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Running Head: TODDLER OBSERVATION

Toddler Observation
Tracy Appleget
Ivy Tech Community College

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TODDLER OBSERVATION
OBJECTIVE
The object of this observation is to learn to look for growth in a toddler. The
subject in this observation is 18 months of age. The observation took place at the
childs home where he lived with his mother and father. Both parents of the child
worked. The child spent most of his time at the home were his parents took turns
either working or watching the child.
The child spent most of his day playing with toys and watching t.v. In this
observation the childs physical development along with his intellectual, social, and
emotional development will be tested. The observer will complete many tests with
the child to determine if the child is on task with his development.
THE OBSERVATION
The child was observed on January 31, 2015. The child meet the interviewer
at the door with his mother. The child showed signs that he could walk by himself.
He had a fast walk when he followed his mother into the kitchen. The child was shy
to the interviewer. After a short period of time the child was ready to play with the
interviewer. In the living area of the childs home there was a push styled bike that
the child was able to get on and push himself around the room. The interviewer
noted the pedals on the bike were in the up position were the child would not have
access to them.
The child showed much interest in the blocks that I had brought with me. He
was happy to knock down the stacks that I made. I would get four blocks stacked
before the child knocked them down. The child was able to successfully stack two
blocks, on the first day of the observation. I left the blocks with the child and mother
to play with. On the second day of the observation, the child was able to stack five
blocks.

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When the child was shown the puzzle, the child showed little interest. On the
second observation, adjustments were made to the puzzle. Instead of removing all
of the puzzle pieces, only the center piece was removed. The interviewer showed
the child several times how to put the piece in correctly. The child would try to force
the piece in the same spot without adjusting the piece to ensure that it fit. The
child showed frustration during this phase of the observation, and moved away from
the interviewer to another toy.

The child would not imitate the interviewer.

On the first observation, the child was given thin styled crayons to draw with.
The child made small thin lines on the paper. The child played with the crayons for
a short period of time and moved on to a different toy. On the second observation,
thicker styled crayons were given to the child. The child showed more interest in
the thicker crayons. The child made thin lines on the paper. The child took the
crayon to one of his personal books. The child opened the book and started
scribbling on the pages of the book. The book had thick pages that the child could
easily turn the pages.
When the interviewer asked the mother if the child was potty training she
responded by saying that the child didnt seem interested in that yet. The father of
the child mentioned that the child showed interest in the toilet. The child did not
show any signs of having a wet or dirty diaper during the course of observations.
During the observation of the child, the child interacted with his parents by
saying one word commands. The child used more grunting and long sounds when
the childs ideas were not being interpreted by the parents. The child seemed to
talk to his parents with baby babble.
The child and his father sat on the couch and the father asked the child to
identify different parts of the face. The child would point to his nose, eyes and

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mouth when his father asked him. When the interviewer asked the child to pint to
his head he did not. The child did point his facial features when the asked to.
The interviewer noticed that when the childs favorite cartoon came on he
would start to sing along with the music. The child would also repeat 1,2,3, when
the childs mother would count to him. The interview noticed that when the child
had something happen to him in the other room he would use his babble to explain
what happened to him.
During the course of the interview the child did not respond to items that
looked alike. The child did not seem to understand the concept of matching items
at the time of the interview.
The child demonstrated frustration on a few occasions during the course of
the observation. The first occurred with the mishitting puzzle piece. The child was
unable to imitate the interview by turning the puzzle piece to make it fit in the
puzzle. The second time the interviewer witness the child becoming frustrated
happened when the child tried to get on the couch. The child could not lift his leg
high enough to be able to pull himself on the couch. Instead of walking away the
child put his head down and hit the couch.
The child resisted cooperating with the mother when she attempted to
change his diaper. The mother told the child it was time for a diaper change. The
child resisted by running into the other room and hiding behind a door. The mother
was able to locate the child. She put him on a changing table to change him. The
child started turning his body so that the mother could not change his diaper. The
mother told the child in a stern voice to stop moving. The child started babbling to
the mother. The interviewer witnessed a conflict between the mother and child.

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The childs words did not make sense to the interviewer but the mother talked to
the child with a normal adult voice.
When looking for social development the interviewer took time to see if the
child engaged in parallel or cooperative play. The child seemed to want to play with
someone rather than work on a toy independently. The child did not show any
concept of rules at this time. When a rule was imposed the child stomped his foot
in disfavor of the rule.
When the child was asked to share a toy that he was holding, he was more
than willing to share. The child was contently looking at a toy car. The interviewer
asked to see the toy. The child handed the toy to the interviewer and smiled. The
interviewer held the toy for a thirty seconds. The child waited for the toy. The
interviewer gave the toy back to the child.
At the conclusion of the observation, there were many toys on the floor. The
mother of the child brought down a box that the toys belong in. The mother pointed
to the toys and the child picked the toys up and put them in a box.
SUMMATION
The child I observed had behaviors typical of a child of his age group. The
child also had a few behaviors of a younger child. The child had some behaviors of
an older child. The interviewer believes that the wide age of typical and atypical
behaviors is because that at this age of a child they are going through many
developments. The child is exposed to different environments than other child and
the growth in one area may be due to his environment.
In the textbook I read that a child would be read more if that child was
receptive during the time that the mother reads to him. I child that I observed did
poorly on putting the puzzle together. The child was not exposed to many puzzles

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before. I child showed little interest in the puzzle. If the child behaves like this with
when a puzzle is presented, the child may not have many puzzles presented to him.
According to Jean Piagets four stages of cognitive development, the child
observed should be in the sensorimotor stage, which occurs from birth to 2 years of
age. In this stage of development the infants knowledge of the world is based on
senses and motor skills. By the end of the period, infant uses mental
representations. (Kail, 2015, p.12) During the observation the interview noted that
the child was trying to use words and sound to represent himself. In the second
stage cognitive development that occurs between 2 to 6 years.

At this stage of

development the child uses words and symbols such as words and numbers to
represent aspects of the world but relates to the world through his or her
perspective. The child that was observed was using sounds than words to get his
ideas across. This would indicate that the child was in the preoperational stage
rather than the sensorimotor stage.
When the child that was interviewed followed his mother he was moving very
quickly. The childs stride was quickly and the child tended to hop from foot to foot.
The textbook mentioned that most two years have a hurried walk rather than a run.
(Kail, 2015, p.151). This would indicate that the child that was observed has the
coordination of a child of an older age.
On the babycenter website, www.babycenter.com, a child of 18 months
should be able to scribble on a piece of paper. (Baby, 2012, para.1) The website
mention that those scribble should start to look like different things. The child that
was observed made fine lines on the white paper. On the second observation, the
child took the crayon and scribbled in a reading book. The scribbling in that book

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was different than the fine lines on the white paper. This would indicate d that the
child was at a typical stage of development for his age.

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REFERENCE

Baby Center.com (2012, Feburary). Toddler fine motor skills: Drawing and scribbling.
Retrieved from Babycenter.com: http://www.babycenter.com/0_toddler-finemotor-skills-drawing-and-scribbling_12573.bc Retrieved on 2/13/2015
Kail, R. (2015). Children and their development (7th ed.). boston, columbus,
Indianapolis, New York, San Francisco, AMersterdam, Cape town, Dubi,
London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris, Montreal, Toronto, Delhi, Mexico City,
Sao Paulo Syndy, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo: Pearson.

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TODDLER OBSERVATION
Name ________________________________ Class ____________________ Date _____________
Purpose: Identify developmental changes that occur during the toddler stage.
Part IDirections: Observe a child between 18 and 36 months of age. Your total
observation time should be at least one hour but may be spread over several visits.
Look for the signs of development listed below and on the following pages. Record
your findings by placing a check mark in the appropriate column. If you had no
opportunity to observe a particular behavior, write Unable to observe in the
Comments column. Also use this column to record any additional details you wish
to remember.
Key to Responses
YesSkill observed
lacked this skill or characteristic

NoChild

Site: ____Childs home____________________________________________________

Date(s) of Observation(s): ______1/31/15____2/07/15_______________
Childs First Name: _____________Raymond_______________________
Age in Months: __________________18 months_______________________
Observation
C-3 Checklist: Toddler Development Signs of Development
Physical Development

YE

N
O

1. Walks Independently

S
x

2. Climbs up stairs (Describe

how)

COMMENTS

Slowly approaches stairs and

walks up,

3. Walks down stairs

Held parents had to balance

(Describe how)
4. Pushes self on wheeled toy

himself

5. Pedals wheeled toy (i.e.

x
x

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tricycle)
6. Feeds self using fork/spoon

7. Stacks two to four blocks

Spoon mostly assisted,

first observation only stacked

two
8. Stacks five to six blocks

x
Second observation he
stacked 5

9. Assembles six-piece puzzle

x
Lost interest in puzzle both
observations

10.

Scribbles with a

x
1st- light lines with thin

crayon

crayon
2nd- used thick crayons no
difference
11.

Turns pages of book

one at a time
12.
Recognizes when

x
x

diaper is soiled

Mother asked he did not

respond,
When his diaper was wet the
father noted that he was
pulling at his diaper

13.

Uses toilet (as

needed) when taken there

14.
Asks to use toilet
when needed

x
x

Father said that the toddler

was showing interest in the

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TODDLER OBSERVATION
toilet, but had never used it
Intellectual Development
1. Solves problems through

YE

S
x

Comments
When working on the puzzle

trial and error

the child tried to put the

puzzle piece in the wrong
way, serveral times. The child
became frustrated when the
piece would go in.

2. Observes adults and copies

Child tried to put the puzzle

their behavior

piece in as I showed him, he

was not able to turn the piece

3. Uses two-word sentences.

to put it in the correct way

Child used one word
command repeatedly

4. Uses three-four word

sentences.

sentences

5. Responds to yes and

no questions
6. Identifies body parts by

pointing and naming

7. Repeats parts of favorite

Child would shake head.

Child knew what the facial
features were
x

rhymes and stories

8. Tells about experiences

Child spoke one in one word

Child would sing when

x

favorite cartoon came on

Although the child cannot
speak he babbled about

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things. He seemed to want to
talk.
9. Follows simple instructions

(such as pick up the ball)

Child was helpful when

putting toys away and putting

10.

Shows understanding

things in the trash can.

He would get the blocks from

of prepositions (such as

under the couch, he put the

the ball is in the box)

toys in the box

11.

Matches items that

are alike.
Emotional Development
1. Shows frustration at lack of

Child did not respond to items

YE

S
x

O
When child could not get on

abilities.
2. Resists cooperating or

that were the same

COMMENTS

couch he put his head down

and smack the couch cushion.
He ran when mother wanted

does opposite of what is

to change his diaper.

asked.
3. Responds appropriately to
reasonable choices.
4. Shows signs of fears.

When given a choice he didnt

take either option.
A bug crawl on the floor and

the child child moved away.

After that he got on the floor
and tried to see were the bug
Social Development

YE

had gone.
COMMENTS

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TODDLER OBSERVATION
S
1. Engages in parallel play.

O
x

Child showed more interest in

playing with siblings than

2. Engages in cooperative
play.
3. Engages in small group

playing alone
Child worked with sister to

stack blocks
Child would play with blocks,

activities for short periods.

then moved to another toy,

4. Shows understanding of

Child did not respond to rules

one or more simple rules.

5. Shares willingly.
6. Exhibits some self-help
skills (such as
washing own hands, putting

Child was happy to give toy to

me when asked
Child put away toys only after
being told. Child would clean
nose with a tissue after one

away toys).
was handed to him
36. In what ways did the toddler you observed seem typical of this age group?
The toddler has emerging social skills, emotional and

37. Did any of the toddlers behavior seem unusual for this age? Explain.
I believed that the child should have been able to use the crayon better than he
had. With the lack of crayons available at his house he probably did not have
access to them therefor was not able to draw. I had read on the baby center
website that child of his age should be scribbling on a piece of paper and that those
scribbles should be starting to look like different things.

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38. What signs of a toddlers increasing independence did you observe?

When working on the puzzle the first time I removed all the pieces and put them in
front of the child. He wanted to work on the puzzle by himself. The second time I
only removed the center piece of the puzzle. He and I put the piece back in several
times. The child then took the puzzle from my lap and put it on his after dumping
all the pieces out of the puzzle. I held the pieces and he tried to put the pieces in
the puzzle. The child then became upset with the puzzle. And started playing with
other toys.

39. Has this observation experience helped you better understand toddlers? Why or
why not?
Yes, I learned that a childs cognitive ability are developing. These abilities need to
be exercised. A child may be old enough to do a certain task but if that child is not
exposed to that task he or she will not be able to do it.

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