Observation Report - Development Of The Young Child

Observation Report 3 When watching all of the videos, I was definitely able to see physical development progressing within the children. Children’s motor development becomes more coordinated and efficient in middle and late childhood, as opposed to early childhood. Children have better control of their bodies and physical action is essential. In the first video, when the six to seven year old children were playing the organized parachute game “sharks and lifeguard,” the children demonstrated proper milestones which, based on their age, is expected. They were not only able to stand and sit properly, but they were also able to run around and shake the parachute. They were definitely capable of participating in organized sports since it was clear that they simultaneously followed the directions of the adult. They also understood the concept, knowing the goals within the game of getting the shark and then switching. In the second and third videos, the cognitive development of a seven year old and pretend play with a seven and nine year old, the children were able to sit for longer periods of time than they probably were able to when they were younger. Again, this is because children have more control over their bodies. Lastly, in the final video which exemplified outdoor free play of children either age nine or ten, the children demonstrated exceptional skills pertaining to motor development. They ran around the park, would swing properly on the swings, climb the monkey bars, rock the boat, etc. I do believe that it is important for children of these ages to develop an interest in sports and exercise because they result in positive outcomes. It not only aids in physical development, but also is associated with lower incidence of obesity and lowers systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Beyond just positive physical outcomes, exercise and sports are also linked with increasing children’s cognitive skills. They help with children’s attention, memory, effortful and goal-directed thinking and behavior, creativity, and academic success. This is especially evident in the parachute game since the game involved much more than physical action. It involved goal-directed thinking, attention, effort, and memory for ultimate success. Another important note is that these videos, especially the last video of free outdoor play, depicts potential for accidents and injury. Monkey bars and swings could be dangerous if not done properly or without a guide looking after the children, considering they are risk-taking behaviors. Therefore, the use of proper equipment, may be helpful in avoiding injuries from occurring. Although the most common cause of a severe injury at this age is motor vehicle accidents and other serious injuries in this age group involve bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, and other sports equipment, most accidents occur in or near the home or school of the child. All of these videos are portrayed in a home or school environment. Like physical development, these videos also portrayed cognitive development among the children, which is exemplified by metacognition, executive function, critical thinking, creative thinking, and memory. Metacognition is defined as cognition about cognition, or knowing about knowing. This includes thinking about and knowing when and where to use particular strategies for learning and solving problems. Developmental changes pertaining to metacognition relate to advancing memory, like familiarizing and recognition. Executive function is managing one’s thoughts to engage in goal-directed behavior and exercise self control. Critical thinking involves thinking reflectively and productively, as well as evaluating evidence. Creative thinking is the ability to think in novel and unusual ways to come up with unique solutions to problems. Working memory is when individuals manipulate and assemble information when they make decisions, solve problems, and comprehend written and spoken language. Strategies to improve memory include elaboration, repetition, etc. When the children were playing the “sharks and lifeguards” parachute game, if a “lifeguard” did not find the “shark” he or she would not just stand there and wait, but modify their strategy by running around and looking in other areas exemplifying metacognition and critical thinking. Their use of memory in understanding the rules, goals, and strategies within the game is able notable. The child in the second video (cognitive development video), was able demonstrated confidence in eyewitness judgments (metacognition) and critical thinking as well. He was confidently able to recognize that both containers had equal amounts of water, understanding different dimensions and that the water originally came from the cup. He also demonstrated his sufficient memory, being able to remember the extensive rules and terminology of handball. The children involved in the pretend play definitely portrayed creative thinking as they came up with different scenarios for the dolls and spoke in different voices. Lastly, socioemotional development was also portrayed within these videos. Kohlberg’s theory of moral development suggests that there are six universal stages of moral development. The first is heteronomous morality, the second is individualism, instrumental, purpose, and exchange, the third is mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships, and interpersonal conformity, the fourth is social system morality, the fifth is social contract or utility and individual rights, and the six is ethical principles. Every two stages fall under preconventional reasoning, then conventional reasoning, and then postconventional reasoning. These children fall under the preconventional reasoning stage and an example is from the second video where the boy discusses heteronomous morality. He knows the rules of handball and knows they should be followed, or consequences like a timeout or not being allowed to continue to play may occur. Perspective taking is another important part of socioemotional development, allowing children to understand others’ thoughts and feelings and participate in social behavior. This skill is important for developing positive peer relationships and helpful in avoiding aggressive and oppositional behavior. The girls pretend playing were taking the perspectives of the dolls for enjoyment and to create a story, as well as listening to each other's instructions. Physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development were all demonstrated from these children with the videos.