This observational research aims to explain the behavior in detail and analyze it in terms of child developmental psychology. Three one-hour observations of the subject going through their typical everyday school routine. These observations were conducted in a school setting. The topic of this observation is a five-year-old tall girl. As the observer, there was no contact with the subject. After three observations, the child’s physical development, gross motor, and fine motor skills-related activities were analyzed.
Initially, the participant was observed at recess and P.E. for one hour of playtime and physical activity, during which gross motor abilities were assessed. During the first half-hour of recess, the youngster could hop, leap, skip, run, and jump, demonstrating excellent balance and coordination. According to Paris et al. (2018), by age five, children get stronger control and more accurate movement and become less clumsy. According to the observation, it was clear that the individual enjoyed these intense exercises. During the second part of the provided day’s P.E. observation, several objects were available at various stations, including volleyball, jumping ropes, and cones.
The objective of these exercises was to arrange students at each station so they may practice each skill for seven minutes before moving to the next station. During these exercises, the subject had difficulty with the jump rope, which led to dissatisfaction. However, after receiving positive feedback from the adult, the subject seemed to strive harder to satisfy the adult and demonstrate new abilities. During the transition from jumping rope to volleyball, it was observed that the subject resisted participation, stating, “I am angry because I want to keep jumping” This demonstrates that the subject can articulate feelings clearly but has difficulty controlling anger, which is a normal developmental trait for a child of this age.
During the second and third observations, which occurred during writing and reading class, the emphasis was on fine motor abilities. The subject participated in three different centers: writing three letters correctly, making letters with playdough, cutting and pasting words, and matching them to images on paper. While observing the playdough center, the subject did not follow the instructions for the activity. Instead, the five-year-old female used playdough inappropriately, such as throwing it at her classmates. This was an unanticipated behavior, so the child was removed from the center for a few minutes before being allowed to return to the activity.
After some time away from the activity, the subject followed instructions and was able to make letters using playdough and fingers; nevertheless, compared to other children of the same age, the subject’s grip on the playdough did not seem to be fully developed. According to Paris et al. (2018), five-year-olds should be able to manipulate things and have more hand mobility as their muscles grow more refined. In addition, the kid had difficulty with the cutting exercise because it was difficult for him or her to grip the scissors, indicating that the child’s finger muscles are not fully developed. This developmental milestone may take some time to achieve at various ages.
In conclusion, it was felt that a five-year-old girl is developing properly in gross and fine motor abilities at a typical rate. She has gained and developed abilities commensurate with her age as a five-year-old girl and is eager to learn other skills. Because it may seem a simple chore, the observer was struck by how difficult it was for the youngster to grip scissors and how hard she struggled. However, at that age, it was not as simple as it may have seemed to adults; thus, it is essential to pay great attention to these particulars to offer children more possibilities to aid their growth.
Reference
Paris, J., Ricardo, A., Rymond, D., & Johnson, A. (2018). Child growth and development. College of the Canyons.