2 girls and 4 boys were observed at a day care centre on a Tuesday morning. These kids fell in the age range of 18 months to 6 years. They were also accompanied by two nannies that were not only looking after them, but were also providing food and supervising some games. The room was filled by 6 children along with different toys like cars, dolls, doll houses, tent, blocks, clay, gun, doctor sets and other items. Children were seen moving and jumping from one corner to the other. However, there was a boy of about 2 years of age, who was incessantly seen sitting by the corner. He was surrounded with torn pieces of paper and a shattered toy. His expressions depicted anger and worry. There was no other child seen going near him. Gradually, the boy started shouting begging to go home. The care taker tried to calm him but he did not pay any attention and continued the behavior. This kid however, could not be diagnosed to be suffering from Attention Deficit/ hyperactivity disorder as only few symptoms of anger and the act of not listening were seen in the child. Therefore, it could not be clearly said if he was suffering from a disorder not only because of his pre-school age but also because of a few noticeable symptoms. Also, his stay of 40 minutes was not helpful in diagnosing him for ADHD (American Psychiatric Association, 45).
Soon there was a girl named Rita who was about 4 years old. She was late. She was accompanied by her mother who stayed at the center for about half an hour. During and after her stay, Rita hesitated in initiating play. Although a nanny came and told her to join other kids, she remained standing near the table brushing the hair of adoll which she brought from her. Also, when she was about to leave and go home, she was reluctant in accepting the gift which the in-charge was giving away to every kid as it was sponsored from a child care organization. Unlike other children, Rita did not show enthusiasm and excitement in meeting her mother. According to Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development (22), the foremost period of development is marked with the component of trust versus mistrust. The act reluctance and shyness demonstrated by Rita were hinting at her negativity attached with social situations. Since Rita was unable to take an initiative by joining the group or playing with others, it was quite evident that she lacked trust in the relationship formed with her care-giver. She was unable to participate in the activities even after she was instructed and encouraged by the nanny. According to Erikson, this is an example of a typical behavior observed during ages 3-6 years like Rita; as she neither ready to explore the environment nor took an initiate to play. In essence, this behavior is actually rooted in Rita’s infancy when she would have failed to build a trusting relationship with her mother. This was also evident from her lack of excitement upon seeing her mother return.
In contrary, there are other kids who are stable during the stages of psychosocial development. The earlier oral and care giving needs are met which automatically lets them trust the world. As a result, they are seen to easily adapt to new situations. This idea is also put forward by Jean Piaget (38) who talks about the concepts of assimilation and accommodation whereby which new knowledge becomes a part of the existing knowledge thereby resulting in a new mental schema. In this way, children are able to adapt and learn new things. The successful progress of the psychosocial stages was observed in the behavior depicted by another girl of same age as Rita. However, as compared to Rita, this girl was seen mingling with other kids of different age belonging to the opposite sex. This girl was not only playing with the girl toys, but she was also enjoying puzzles and other board games which attracted the boys. She was also seen being taught to kick a football by other boys. These four kids were quite indulged in their play and were observed jumping and running around the whole room. Also, when the nanny came to give them their meal, the kids sat down together and shared their lunch with each other. They were neither fighting nor snatching. This highlights the act of cooperative play and a progress in the development of cognitive abilities which are seen through the extensive use of puzzles. According to Piaget (80), the stages of pre-operational and concrete operational are the periods where reasoning and logic is fostered. Also the elaborate movement noticed in relation to these children depicts their interest to explore the environment and adapt to the social environment.
Observation notes
Saw 2 girls and 4 boys between ages 18 months to 6 years. Also saw two nannies and one boy’s parents and a girl’s mother. The parents of the boy were called by the day in-charge nanny as he was crying and begging to go home. He was about 2 years old. The girl’s mother came to drop her at the day care centre and stayed for half an hour. Under her vigilance and even after she was gone, the girl was reluctant to play or mingle with other kids. There was cooperative play observed between three older children while the rest were hesitating group play. The boy who wanted to go home was seen to sit at a corner. When nanny approached him with some game he refused. He was not even ready to eat. He was throwing away the blocks and responding with a no for everything. Other kids roamed and jumped and laughed. The two kids playing on their own were asked by the nanny to play together but the girl showed more reluctance in playing. She was even shy while talking to the nanny and was not ready to accept the gifts which were supposed to be distributed to the kids as they were instructed by a child care organization.
Work Cited
American Psychological Association. “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.” 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2000. PrintErikson, Eric. Childhood and society,” 1963, New York: Norton. Print
Piaget, Jean. “Origins of intelligence in the child,” 1936, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
