Child Observation
Child observation is the process of observing children to learn about their behaviors, abilities, and interests. This information can be used to develop experiences and environments that will support their learning and development.
Methods of Observation
Observations can be done in many ways, depending on the needs of the program and the age of the child. Regardless of the method chosen, child observations should be done in an unobtrusive manner. This is important to ensure that children feel safe and secure, and that staff members are not disrupting their natural play and learning.
Focused Observation Techniques
Use focused observation techniques to document major milestones and skills. These methods can include developmental checklists, frequency counts, and sociographs.
Time Samples
Time samples involve observing a child's behavior in specific routine intervals throughout the day, such as at feeding or during naptime. This provides an opportunity to see how a child's behavior changes over the course of a day, and it may help you to identify patterns and growth.
Work Samples
During early childhood, children create many paintings, drawings, and writings. These works (along with notes sharing what the child was doing or saying) can reveal a lot about how they are developing.
Interpretations
Interpretations are an important part of child observation as it can be difficult to capture everything a child is doing in one observation. It can also take some practice to interpret just the significant or important events within an observation, but it is a great way to record what a child is learning and how they are progressing.
Written Observations
Written observations are an important part of documentation and it is a good idea to make these observations as much of an ongoing process as possible, rather than a final attempt to write them down at the end of the working day. This will allow you to be more accurate and authentic with the recording of an experience or event and will also avoid the need to add further detail at a later date, as the details can often slip away.
Social and Emotional Aspects
Social and emotional aspects of a play event: The tone of the child's voice, the gestures they are making, the non-verbal information they give, what is the mood surrounding the activity, what is the relationship between them and others around them, etc.
Objectivity
Objectivity is observing without judgement, being aware of the lens you are looking through and how this influences your approach to a child. This can be difficult at first, however, it does get easier and the more you observe, the more you will come to recognize what you are observing and will be able to accurately capture it in the written observation.
Using Anecdotal Notes and Observations
Using anecdotal notes and observations to plan experiences is another key aspect of child observation, as it provides valuable feedback and can be used in future planning. This is particularly useful when planning activities with children who show a particular interest in a subject, and it can be invaluable to know what kind of resources the children enjoy using. It is also a good idea to talk to the parents and to share your findings with them as they can provide further input that can help you plan an activity which will be meaningful for the child.
