Cache Diploma in Child Care and EducationEvaluationMy observation took place during the PE lesson. The hall was set up with four mats and four benches

As B showed good balancing skills both on the floor and the beam he has a good foundation for learning to skip and hop. This links to Arnold Gessells theory, the principles of his work suggested that physical development follows a definite sequence. "As we watch children growing and developing, we can observe a pattern emerging, by which certain movements have to be in place before others can develop" (Tassoni, 2004. P.6) Therefore balancing skills are needed before the child can learn to hop or skip.

There were some norms I was unable to observe so it would be an idea to set up an activity which offered the opportunity for me to assess those skills to give a wider picture of B's physical development.

My conclusion from my observation and from the norms I observed is that B's physical developmental stage is at the expected stage for a child of his age, and he is also practising and mastering some of the skills listed for a child of 6 yrs. As B is 5.5 he now needs support and developmental appropriate activities which will help him to consolidate skills and move him onto the next stage.

Cache Diploma in Child Care and Education

Evaluation

Bruce and Meggitt state that:

"Promoting physical development - The most important factors for healthy development are that you should:

. Recognise skills a child has developed and provide plenty of opportunities for him or her to practice them."

(T.Bruce, C.Meggitt, 2002, P.139)

This was a good activity to observe as a lot of physical skills were being practised and mastered by B. The observation outlined that B has difficulty with hopping and skipping. By using a tick list observation it was easy to see what strengths B has and what skills he needs to build on, this should be considered when planning activities for B to participate in.

To provide opportunities for B to practice skills already learnt and to extend B's physical development I would encourage him to play hop scotch I would chalk a hopscotch on to the playground and I would encourage a small group including B to play, this would provide an opportunity to practice hopping in a fun way.

Another activity I would plan would be to encourage skipping skills. The game musical statues could be played during a P.E. lesson however instead of dancing the children could be told to skip around. Then when the music stops stand like a statue. This variation of the traditional game could be altered to practice other skills which children in the class may need practice in such as hopping. By joining in with the game and encouraging the children they will have a good role model to follow and enjoy themselves too. Repetition of the game 'islands' could also be repeated. The children enjoyed the game and it provided the opportunity to practice and master a lot of physical skills.

Cache Diploma in Child Care and Education

Evaluation

Personal learning

The tick list observation did provide a quick indication to what stage child B had reached in his physical development. I don't think I would have been able to record as much information if I had used another method such as a free-description as I would not have been able to record much information and I might easily have lost where child B was if I was trying to write all the information down.

Bibliography

Beaver, M. et al. 2001. Babies and young children - Diploma in chid care and education. Nelson Thornes.

Hobart and Frankel, 2000. A practical guide to child observation. Nelson Thornes.

Meggitt, C Sunderland, G. 2000. Child development - An illustrated guide. Heinemann

Tassonni, P. Beith, K. 2000. Diploma child care and education. Heinemann

Tassoni, P. 2004. Diploma in pre-school practice. Heinemann