LCD 1-7 Goals, pages 89-103. See Language Development Domain and Goals Handout. Emotional and Social Development Domain (ESD), Developing a Sense of Self, Developing a Sense of Self with Others, and Learning about Feelings( Subdomains), ESD 1-7 Goals, pages 49-64. See Emotional/Social Development Domain and Goals. NC Foundations of Early Learning (pdf) http://ncchildcare.nc.gov/pdf_forms/NC_foundations.pdf

 

 

B. Identifying a child and learning about the child in the context of his/her family.

 

· Identify a child between the ages of three and six.

 

· Ask the parent or guardian to assist you in gathering information to complete this class project (Securing artifacts such as photos, videos, and other relevant items-are all examples of observation documentation. You must include documentation in your final project submission.).

 

· Explain the purpose of this assignment to a family member and have the parent/guardian sign the Parental Consent Form Handout. This form will allow you to observe the child at mutually agreeable times, either at home or in school, on three separate occasions.

 

· During the informal conversation/interview, use the questions on the Gathering Information from Family Handout as a guide to make connections between the child you are observing and your understanding of the child’s development in the context of his/her family in the three designated domains. This process will help you to make connections between the child you are observing and your understanding of the child’s development. (Use the Gathering Information from Families Handout. Also, provide the family with the Foundations for Families Resource document which includes information about the child’s learning and developmental age. Resource Document located at NC Foundations for Early Learning ) (NAEYC 2c)

 

· Agree on specific dates to observe the child.

 

· After meeting with the parents, and perhaps after the first observation session, complete the “I Wonder” Handout provided in the project documents.

 

 

C. Observing the Child to develop a Profile of the three domains

 

· On each occasion that you observe the child, use the Running Record Form provided in your project packet or folder in Blackboard. (For reference, use Observation and Recording Instructions and text, pages 30-31.)

Prepare to spend a minimum of 15 minutes each visit.

 

· During each visit, collect direct quotes from the children and artifacts (as agreed upon with the family) to provide evidence of the child’s development in the domains that are being focused on for this project.

(NAEYC 3b)

 

D. Connecting Knowledge gathered through direct observation and from parents to identify characteristics of developmental stages of the preschool age child

 

· Organize your notes and artifacts according to the three developmental domains: Language, cognitive, and social/emotional.

 

· Review your running record notes and identify the goal for each of the three domains, according to Foundations, i.e. which section provides a “snapshot” of evidence of a developmental goal from NC Foundations. (See the Running Records Handout.)

 

· Highlight the section from the Running Records Handout that gives evidence of the goal.

 

· From your highlighted sections of the Running Records Handout, write an anecdotal record for each of the three domains that provide evidence of the child’s developmental level related to the corresponding goal you identified in Foundations. (See Anecdotal Record Form.)

 

Part Two: Making Connections

 

A. Identification and Summary of Developmental Indicators

 

After you have completed each Anecdotal Record, complete the Developmental Indicator Handout. (If needed, review the Developmental Domains and Goals Reference Handout.)

 

B. The child in the context of cultural context: Family and school.

 

· Identify which responses from the information you gathered during the initial meeting with the family; reflect development in each of the three domains. (Which responses reflect development in the language domain; the cognitive domain; the social/emotional domain?)

 

C. Summarizing Information Gathered from Family and through Observation

 

· Review the questions that you included in the “I Wonder” Handout prior to observing the child. Write some additional “I Wonder Questions” that you may have now that you have completed observations.

 

· Summarize your information gathered from the family, your observation of the child’s progress, and your knowledge of child development; summarize your findings of the child’s development in each of the three domains that you focused on during your observation. This summary should make the connections between all of the gathered information and the information provided in NC Foundations. What information have you learned about the child’s development in each domain? Be sure to use vocabulary and terms from each of the chapters identified in the project directions above. (NAEYC 1a)

 

Part III: Reflecting on Information Gathered to Inform Practice

 

· Reflect on your observation and information gathering process for this assignment and respond to these two questions:

 

1. In what ways did you learn how observation assists early childhood educators to promote positive outcomes for each child?

 

2. How does our knowledge of a child’s biological and environmental influences on development, inform our practice as Early Childhood Educators? (NAEYC 1b)

 

· For additional guidance: Review the Overview of Assignment PowerPoint located in Blackboard.

To Parent/Guardian

 

 

The purpose of the assignment is for early childhood education students to have the following opportunities:

1) To develop skills in observation, documentation, and reporting information professionally and objectively

2) To learn firsthand about each of the developmental domains studied in this course

3) To see the impact of multiple influences on the child’s life

 

Throughout the semester, the student will observe and interact with your child and family to complete this observation based assignment in Child Development II, EDU 145, and to grow professionally as an early childhood educator.

 

No real names or identifying information will be used in this project. Students are encouraged to submit supporting materials to document what they are observing. These materials could include photographs of the child or child’s work. These images will be kept confidential; only the instructor of the course will view these materials. The student can provide further details of this project. The student will not be able to provide a copy of the assignment for your review. However, the student may offer pictures to you of your child, if requested.

 

 

PERMISSION FORM

 

 

I give permission for my child, ___________________________________________, to participate with,

____________________________________, (student’s name) in the above named class project for the Child Development II class requirements. The project has been fully explained to me, to my satisfaction. I understand that real names of my child and family will not be used in class or in written reports. I understand that the observations and other written aspects of this assignment will not be shared with me.

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________________________ _________________

(Signature of Parent/Guardian) (Date)

 

 

 

Cognitive Development Domain with Goals

 

Cognitive Development (CD)

Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning

· Goal CD-1: Children use their senses to construct knowledge about the world around them.

· Goal CD-2: Children recall information and use it for new situations and problems.

· Goal CD-3: Children demonstrate the ability to think about their own thinking: reasoning, taking perspectives, and making decisions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anecdotal Record #1

Using your running record, choose one incident from your observation then, in 3 to 5 sentences, write what happened in the space below.

 

 

Child’s Name: ___________________ Date:____________ Time:____________

Location:__________________ Activity:________________________

Anecdotal Record:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Developmental Domain Observed
	Cognitive Development
	Social and Emotional Development
	Language Development

 

Goal Number	Goal Description

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running Record Form
Child:	Date:
Time	Setting	Observation

 

 

 

 

Emotional and Social Development Domain with Goals

Emotional and Social Development (ESD)

Developing a Sense of Self

· Goal ESD-1: Children demonstrate a positive sense of self-identity and self-awareness.

· Goal ESD-2: Children express positive feelings about themselves and confidence in what they can do.

Developing a Sense of Self with Others

· Goal ESD-3: Children form relationships and interact positively with familiar adults who are consistent and responsive to their needs.

· Goal ESD-4: Children form relationships and interact positively with other children.

· Goal ESD-5: Children demonstrate the social and behavioral skills needed to successfully participate in groups.

Learning about Feelings

· Goal ESD-6: Children identify, manage, and express their feelings.

· Goal ESD-7: Children recognize and respond to the needs and feelings of others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anecdotal Record #2

Using your running record, choose one incident from your observation then, in 3 to 5 sentences, write what happened in the space below.

 

 

Child’s Name: ___________________ Date:____________ Time:____________

Location:__________________ Activity:________________________

Anecdotal Record:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Developmental Domain Observed
	Cognitive Development
	Social and Emotional Development
	Language Development

 

Goal Number	Goal Description

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running Record Form
Child:	Date:
Time	Setting	Observation

 

 

 

 

Language Development and Communication Domain with Goals

 

Language Development and Communication (LDC)

Learning to Communicate

· Goal LDC-1: Children understand communications from others.

· Goal LDC-2: Children participate in conversations with peers and adults in one-on-one, small, and larger group interactions.

· Goal LDC-3: Children ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.

· Goal LDC-4: Children speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

· Goal LDC-5: Children describe familiar people, places, things, and events.

· Goal LDC-6: Children use most grammatical constructions of their home language well.

· Goal LDC-7: Children respond to and use a growing vocabulary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anecdotal Record #3

Using your running record, choose one incident from your observation then, in 3 to 5 sentences, write what happened in the space below.

 

 

Child’s Name: ___________________ Date:____________ Time:____________

Location:__________________ Activity:________________________

Anecdotal Record:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Developmental Domain Observed
	Cognitive Development
	Social and Emotional Development
	Language Development

 

Goal Number	Goal Description

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running Record Form
Child:	Date:
Time	Setting	Observation

 

 

 

 

Gathering Information from Families

“Because children learn best in the context of everyday activities, families are asked to describe their daily routines and activities, in terms of what interests and engage their child, what’s going well and what challenges they face. Sharing this information helps to identify difficulties that providers may problem-solve with families. Moreover, providers and parents can determine the routines in which to embed interventions and learning opportunities. Learning about a child’s interests, favorite people and preferred toys and activities can help providers and families personalize learning opportunities that will be highly motivating and engaging, and build on the child’s strengths.”

“Information is usually gathered through conversations with the family. Check lists and interviews can also assist the provider to get useful information. Parents need to know the purpose of this information, how it will be used and where it will be kept. The most important factor in gathering family information is the relationship that develops over time with the provider and family members. Therefore various conversation methods and relationship building techniques yield the most valuable information.”(Family Assessment: Gathering Information From Families) ECTACenter.or/topics/families/famassess.asp

 

1. What are some activities that your child likes to do on a regular basis?

2. What are some of his/her favorite toys or things that he/she likes to play with?

3. What type of activities or things do you and your child like to do (e.g. hiking, going on picnics, playing games at home)?

4. Who are your child’s primary caregivers or important people who he/she spends time with?

5. Are there any places that you go with your child on a weekly basis? (The library, a playground, a park, or a museum?

6. What routines and/or activities does your child not like? (Bathing, dressing, meal-time, bed-time, school drop-off, etc.) What makes this routine and/or activity difficult? What does the child usually do during this routine? How does he/she behave?

7. What types of books does your child like to hear you read? Does your child try to read books to you?

8. Does your child have a library card?

9. Who does your child play with outside the home?

10. Where do the children play together? What kinds of things do they play?

11. Are there any activities or places that you go that occur on a weekly basis? What are the activities or places?

12. What are some activities or experiences that occur less often than once a week?

13. What are your child’s interests? What things does your child enjoy doing and what holds your child’s attention? ( e.g. people, places, toys, animals, being outside)

14. What makes your child happy, laugh and/or smile? Or cry, be scared or frown?

Record the responses to the above questions, which were asked during your conversations with the family, on a separate sheet of paper. These responses will be used in the making connections section of this assignment.

 

 

 

Developmental Indicator Summary

 

Write the goal you are focusing on in the box under “Goal” then, using a color pencil, shade in the age range the child is developmentally, based on your observation.

Developmental Indicators
Goal	Infants	Younger Toddlers	Older Toddlers	Younger Preschoolers	Older Preschoolers

 

 

Cognitive Development (CD)

Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning

· Goal CD-1: Children use their senses to construct knowledge about the world around them.

· Goal CD-2: Children recall information and use it for new situations and problems.

· Goal CD-3: Children demonstrate the ability to think about their own thinking: reasoning, taking perspectives, and making decisions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emotional and Social Development (ESD)

Developing a Sense of Self

· Goal ESD-1: Children demonstrate a positive sense of self-identity and self-awareness.

· Goal ESD-2: Children express positive feelings about themselves and confidence in what they can do.

Developing a Sense of Self with Others

· Goal ESD-3: Children form relationships and interact positively with familiar adults who are consistent and responsive to their needs.

· Goal ESD-4: Children form relationships and interact positively with other children.

· Goal ESD-5: Children demonstrate the social and behavioral skills needed to successfully participate in groups.

Learning about Feelings

· Goal ESD-6: Children identify, manage, and express their feelings.

· Goal ESD-7: Children recognize and respond to the needs and feelings of others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Language Development and Communication (LDC)

Learning to Communicate

· Goal LDC-1: Children understand communications from others.

· Goal LDC-2: Children participate in conversations with peers and adults in one-on-one, small, and larger group interactions.

· Goal LDC-3: Children ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.

· Goal LDC-4: Children speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

· Goal LDC-5: Children describe familiar people, places, things, and events.

· Goal LDC-6: Children use most grammatical constructions of their home language well.

· Goal LDC-7: Children respond to and use a growing vocabulary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I Wonder” About _____(Child’s Name)_____ Worksheet

Instructions: After completing your observation, write two or three “I wonder” questions below.

 

 

“I Wonder” About Child’s Development

1.

 

2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Write one or two “I wonder” questions about the child’s development below.

 

“I Wonder” Questions

1.

 

 

2.

 

 

3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Write one or two “I wonder” questions about the environment surrounding the child below.

 

“I Wonder” about the Environment

1.

 

2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Write one “I wonder” question about the family and cultural influences you think is affecting the child’s behavior below.

 

“I Wonder” How the Child’s Family and Culture Influence Him/Her

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using the responses from the Gathering Information from Families Hand-out determine which developmental domain is reflected in the gathered information and write that information in the corresponding spaces below. Then using the NC Foundations charts below, put an X in the circle in front of the domain goal represented for each statement.

 

Connecting Information Gathered From Families To Developmental Domains
Cognitive Domain
Social Emotional Domain
Language Domain Cognitive Development (CD) Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning · Goal CD-1: Children use their senses to construct knowledge about the world around them. · Goal CD-2: Children recall information and use it for new situations and problems. · Goal CD-3: Children demonstrate the ability to think about their own thinking: reasoning, taking perspectives, and making decisions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emotional and Social Development (ESD)

Developing a Sense of Self

· Goal ESD-1: Children demonstrate a positive sense of self-identity and self-awareness.

· Goal ESD-2: Children express positive feelings about themselves and confidence in what they can do.

Developing a Sense of Self with Others

· Goal ESD-3: Children form relationships and interact positively with familiar adults who are consistent and responsive to their needs.

· Goal ESD-4: Children form relationships and interact positively with other children.

· Goal ESD-5: Children demonstrate the social and behavioral skills needed to successfully participate in groups.

Learning about Feelings

· Goal ESD-6: Children identify, manage, and express their feelings.

· Goal ESD-7: Children recognize and respond to the needs and feelings of others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Language Development and Communication (LDC)

Learning to Communicate

· Goal LDC-1: Children understand communications from others.

· Goal LDC-2: Children participate in conversations with peers and adults in one-on-one, small, and larger group interactions.

· Goal LDC-3: Children ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.

· Goal LDC-4: Children speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

· Goal LDC-5: Children describe familiar people, places, things, and events.

· Goal LDC-6: Children use most grammatical constructions of their home language well.

· Goal LDC-7: Children respond to and use a growing vocabulary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Component	Incomplete 1	Emerging 2	Competent 3	Well Done 4
Observation Notes and Documents:   (NAEYC 3b)   25%	· No evidence of information gathering and use of assignment tools (No Developmental Indicator Handout, No Gathering Information From Families Responses, No “I Wonder” Questions, and No Connecting Information Handout Or Artifacts/evidence. · No evidence of observation and recording. No Anecdotal Records No Running Records · Information does not relate to objective of project.	· Little evidence of information gathering and use of assignment tools. Developmental Indicator Handout, Gathering Information From Families Responses, “I Wonder” Questions, and Connecting Information Handout or Artifacts/evidence. · Little evidence of use of observation and recording Anecdotal Records and Running Records. · Connection to objective is not clear.	· Evidence of information gathering and use of assignment tools. Developmental Indicator Handout, Gathering Information From Families Responses, “I Wonder” Questions, and Connecting Information Handout Or Artifacts/evidence. · Evidence of use of observation and recording Anecdotal Records and Running Records. · Information relates to objective.	· Substantial evidence of information gathering and use of assignment tools Developmental Indicator Handout, Gathering Information From Families Responses, “I Wonder” Questions, and Connecting Information Handout Or Artifacts/evidence · Substantial use of observation and recording Anecdotal Records and Running Records · Connection to objective is explicit.
Gathering Information From Family   (NAEYC 2c)   20%	· No evidence of information gathering or use of the Foundations for Families Resource document.   · Information does not relate to objective of project.	· Little evidence of information gathering or use of the Foundations for Families Resource document.   · Connection to objective is not clear.	· Evidence of information gathering and the inclusion of the Foundations for Families Resource document.   · Information relates to objective.	· Substantial evidence of gathering information and the inclusion of the Foundations for Families Resource document.   · Information clearly relates to objective.
Making Connections to Developmental Domains and Goals   (NAEYC 1a)   30%	· Few or no connections are made between the information gathered and the child’s development. In written summary.   · No evidence of connection between responses from gathering information sheet and the developmental domains and goals.	· Incomplete connections are made between the information gathered and the child’s development.in written summary.   · Some relevant evidence of connection between responses from gathering information sheet and the developmental domains and goals.	· Complete connections are made between the information gathered and the child’s development.in written summary.   · Relevant evidence of connection between responses from gathering information sheet and the developmental domains and goals.	· Information is content rich and explicit, relevant and meaningful connections between responses from gathering information sheet and observations are included in the written summary.
Reflection   (NAEYC 1b)   25%	· Little or no connections made to understanding of how information gathered from family as well as observations can inform practice   · Little or no development	· Limited connections made to understanding of how information gathered from family as well as observations can inform practice   · Incomplete or vaguely developed.	· Relevant connections made to understanding of how information gathered from family as well as observations can inform practice   · Complete and relevant connections	· Specific connections made to made to understanding of how information gathered from family as well as observations can inform practice.   · Rich and meaningful connections