Class section- Family and Human Studies.

1500
Name- Heidi Bledsoe
Assignment- Observation #1
Background information
Childs age- 26 months
Fictitious name- Sara
Location- Grounds of The Pioneer Craft House, 500 E and 3300 S
Description- Semi regular playtime with 6-10 neighborhood children, 2 teachers
from the craft house after school program. Featuring outdoor and water toys and
games, crafts, chalk and finger painting. Parents are relaxing on sidelines or
helping the volunteers.
Physical DevelopmentSara seems to fall perfectly in the normal ranges for development. Although maybe a
bit thinner and less pudgy then the other toddlers near her age, I do notice both her
mother and her Aunt, who were there are quite thin, So if she is thinner than average I
think it is genetics. ( Berger, page 82 ) Sara showed a natural energy level and
dexterity while running and playing, without any of the hyperactivity of some of the other
children. Her motor functions and coordination were quite impressive. She attracted my
attention because she seemed almost graceful for a toddler or even an older child.
I was also impressed by her fine motor skills but according to the text she is right where
she is suppose to be. ( Berger, page 105 )
Cognitive DevelopmentSara also seems right on track with her cognitive development, She spoke mainly in
2 or 3 word sentences, the norm according to the chart. ( Berger, page 122 ) I did notice
she understood when spoken to and picked up names of both people and dogs quite
quickly. She used her words well and accurately.
When her cookie melted in the water she showed definite signs of Stage 6 of
Sensorimotor intelligence, which states that the child is able to achieve a goal through
thought rather than trial and error. ( Berger page 115 ) by making sure her second
cookie was in a safe place.
Social/Emotional developmentSara was very well adapted and comfortable in the social setting. With just a little
input from her mother she was very independent and she showed very little shyness or
fear like noted in our text ( Berger page 133 ) She was very aware of others and how to
interact with them. There was no separation anxiety whenever her mother was out of
sight. When it was time to leave there was no fuss, she just skipped away, holding her
mom and aunts hand as she must have been taught when crossing the street.

I did witness an amusing incident that did show her anger. ( Berger page 133 ) She
stormed across the rather large yard and yelled at a man for spanking his dog. She
pointed her little finger and stomped her foot and gave him a lecture he will not soon
forget until he showed her that he and the dog were still friends. The funniest part was
after that she would keep looking over to check on the dog.

ReferenceBerger, K.S. (2014), Invitation to The Lifespan, (2nd ed,) New York. N.Y., Worth
Publishing.