Toddler Observation

Observation # 4:
Notes:
It was 10:05am on Tuesday, October 20th, 2015: The class was cleaning up after their activity with gluing popsicle sticks to the drawn out number one. Once most of the children were finished with their project, the teacher said cheerily, “Alright my friends, who is all done with their craft! Wow! Look at all these wonderful number ones!” One toddler yelled out, “I done!” Another toddler said happily, “Look at my picter!” A third toddler jumped up and said, “I sticky! Bleh…” The teacher guided the toddlers to the bathroom to go wash their hands. “Hop up on top of the stool and wash your hands,” The teacher instructed to the first toddler in line, “Don’t forget the soap.” The toddler responded, “Hehe, me silly!”
“You sure are silly, Cole,” the teacher said. “Okay Miley, it’s your turn.” Each child went one at a time to wash their hands. The caregiver stood back and let them do the task of washing and drying their hands on their own. She was more of a guide and encouraged the toddlers to use their self-help skills. The second caregiver waited in the open, carpeted area of the room for the toddlers who were finished washing their hands. “Come on over here when you are all done,” she said, “and pick out a book to read.” “I done! I done,” the one toddler said as he jumped over to the teacher. “Alright honey, go find a book to read,” she pointed over to the bookshelf. This caregiver let the toddlers pick out which book they wanted and find their own space to sit in. The toddlers were also working on their skills to become independent. After all the toddlers were done washing their hands and playing with the books, one toddler slowly walked up to the first caregiver and whispered, “I tirsty.” The teacher directed the girl to the back room where the children’s waterbottles were. “Do you see your water bottle?” the teacher asked. The girl hesitantly pointed to the pink sippy cup. “Good job, Miley,” the teacher said in an encouraging voice as she handed her the cup. “Tank ooo,” Miley said in a quiet voice.

Comments: According to Erikson’s stage of autonomy vs.
shame and Doubt, this is the period toddlers learn to do things for themselves. They are learning and gaining a sense of individuality. Positive self-esteem, pride, and confidence is developed as the toddlers begins being able to demonstrate being independent. Toddlers who are not able to practice their self-help skills, may become shameful or lack confidence in their abilities. (Richford)
During this observation, I was able to see that these toddlers were able to demonstrate age-appropriate self-help skills. The toddlers were encouraged to do the task of washing their hands and drying them off by themselves. The teachers were there as a guide, but didn’t physical help any of them. The toddlers were capable to complete the task on their own.
Observation # 5:
Notes:
It was 9:15am on Tuesday, October 20th, 2015: The toys and materials available indoors were several stationery objects. There was a plastic play kitchen, a toy doctor’s kit, and a toy baby stroller. The toys were arranged along the back wall and far left wall. In front of the toys were two tables for the toddlers to bring the toys back and play with them. The materials were designed to be reached independently by the
toddlers.
The materials I noticed that was great for physical gross motor skills was the baby stroller and other dramatic play toys that involved the toddlers to physically move around. Some of the activities such as circle or dance time involved having the toddlers stand up and move around. The majority of the toys in the classroom were designed for the toddlers to play and work on their cognitive gross motor skills. Some materials that were good for social-emotional skills was when they played around with each other in the dramatic play section of the classroom or when they would look at books together. The materials and toys outside were more designed for gross motor skills. The back yard of the center had an open, protected area. There were several balls for the toddlers to kick around or kick into the soccer net. There was also a wooden playground swing set that provided an area for the toddlers to climb up the rock wall or the wooden stairs. The toddlers were able to then slide down the yellow slide and work on their skills of landing on their feet. This part of the outdoor materials required some assistance. The toddlers were able to access the play set by themselves, but some of the children needed help climbing up the stairs in order to slide down the slide.
This playground set was also connected to two swings. The toddlers were able to learn how to “pump” their legs to help them swing independently and improved their gross motor skills. The swings were low enough to the ground that allowed the toddlers easy access. Near the far back end of the enclosed outdoor area were four more swings that were lower to the ground. Some swings were adjusted to better fit the taller children.

Comments: Gross motor activities are extremely important in a toddler classroom, especially on day when there’s inclement weather and the children cannot go outside. A classroom needs materials that encourage the use of gross motor activities to improve toddler’s physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Gross motor activities should involve having the toddlers moving around and being active. These types of activities physically make the toddlers stronger. They learn how to balance and coordinate their body parts. They also learn how to control their larger muscles. Gross motor activities are not just important for physical development. It is also important in cognitive and social-emotional development as well. Toddlers will improve their cognitive development more if they are engaged and their attention is kept on the activity. Actively getting involved in the assignments and activities help the toddlers learn. Other activities such as dramatic play and story time, help the toddlers practice their social-emotional development. They are allowed to roam freely and interact with those children with the same interests. During circle time, they have a chance to speak up and sing songs together to build a sense of comfort with one another. (Arnette, 2013, pg. 187) The classroom I observed was set up partially appropriately. It provide space for the toddlers to roam around and dance. They could work on their larger muscle control by roaming around freely. Unlike outside, the classroom did lack other opportunities for the toddlers to improve their gross motor skills. There was no materials to climb on or slide down. On rainy days, the toddlers don’t have an opportunity to run or kick soccer balls around.