Children At Play Observation

ASSIGNMENT #5 – Observing Children at Play
Purpose: To observe young children at play, make anecdotal notations of their play, evaluate their fine motor, gross motor development, and level of social interaction demonstrated through play situations.
Procedure:
1. Choose a preschool child between the ages of 3 – 5 years. Observe the child on two separate occasions for 30 minutes. Do not interact with the child you will be busy taking observational notes.
2. Following each observation, use your anecdotal notes to prepare a summary of the child’s skills and abilities in gross motor and fine motor development. The summary should be a minimum of 2 typed pages, double spaced. Include specific observations to support your summary.
3. Separately
summarize the social interactions you observed. Include the types of play you observed the child engaged in, support with specific observations. This section should be summarized in a minimum of 1½ to 2 pages.
4.
The conclusion should include a synthesis of your findings summarized in one typed page .Consider the following questions to assist you in your summary: - Is the play setting right for the child? Is space arranged to allow a free flow of movement from one play area to the other? What seems to attract the child and lead to play? - Are the play materials (small, portable) and equipment (large, fixed) appropriate? Are they designed for the age groups involved? Are they sufficiently varied? - In what types of social play does the child engage? Does the child play alone or with others? Does the child play with a wide range of playmates? What are the signs of social development? Does the child take proper care of materials? - Was there any symbolic content associated with the observed play? What themes do the children play out? - What is the range and nature of interactions with peers and adults? Does the child cooperate, share, ask questions, volunteer information, or dominate? To what extent does the child depend on the teacher for instructions and modeling? - Does the child persist in play or is the child's attention fleeting and characterized by brief shallow play
episodes? - Does the child appear to be developmentally progressing as would be expected? Be sure to cite any theorists or researchers as you address this important question. 5. Total summary, for both observation sessions, should consist of 2 pages to summarize gross and fine motor development, 1 ½ - 2 pages for social interactions/types of play, and the 1 page summary, for a minimum of 5 pages.