Running head: TODDLER OBSERVATION

Toddler Observation
Melinda Dwyer
Ivy Tech Community College

TODDLER OBSERVATION

INTASC Standard, Description and Rational

Standard #1 Learner Development

The teacher understand how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and
development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and
physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging
learning experiences.

Name of Artifact: Toddler Observation

Date: September 28, 2014
Course: EDUC 121

Brief Description: For this assignment I arranged to observe and interview a toddler. During
the observation I evaluated his physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development. After
the observation I shared my opinion about his normal and unusual behaviors. I also wrote down
the toddlers increasing willingness to become more independent.

Rationale: To document my understanding of Standard # 1, Learner Development. This

experience helped me understand the different areas of development and how a normal toddler
grows and develops. I understand each toddler is different and unique. This experience also
helped me to see the importance of knowing where each child is in all areas of development in
order to create a plan of action to help the child continue to grow and develop normally.

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I observed a 23 month old boy on September 18, 2014. He is an energetic, friendly, kind
and smart toddler. He is exhibiting physical growth, intellectual growth, emotional growth, and
social growth. He demonstrated characteristic of a typical toddler in all areas. He also
demonstrated unusual behavior for this age. He is a very independent child and is very happy
and proud to increase his independence. I believe this observation has opened my eyes to the
capabilities of a toddler. They are more capable than I give them credit for.
This toddler is very typical for his age. His physical development is right on track. He
loves being physically active. He walks and runs extremely well. He does the hurried walk
instead of a true run like Kail (2012) referred to. I was very impressed with his capabilities of
going up and down the stairs. He showed caution by scooting down on his bottom. He
requested a spoon for his lunch. Used it a few minutes and then changed and began eating with
his left hand. According to Kail (2012) on page 164 this is expected behavior. He is able to
stack blocks and assemble puzzles. He loves given the opportunity to write with a pencil or
color with a crayon. During the observation when he was getting a diaper changed, he referred
to his soiled diaper as stinky. That is a great sign that he is beginning to recognize why the
caregiver is changing his diaper.
He is also right on track with his intellectual development. He loves reading and learning
new things. He is speaking normally for his age and has really good manners. I heard him
saying, Please? Thank you! May I have bottle please? He responses verbally and nonverbally
when asked questions demonstrating he understands. He was asked to kiss his Mom good-bye
and he did. He was asked to hug his Dad and he did. He was also asked to pick up toys. He also
did that, which I was very impressed with. He points to his body parts when asked.
Emotionally this toddler is also right on track. He was playing in the play kitchen and

TODDLER OBSERVATION

could not keep a small ball in the play oven. It kept rolling out. He got frustrated at his ability to
keep that ball in that toy. He eventually gave up and moved on to something else. There was a
loud noise during the observation and it startled him. He is a strong willed child but cooperates
and responds appropriately to reasonable choices.
I was very impressed with his social development. He engaged in parallel play very well.
He modified his play to do the same as the other child, but continued to stay parallel. He also
engaged in cooperative play. During his play time he shared with another child and was very
considerate. During small group he participated in the ABC song and The More We Get Together
song. He really enjoys reading with the group. He demonstrated the ability to focus his attention
for a small amount of time which according to Kail (2012) is normal at this age.
There are only a few unusual behaviors or areas I would recommend for his overall
development. I would recommend him to begin to learn to pedal a wheeled toy. I would also
recommend encouraging him to learn more about the next steps in potty training. In order to
develop his speech more and intellect, I would recommend encouraging him to repeat songs,
poems and stories more. I would also recommend regular use of crayons and pencils. He softly
holds the instrument and scribbles very lightly. He refused to cooperate when we returned inside
and nap time was a bit challenging. He also threw little tantrums easily. Consistency and
patience helped and he gave in to the instructions and finally obeyed. He did make moaning
noises during nap time which put him to sleep. This is something I havent seen that before.
Overall, I believe this child is right on track and is developing normally and desires to continue
to learn and grow.
This toddler is very happy to increase his independence. He loved washing his hands, but
needed a little help with the soap dispenser, scrubbing and drying off. He did a wonderful job

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picking up toys and putting his milk away. He shared his wants and needs during the entire
observation. He climbed in and out of chairs without any help. I was very impressed with his
capabilities of going up and down the stairs. This toddler is on his way to independence and the
freedom to do more of what he desires to do.
This observation experience was very beneficial to me. I do better understand toddlers,
and especially this toddler. I honestly was surprised at all the things he was capable of doing.
Toddlers are more capable than I gave them credit for. It just excites me to understand and know
where a child is and then be able to challenge them to learn and grow to the best of their abilities.
Without doing this evaluation, I would have never known where developmentally this toddler is.
I was also very impressed with his mannerism and kindness at such a young age. I appreciate the
opportunity to observe, evaluate and write about him.

References

TODDLER OBSERVATION

Kail, Robert V. (2012). Children and Their Development- sixth Edition. Upper Saddle River,
New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

In this book chapter 5, Perceptual and Motor Development gives many examples of
infants and toddlers growth development. It focused on sensory, gross motor skills and fine
motor skills. This chapter also stressed the importance of physical fitness.