Observations as the Kids Interacted With Each Other - Essay Example

Observation Paper Essay

In 2014, I decided to visit the Wiley Mildred Family care to carry out observations with a group of children. My visit to the center was to a place I have never been to some children I have never seen. With the one hour I spent observing the children, I observed a number of observations as the kids interacted with each other. Part of my other observation that fell under my radar was the caregivers. As the kid continued interacting with each other, I observed that they were practicing sociocultural, cognitive, social learning, and psychoanalytic theories.

The children’s actions elicited several theories, especially due to the environment that falls around them and the activities that they were taking part in. I realized how an action could bear significant bearing on the development of a child at a care center. Each action has a substantial bearing on the mental and physical state of the child.

Wiley Mildred is part of a standard family home that resides in Victorville, CA, in a quiet residential area.

My first sight of the front part of the family home created a first impression for a typical children home. The gate separated the front yard from the back yard while featuring lock and baby-proof to prevent any incidences. Upon entering the home, I was meet with warm and welcoming smiles that signaled a happy home. I was introduced to Gloria, who was the director of the home. She was a Latina woman with a strong accent. I was also introduced to her assistant at home. I was welcomed to the recess session at the backyard of the children’s home. The back yard was open, sitting on a large area partitioned into different sections. It had a glassy area, a concrete area, and a woodchip area. Each area in the yard has a selection of toys and materials for the kids. The first glassy section had two slides, toys, and chairs, which were used to develop fine skills. When you get to the woodchip area, it had larger structures compared to the previous section. I was impressed with the teeter-totter’s presence that could pack up to six children resembling the shape of a plane. You could also see up to three different moderated structure sizes with others having slides. Others made it possible for the kids to climb and stand. All the structures enabled the operating of the motor skills of the kids.

The concrete section features several teeter-totters matching along with two merry-go-rounds, three tricycles, and a playhouse for the girls. The age composition of the children at the children facility was mixed. The youngest addition at home was a one and a half-year-old child with the eldest child being eight years old. However, the average age for most of the children at home was four. Sitting at a table throughout the playing session was small cups of water. The children had lots of water throughout the day, which they drank willingly. The director explained the importance of the children drinking water throughout the day, especially when playing in the hot sun and keeping hydrated. The back yard was organized in a special manner in which each section is next to the other. The young ones had easy access to each section allowing for the same stimulation despite the age difference, race, or sex. When it was playtime, all the children became one. While the children had fun in the different allocated sections, the director and her assistance engaged continuously with the children. Their playing session included the young ones learning about shapes and colors. The director engaged the children in English and Spanish and not only to the ones that understood Spanish.

Part of my overall observation of the facility involved taking a tour of the bathroom and the general sanitation. I wanted to inspect the health and safety of the area for the young ones. My stroll around the place proved how much the place was clean, and the same applies to the bathroom. For the potty training children, they carried their toilet cleaner seat at every part of their day to ensure a high level of cleanliness. There was a special room where the baby in diapers could change. After visiting the bathroom and strolling back to the yard, I noticed several safety measures by the administration. Each door, cabinet, knob, electricity plug, and draw were well baby-proofed to prevent any incidences. My overall observation of the children home was more than positive. It was a well-nurtured environment where the children could be safe. The children’s home was a safe haven where the young ones were stimulated in terms of care for others. The first part of my observation included seven kinds, through the course of the observation, the number grew to twelve.

Despite the uniqueness of each child, there were close similarities that each child exhibited. A number of the children belonged to a large class due to their aspects conforming to a particular theory. The psychoanalytic theory was the first theory I observed with the kids. The grounding of the theory states that people’s actions come from an unconscious inclination. I observed a two-year-old child interested in a bird that landed on the gate. At first, he was fearless of the bird’s presence, but as it flew away, it shook him to the point he clung to the leg of the administrator. This proves the psychoanalytic theory that the sight of fear made him cling to the adult he was comfortable with. It could also find that his sense of security is derived from the adults, or the frightening ordeal made him feel more timid and afraid than the other kids. I noticed the application of social learning theory. The theory states that we learn behaviors from others. The basis of the theory was cemented by observation a one year and a half old child at home. She was playing next to the slide. When she was told to jump on the slide, at first, she was hesitant. However, an elder kid slid down the slides, and she became willing to do the same. After getting comfortable with how the other kid had fun, she wanted to go down the slide repeatedly.

The concept of social learning theory was grounded by the kid on the basis that without seeing the safety and fun the other kid would have going down the slide, she was not open to the idea. But after seeing the safety and fun that comes with it, she was more open. She learned the concept of sliding the slide from another person and mastered the skills on her own.

The sociocultural theory deals with the growth and nurturing of children through cultures and societies. The assistant had a heavy Latina accent, which she used to engage with all children at home. The caregiver took care of the children while addressing both the Latin-American children and the African-American children in both Spanish and English. The existence of the sociocultural theory was evident as the African-American kids did not understand Spanish, which presented a culture from other children. However, the elder African-American children were much eager to learn more about the Spanish language.

The cognitive theory was the last theory I observed during my visit. The theory proposes actions of people are influenced based on a person’s attitude. There were a number of birds that landed on the gate, and a three-year-old child started staring at them with much attention. He was not sure what the birds were, and it kept him interested. The caregiver stepped in a while using assimilation and reassurance that it was a bird the kid was viewing. Before that, the child was building schemas in his head about what the bird could be to create an equilibrium. The birds flew away, and one returned, which made the child ecstatic as he shouted the name of the bird. Part of the cognitive theory in the learning process of the child was getting to know something new. There were also new skills that helped with the assimilation. All kids, in part of their development process, will exhibit either one of these theories. The observations prove how much one can learn from the little time with the development of people.

There were various appropriate activities that I observed the kids at the center. I also observed during the visit that the kids exhibited numerous abilities during their playtime sessions. The young ones took part in various activities during their playtime sessions. Some kids engage their fine motor skills, while others activated their gross motor skills. The remaining part of the kids took part in various cognitive and coordination development. A number of the activities that involved the gross motor skills were easy to observe and record. Some examples include the use of the teeter-totter, playing basketball, playing with the slides, riding tricycles, and spinning around the merry-go-rounds. The gross motor skills were the most observed during the entire session at home. The most time during the playtime sessions is where kids took part in vigorous activities. The activities included the use of larger and entire body engagement compared to less muscle utilization.

There were fewer fine motor skills compared to gross motor skills. The boys’ fine motor skills included picking up pebbles from one section and placing them in other sections. For the girls, they took part in the baking scene with their caregivers. The playtime depicted the girls taking part in the process of baking. A girl learned a major fine motor skill when blowing bubbles and could not place the stick in place. However, with the assimilation from the director, he learned how to handle it. The learning process was impressive as the girl gained confidence and began to learn how to bake a cake by way of waving hands. The manner she waved her hands were representative of making the dough.

Part of my last observation came from the coordination and cognitive growth area. The coordination came from a game the kids played where they had to match the animal sounds with the name of the animal. The coordination helped in matching one object with the corresponding sound. Another indicator of cognitive growth is role-playing. It makes the kids become self-aware of their personality. It makes kids learn about how different people think. Asides from having fun during the playtime session, the young ones also learn important abilities which they can use for the rest of their life.

From my time at home, I have observed that kids are fragile creatures that need love and care while developing. Furthermore, without the proper encouragement and precautions during the early stages of their development, the young ones can be scarred for the rest of their life. My observation made me relate most of the theories in real-life situations compared to learning through books.

From my observation, all the activities conform to the theories put forward by my great psychologists. I feel that my observation has added ground to some of the findings by the psychologists. I feel I have confirmed or added some aspects of child development as a whole. My observation paper essay shows that the Wily Mildred Children’s home is cultivating and encouraging environment for the development of the children. The center helps kids in developing into adults while showcasing their attributing cognitive abilities.