Class/section: FHS 1500-004

Your Name:
Rylee Kay
Assignment: Observation 2
Background Information
Childs age:
5 years old
Fictitious name: Sara
Location:
Nibley Park After School Program
Brief
There was 12 kindergartners and a Group Leader
Description:
Physical Development
When watching Sara I noticed that she was taller than most of the kids her age. I would
say that she was about 3 and in the book it says that by the age of six they are 3 (Berger,
168) Sara also seemed to have good motor skills. She was good at throwing a ball but kicking it
was another story. She was not very good at kicking the ball as she was throwing it, but you
could tell that she was trying to practice to be as good as the older kids. She was very active and
was always running around trying different things with her little kindergartner friends, she loved
to do active things that had her keep running around. It was really interesting watching her
because she loved to watch the older kids when they were all at recess and tried to do some of
the things they were doing. In the book it states that children everywhere learn from others via
observation, even if not deliberately taught. (Berger, 186) She was very interesting in learning
new things and would want the older kids to teacher her, and they would till they got bored
stopped. She would try to practice it and would start to get frustrated then give up and move on
to the next thing. Watching her run around and play you could tell that she had very good balance
for her age and would run around without falling. There would be sometimes that she would trip
but she would catch herself and just continue running around like nothing had happened to her.

Cognitive Development
You could tell that she really loved recess and loved to play games with others. I could
tell because when recess was over she was not very happy. It is a good thing that she loves to
play because in the book it says that all children everywhere in every era play during early
childhood, which makes some developmentalists think play is essential for healthy development
(Berger, 216)
When recess was over they went to their separate classes and there they did their
homework and other actives that were planned for the day. Sara was really good at seeing a
shape and copying it but when it came to writing simple words it was a little harder for her. She
is where she is supposed to be with her writing skills. In the book is says that at the age of six is
when they should be able to write simple words. (Berger, 171) It was so cute to watch her when
they did an art project because she would try and do the same thing as here group leader even

though she kept telling her to come up with her own idea. Sara would tell her that she wanted to
do the same thing as her is because she wanted to do everything she did because she wanted to
become just like her. Vygotsky realized that children are influenced by their social contexts,
including their mentors and the cultures in which they live. (Berger, 188) Sara would do this a
lot not just with her teacher but with the older kids she loved as well and would try to copy them
even if she could not do the thing at all or as well.
Social/Emotional Development
She was so sweet when one of her classmates got hurt. Even though I did not see them play that
much together, when the other boy got hurt she ran over to see if he was okay and if he need her
to go get someone to help. Scientist study young humans and other primates report spontaneous
efforts to help others who are hurt, crying, or in need of help (Berger, 226)
The book says that In early-childhood programs, girls tend to play with other girls and boys
with other boys. Despite their parents and teachers wishes, children say No girls/boys allowed.
(Berger, 221) I could see this with the kids when they would play together. As soon as they got to
play they would separate and she and her friends would not let the other boys play and visa
versa. There would be occasions when they would all play together for things that they need a lot
of people for, like tag for example, but that was not often.
She was also very good with her vocabulary when she would talk. I would say that she knew a
lot more than an average five year old. It says in the book that more than 10,000 word are what
the average six year old knows. Thats more than 6 new word a day. Precise estimates of
vocabulary size vary: some children learn four time as many words as others (Berger, 189) At
the after school program they do practice words with the kids so that they can get better at their
vocabulary. I really loved watching Sara and learning the things I did from her.
Reference List
Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to the life span (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.