Area's of Development
There are a number of different areas of development to observe in children. “Early childhood educators agree that some areas of development/domains are more readily observed tan others,…” (Observing Young Children, pg. 99) This is why it is important to know what area you want to focus on before you begin observing. Firstly there is gross motor which involve the child’s larger movement for example a child who is playing hopscotch is demonstrating gross motor skills by hopping. There is also fine motor which are the movements that require more accuracy and precision, doing up a button on a coat for instance. Self-help categorizes things that a child is beginning to do for themselves. For instance a child picking out their own clothes, or putting their own shoes on. Another area of development is cognitive, this is where they demonstrate their development in regards to their ability to understand. Being able to remember experiences from the past week, or understanding rules to a game are examples of a child demonstrating cognition. There is also socioemotional development which can be seen when children play together, or their ability to control their emotions. And lastly there is speech and language development. This can be seen when a child imitates the sounds and words that they hear from others, or understanding a sound for instance knowing that a siren means a firetruck. Why is it important to know these areas? Without these areas for guidance it can be difficult to observe everything that the child is demonstrating. By honing in on one specific aspect it can help one gain a better understanding of how the child is developing in that specific area, and then observe another area the next time to see how they compare. Even though a child may be fairly advanced in one area of development they could be behind in another. For instance Jimmy may have excellent gross and fine motor skills but be lacking in his socioemotional skills. Observing these specific developmental domains helps parents and educators identify areas where the child may need improvement and how to develop the next steps to make that happen. In our class we practiced our ability to hone in on an area of development by watching a video and observing the child through a particular lens of development. You can try it out by watching this video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE9eq3mZhg0
