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TODDLER OBSERVATION EDUC 121

TODDLER OBSERVATION EDUC 121

Lainey Losekamp
Ivy Tech Community College and Education 121

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TODDLER OBSERVATION EDUC 121

Abstract
For this project I had to observe a toddler between the ages of 18-36 months. I had to get
permission from a parent to be able to observe their child twice a week for an hour. I had to
follow a checklist and examine whether the child was fully developed in their physical,
intellectual, emotional, and social development. In my paper you will find me writing about a
male toddler who is 19 months old. I found that this toddler was able to complete many of the
activities in the checklist provided. He really excelled in social development and could achieve
all the skills listed in that category. The toddler was above average in physical, intellectual, and
emotional but did not master all the skills in this area. In my paper you will find me analyzing
the skills that this young toddler could or could not complete.
Keywords: Physical Development, intellectual development, emotional development, Social
development and experience-dependent growth

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The toddler I observed was a male and was nineteen months old. The dates I observed
this toddler was on February second and the tenth. The place I observed this toddler twice, was at
his grandmothers house. The mother informed me that if I observed her toddler at the house he
would want me to show me everything and play with his toys. This toddler is very social and
friendly.
The toddler I observed was younger toddler who is 19 months old and is a very active
toddler compared to most I have seen. I know that is hard to believe since toddlers are very
mobile but this young tot is on the go-go. The toddlers eating habits is one thing I found
unusual. He never really told his mother if he was hungry and his mom had to bribe him into
eating. He would take two or 3 bites then say he was done! The mother did mention to me that
she struggles to get him to eat and he is in the only 11 percentile with his weight. He rather be
running off and getting into something. The pediatrician told her that there nothing to worry
about and he is fine. According to Kail, parents should not be too concerned if there child is
picky eater because they still receive the right amount of calories and nutrition they need (Kail,
2012, p.123). I did notice that this toddler does drink a lot of juice and I believe that might
where he gets most of his nutrition.
This toddler seemed typical for his age group or maybe even advanced since he is a
younger toddler. He was above average in completing all of his physical, intellectual, emotional,
and social development skills. He excels well in his social skills by being able to put toys away,
play with his siblings, and shares his toys. The toddler demonstrated his fine motor skills by
being able to use a spoon to pick up his noodles and place them in his mouth (Kail, 2012, p.
165). Sometimes the toddler did miss his mouth. He repeated many of the words his mother
says such as his sisters name, no, juice, and loves to sing the song, What Does the Fox Say?

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According to Kail, this toddler demonstrated ,experience-dependent growth, which means
experiences that happen throughout a lifetime affect the brain (Kail, 2012, p.113). This toddler
illustrated experience-dependent growth by leaning his sisters name and dogs name. He
usually says a word or two then points to what he is asking for. He has a very short attention
span which is normal among toddlers. One moment he wants read a book, then he wants to color,
after that he wants to dance, and then he wants to watch a movie. He is very active and on
several missions.
This toddler seems very needy. When he does have a problem or something is not
working he always seeks help from an adult. How he does demonstrate increasing independence
is he does open doors on his own and throws his trash away in the trash can when told to do so.
The toddler observation helped me understand the development of toddlers. I do not have
any children of my own so I did not know what exactly I was going to be observing. There are
milestones toddlers reach but the sequence the reach them may different depending on the
toddler and environment. The checklist for the observation has helped me learn what skills to
look for all of the different types of development for a toddler.

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Bibliography
Kail, V. Robert. (2012). Children and Their Development. Saddle River, New Jersey. Pearson
Education, Inc.