Example of Narrative Observation on a Child

Child observation is a crucial method in understanding developmental psychology, providing valuable insights into how children grow and interact with their environment. This example of narrative observation on a child focuses on a 6-year-old boy named Ryan at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, offering a comprehensive look at his physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development during a 30-minute period. The following observation narrative aims to demonstrate how different aspects of child development intertwine in real-world settings.

For this assignment, I observed what appeared to be a 6-year-old boy named Ryan. I witnessed this child at prospect park in Brooklyn.

The area in which I observed the child allows bike-like gear, animals, and BBQ. The park was swarming with both dogs and children. Prospect Park has a nice play arena for the children which includes swings, slides, and monkey bars.

I first observed Ryan’s physical development, and fine and gross motor skills.

He looked roughly 3 feet tall and a good 35 pounds. I noticed Ryan looked a little shorter than most kids in his age range playing in the park. The boy seemed to be having a hard time dominating the monkey bars. He would wrap his hand around the first bar and the second, but when Ryan would come around the third monkey bar, his little hand would slip, and he would fall into his father’s arms. Eventually, Ryan gave up the monkey bars and refused to give them another try. Ryan and his father then began to play catch. The boy and his father exchanged a few throws, but Ryan was unable to throw the ball either fair or accurately. By the age of 6, children should be able to climb things, throw a ball and catch a ball. I was unable to discover many fine motor skills from Ryan, though he did happen to find a stick, hold it and pretend to write on the concrete as if it were a pencil. Ryan’s spatial orientation ability appeared to be fine, as he could maintain his body posture while running, walking, and skipping through the park.

This observation provides an excellent example of narrative observation on a child's physical development milestones. While Ryan showed age-appropriate spatial awareness in activities like running and walking, his challenges with certain gross motor skills suggest he might benefit from additional physical activities to strengthen these abilities. His father's supportive presence during these attempts demonstrated the importance of parental encouragement in physical development.

Understanding Intellectual Development

I then observed Ryan’s intellectual development, which includes his language, perception, and memory. When observing Ryan, I realized he is one garrulous child. I overheard the boy having a conversation with his father. From what I heard, Ryan had a satisfactory vocabulary. He was explaining to his father that he wanted the shoes that all his friends had. His father came about saying, ‘ok, son, when we go to the mall.’ to which Ryan replied, ‘You said that last time Daddy.’ It seemed that Ryan had a solid memory. Ryan was able to express all of his needs and wants due to his excellent linguistic abilities. I didn’t happen to witness any mathematical or scientific, or historical thinking from Ryan in the 30 minutes I spent observing him. 

This segment of the narrative observation exemplifies how casual interactions can reveal significant aspects of a child's cognitive development. The conversation about the shoes particularly demonstrates Ryan's ability to recall past promises and engage in complex social communication, providing valuable insights into his memory and language development.

Understanding Emotional Responses

After that, I observed Ryan's emotional development. Ryan appeared to be having a hard time hearing 'no,' which is typical for children in his age group. When Ryan's father would explain to him not to run, push kids, or bother the girls in the park, Ryan would rebel and do it anyway. About 10 minutes in, I noticed Ryan felt very angry. Later I realized he was unhappy because his father did not take him to buy some game he had been asking for. Ryan appeared to have a negative attitude when he was not satisfied. The boy was a very curious child; he would pick objects up from the ground, turn to his father and ask, 'What's this?' After his father would answer his question, he would again reply with 'why?'

This portion of the narrative observation captures typical emotional patterns for a six-year-old child. Ryan's behavior demonstrates the complex interplay between curiosity and frustration that characterizes this developmental stage. His persistent questioning - the classic 'why' phase - and his struggles with accepting limits provide valuable examples of emotional development in early childhood.

Social Development and Peer Interactions

Finally, I observed Ryan's social skills. Being that he was only about six years old, he had admirable social skills. Ryan loved to interact with other kids at Prospect Park. From what I saw, he was trying to build relationships with the other children. Toward the end of my stay, I noticed Ryan interacting with a group of boys. In the group, Ryan showed the other boys what he wanted them to do. Seeing Ryan's competency to manage in a group showed me that he retained strong leadership skills. When Ryan was playing with other boys his age, he was the happiest that I saw him during my 30-minute observation.

Conclusion

This example of narrative observation on a child reveals the complex interplay between physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development in early childhood. Through observing Ryan's interactions and behaviors over 30 minutes, we gained valuable insights into his developmental progress across multiple domains. While some areas, such as gross motor skills, showed room for growth, others, particularly his social and linguistic abilities, demonstrated age-appropriate or advanced development. This observation highlights how different aspects of child development are interconnected - from how physical challenges can affect emotional responses to how social interactions can boost confidence and happiness. Such comprehensive observations are crucial for understanding and supporting children's holistic development.

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