Toddlers are children between the age of one year and two and half years. At this stage, kids are growing and also spending their time playing. Kids at this age are very active especially in the playground. I observed the children in the playground. The playground was quite small, just an acre.
It was green, with the grass neatly planted and evenly cut. The field was well organized with various games’ equipment. At one end of the field were swings that the kids used for swinging.
On the other end, there were bouncing castles that kids seemed to enjoy. In addition to this, there was a small room that contained children’s toys. This was the room in which indoor games’ were played. In this room, I observed that most children played indoor games. The number of kids in the playground was approximately fifty, who were between one and two years old.
The children in the room were busy painting various objects while others were playing with toys. Some of the children were off by themselves. The kids who could walk were having their fun in the bouncing castles while their caretaker observed them.
The children of all ages seemed very friendly. They seemed to recognize each other. The older ones seemed to take care of the small ones while playing. They also aggressively involved them in various games. The children seemed to have known each other for a while.
However, there were some children mostly aged two years, and above who were bulling the smaller children by snatching their toys. The younger kids did not appear to like them. Crying was observed among the younger kids who were seeking attention of the caregiver. Hence, most of them were playing with the caregivers or with the older kids but under supervision. None of the children had physical disabilities.
For the toddlers aged one to two and half years, the toddlers are more balanced with adults-like appearance. Some of the physical issues the kids were experiencing were mastering the many skills for example, sitting, walking, using a spoon, and at least throwing a ball and recognizing a toy placed in front of them. The kids aged one year old were the most affected. The kids aged two years were doing just fine at these skills. These were normal issues that could be managed by therapy.
Some of the children were sheathing behind their playmates in knowing to make speech sounds. They did not know how to pronounce some names for example, some pronounced rabbit as wabbit. They had a problem in expressing themselves in speech. Most of the children only knew the common words like mum. Some also had poor reception. An example of these issues was children who did not respond to their names. The children mistook certain sounds.
Observing the children’s social emotional issues, the children were more aware of emotion. Their emotions were varying. The children were often frustrated since they wanted to be independent. The children enjoyed playing along with some children but had a problem interacting with others.
Some also had a problem with sharing. For instance, some were not open to sharing their toys with others. In such situations the care giver had to intervene. Some of the children also experienced anxiety around people they did not know. I also observed temper tantrums among the kids when frustrated or when not able to communicate what they wanted. Most of the children recognized emotions of other kids. For example some comforted the crying children.
In the church day care, I observed children aged four and five years. The setting was a classroom style where the children were taught various Christian teachings. There was also a small playground that the children went for breaks after each lesson.
The interaction of these children was fair. The children knew each other by names. They played together. The children were twenty in number. The children recognized the care giver and seemed to respect her. They seemed to have stayed together for quite a long time.
Observing their physical behavior, the children seemed to love each other. They treated each other as family. They played together. They also seemed to participate quite well in various group discussions when assigned. None of the children was disabled. None of them was obese. Most of the children here were missing some milk teeth. They were all well dressed and groomed except that the clothes were dirty by evening due to the continuous play. Some had stronger motor skills than others.
The children had to be told one thing several times otherwise by the next day most had to be reminded what they had leant the previous day. I also observed that most of the children had the logic skills of solving problems amongst themselves when conflicts arose. All the children were fluent in their speech. There were no issues observed in their cognitive behavior. The children were learning how to read and other academic skills.
Observing their social emotional behavior, the children were emotionally attached to the other children. The kids at this age are at a position to control their emotions. The kids were expressing the desire to be independent. I also observed display of emotional tantrums, extremes and contradictions. The children were constantly interacting with other children.
Observing the comparison and contract of development behavior of older and younger children, the older children seemed to understand their environment much better than the young ones. The children aged five had grown up and were at a position to control their emotions. In learning, the older children seemed to learn faster.
The older children engaged in less risky situations compared to the younger ones. With development behavior, the older ones showed faster progress. During the observation time, there did not appear any abnormal behavior. The children behavior could be termed as normal. The children had no theories of any addition and addictive behavior since the care givers were there to correct them.
The children had no theories of any addition and addictive behavior since the care givers were there to correct them. Some of the issues that the children came across could easily be addressed by therapy. These issues were normal since as the child grew they faded away.
Conclusion
Feeding children well facilitates a healthy lifestyle. In addition, close observation of the children by both the caregivers and the parents will facilitate the well-being of the children. Taking a child to clinics for weighing and checkups also ensures healthy lifestyle.