Child Development Research: Child Observation and Needs Assessment

Research Project: Development
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Research Project: Development
Synopsis
I chose to observe a child, PP. To understand child PP, I used the running record observation technique (MacNaughton et al., 2021). For the first four minutes, PP sits at one position leaning on the wall while observing a small wooden box. She seems to stay away from all the other children but occasionally glances at what they are doing. In the fourth minute of the video, PP stands up quickly and rushes to the other children gathered next to their teacher. She joins them in a chorus of saying 'Waaah!' repeatedly. After some seconds, she goes back to her sitting position and continues playing with the box. PP seems bored; therefore, she shifts to a chart with pictures and keeps herself busy. A minute later, she joins two other children forming stacks of objects, one on top of the other. At first, she observes without any interest, but she also creates the stacks when approached by a third child. After creating one successful stack of objects, the three applaud, and PP is seen clapping. She keeps the small box by her side all the time and tries to mimic someone taking photos of the others. The teacher joins them in the game, and she expresses her amusement. The teacher leaves her having fun with her friends, playing the same game of letting a toy car slide down a slant wooden structure.
It is evident that at first, PP seemed to be interested in different activities, meaning that cognitively she did not know the play in which the other children engaged. Therefore she stayed aloof and observed. Joining them in the saying 'Waaah!' means that she knew the chorus and would join in easily. After observing the others for long, she was now ready to join them, but she was unsure whether it was the right thing to do. Thus, she waited until one of them approached her. At this point, her socio-emotional development is depicted because she tries to play with others (Mygind et al., 2021). When they accomplished creating the stack, they all expressed their pleasure. Staying aloof at one position for PP was an indication that she engaged in minimal physical movement (MacNaughton et al., 2021). Whenever a student moves from one place to another, sits, and stands, she actively engages in motor development. However, in PP's case, she seems to be sitting at one position with minimal movement from one place to another in the classroom.
Notably, PP has difficulties with trust since she stays aloof for long before socializing with others. Active engagement in games can address her socio-emotional development difficulties. The teacher should be involved when initiating play activities, and other children should be encouraged to join in so that she can relate with them (Mygind et al., 2021). The teacher should applaud her for completing any activity during the play session. After some minutes, the teacher should leave and observe how PP gets along with the others.
Link to the video used: /watch?v=Z9tJBluH1Zw
Activity Plan
Opening Activity
I will use the stack-building activity to enhance her socio-emotional development. I will ask PP to collect all the materials for creating the stacks to create enough space fo...