The visits reports will give a more detailed plan of that particular visit starting with the following:
Type of development –
Topics –
Aims –
Location –
Equipment –
Safety Issues –
Research/Norms
There will also be a detailed Interpretation given at the end of each visit.
Type of Development – Physical Development
Topics – Growth / Diet /Teeth.
Aims – I’m going to learn about the growth of Jack and his balanced diet.
Location – I will be at his parent’s house.
.Equipment – I will need a measuring tape and a set of bathroom scales. With the help of his mum I will need to prepare a food chart for Jack. I will also need a mirror to check his teeth.
Safety Issues – I will make sure he is fully clothed and he has clean hands and I will make sure he stands on the scales safely.
Research/Norms
I will be looking at all the norms for the child at the age of 4
The normal height for a 4 year old boy is 98 – 109 cm
The normal weight for a boy at the age of 4 is 15 – 20 kg
Plan for visit 1
- I will be weighing Jack on bathroom scales.
- I will be measuring Jack with a measuring tape.
- I will be counting Jacks teeth with a mirror to help me see.
- I will help Jacks mother fill in a food diary for him.
- I will be seeing what Jacks parents height is
This is the order of Jacks teeth
What happened?
On my visit I took Jacks height with a measuring tape and his height was 3ft (91 cm). Jacks reaction when I was taking his height was that he asked questions about what his height was.
The weight of Jack was 3 stone (19 kg) and when I weighed him on the scales I made sure he was safe standing on them and took his weight.
I also counted Jacks teeth and he has them all Jack was very patient when I was counting his teeth.
During this visit I found Jack to be very patient and he also had fun when I was taking his height and weight.
The height of Jacks mother is 5ft 4 (1m 63cm) and Jacks father’s height is 6ft 2 tall (1m 88cm).
I sat down with Jack’s mum and produced a food diary of what Jack eats. The food diary and an analysis of one day of his diet are shown at the end of this visit.
Interpretation
I realised that there are some things which could affect a child’s growth in the future which could be a bad diet or not getting all the protein and fibre that he needs.
The genes he might get from his parents could also cause some serious illnesses, stress, deficiency or special hormone problems.
I have made a visit to find out about Jacks weight and height and find out about his background. I understand that Jack is under the height of a child of the age of four this could be because his mother is quite short. Jacks weight is just right for a four year old boy.
It is more than likely that the first child will be taller than the father. As Jack is the third son in the family he is not necessarily going to be as tall. He will more than likely be like his mother who is short (her height is 5ft 4).
I believe that Jacks weight is average because of his balanced diet and he is always running around exercising. Jack has a good balanced diet of healthy food which he enjoys.
Jack was below the norm for height. Jack 91 cm. Norm 98-109cm.
Jack was the norm for his weight. Jack 19 kg. Norm 15-20 kg.
It is important that nothing slows down Jacks growth and development.
Introduction
I have looked at Jack’s food diary and I am going to analyse the food Jack eats on a Friday. I will look to see if Jack has a well balanced diet consisting of proteins, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals. All these are needed in a diet to maintain a good child development. I will also show a chart with Jack’s daily intake of the above compared to what is required for a child his age.
Protein
Proteins are comprised of amino acids. Amino acids contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and occasionally sulphur. There are a lot of different amino acids and it depends which ones are present in a food which will make the food either high or low in protein.
Animal foods are high in protein. Plant foods are usually lower in protein. High or good sources of protein include meat, dairy products (eggs, cheese, milk) and fish. Soya and a lot of beans including baked beans contain medium protein.
Proteins are needed for growth and repair of body cells so are very important in a child’s early development. Proteins are also a source of energy.
Jack’s diet for a Friday contains ham, milk, bread and noodles. All of which provide Jack with the good protein he needs.
Carbohydrates
There are two types of carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates.
Sugar
Simple carbohydrates contain ordinary sugar such as sucrose which is what we put in tea or coffee and put on cereal. It is found in confectionary, cakes and soft drinks. Simple carbohydrates are easily broken down and gets absorbed into the blood quickly. This gives a quick rush of sugar to the body and is not a good thing. The sugar content can also cause tooth decay.
Starch
Complex carbohydrates are the starch. This produces the glucose the body needs for energy. It takes longer to break down in the stomach and gets absorbed into the blood slowly giving an even, prolonged source of energy. It provides energy for muscles and other tissues and organs in the body.
Good sources of starch are in bread, oats, pasta, cereal, potatoes, beans, noodles, rice and fruit.
Fibre
Even more complex carbohydrates that cannot be broken down produce the fibre for the body. Fibre is only found in the cell walls of plants. Fibre does not contain any calories, vitamins or minerals.
Fibre is essential for healthy bowel function. Fibre reduces the risk of bowel problems. It also helps to slow down the speed that glucose gets into the blood and it helps to reduce cholesterol levels
Good sources of fibre are fruit, vegetables, beans, cereal and pasta.
Jack gets a lot of carbohydrates from his diet both simple and complex. He has a low sugar intake which is good. The starch he gets from the cereal, bread, fruit and noodles. The crisps also give him starch. The fibre he gets from the bread, fruit, vegetables, crisps and cereal.
Jack’s carbohydrate intake is well balanced to give his body what he needs.
Fat
It is thought that fat is bad for you but this is not so.
Fat is important in a diet especially in developing children. It helps the brain and nervous system develop correctly. It also fuels the body for energy and helps absorb some vitamins. It also helps in the building of hormones and it insulates nervous system tissue.
There are three types of fats:
Unsaturated fats: These are found in plant foods and fish. They can be good for the heart and is found in olive oil, peanut oil, tuna and salmon
Saturated fats: These are the fats found in animal products such as meat, butter cheese and full fat milks. Too much saturated fat can cause high cholesterol levels which are not good for the heart.
Trans fats: The type of fat found in margarine and in some foods from restaurants and shops. Foods such as fried foods, snack foods and pre baked food.
Most fruit and vegetables have almost no fat at all.
In Jack’s diet he gets the fats from the milk he has in the cereal plus the milk he drinks and also in the crisps, ham and noodles. He has a well balanced mix of the three fat types which is good for his development.
Vitamins
There are two types of vitamins, fat soluble and water soluble.
The fat soluble vitamins come from the fatty foods such as animal fats, vegetable oils, dairy products and oily fish.
The body stores these types of vitamins, so large amounts everyday are not necessary. In fact if too much of a build up is stored it could be harmful.
The body needs water soluble vitamins daily as none get stored. If there is too much that is not used it comes out in the urine. Water soluble vitamins are mainly found in fruit, vegetables and grains.
Types of fat soluble vitamins are:
Vitamin A - Good for the skin and eyesight.
Vitamin D - For strong bones and teeth.
Vitamin E – For healthy body tissue and development of red blood cells.
Vitamin K – Helps the blood clot when you have a cut.
Types of water soluble vitamins are:
Vitamin C – Helps with absorbing iron and calcium and also in fighting infection and healing wounds. It helps protect body tissue.
Vitamin B – These are for getting energy from food when the body needs it. Also it helps in making red blood cells.
Jack gets all the vitamins through the food he eats. He gets vitamin A from his orange and raw veg. Vitamin B from cereal, green veg and ham. Vitamin C from the orange and raw veg. Vitamin D from milk. Vitamin E from cereal. Vitamin K from milk and green veg. Crisps give a variety of vitamins from the potatoes and flavourings used also the oils they are cooked in. Noodles can also give various vitamins from the flavourings or meats added. Jack like to have ham, cheese or chicken in with his noodles at times.
Jack’s daily diet seems to give him a good intake of all the vitamins he needs so it is not necessary for him to have to take vitamin supplements.
Minerals
There are a lot of minerals but I am going to mention four of the more important ones.
Calcium
Minerals are needed in small amounts. Calcium helps to build strong bones, teeth and nails. It also helps in blood clotting and heart and nerve functions. Good sources are dairy products and green veg.
Iron
Iron helps to produce haemoglobin in the blood to build red blood cells. It also prevents anaemia. Iron also helps carry oxygen to cells. Food sources include lean red meats, shellfish, legumes, dried fruit and green leafy vegetables.
Sodium (salt)
A certain amount of salt is needed in the body as the body cannot produce its own salt. Salt helps to maintain the fluid in the body and blood cells and also to transmit information in our nerves and help with muscle contraction.
Too much salt in a diet can cause high blood pressure so it is important to check the levels in food that is bought.
Sodium is found in all foods especially high processed foods.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is needed in all cells. It helps build strong bones and helps to get energy from fat, proteins and carbohydrates. Phosphorus is best found in lean meat, fish, poultry, and low-fat dairy products.
Minerals are found in many foods, Meat, fish, vegetables, cereals, bread, dairy products, pasta, noodles, nuts and seeds and many more.
Jacks diet is such that he will get all the minerals he needs from the food he eats.
Comparison of Jack’s intake with the norm
As can be seen Jack is well within the recommendations for the norm. The only one he has gone above is protein but as this is only one day in the week this would average itself out throughout the week.
Jack has a well balanced diet that will be good for his child development and future well being.
Jack’s mother has educated him well in healthy eating by encouraging him to eat the correct foods. Jack enjoys the food he eats.
Type of Development – Physical Development
Topics – Gross motor skills
Aims – I’m going to learn about how Jack uses his muscles when playing.
Location – At my house and the park
.Equipment – Toys such as a tricycle and also a ball and bat.
Safety Issues – Play area at home and in the park. Making sure of supervision near roads and of observing safety rules in the park.
Research/Norms
Walks and runs alone up and down the stairs, one foot to a step in adult fashion.
Navigates self-locomotion skilfully, turning sharp corners, running, pushing and pulling.
Climb ladders and trees. Can stand, walk and run on tiptoe.
Expert rider of tricycle, executing sharp u turns easily.
Stands on one (preferred) foot for three to five seconds and hops on preferred foot. Arranges and picks up objects from floor by bending from waist with knees extended.
Sits with knees crossed. Shows increasing skill in ball games, throwing, catching, bouncing, kicking etc, including use of bat.
What Happened?
For this visit I was looking at Jacks gross motor skills which were seeing how he uses his muscles, Jack played on a tricycle outside my back and front garden. Jack can ride a tricycle very well he didn’t need any help.
We then went up the park where we played with the bat and ball. Jack was quite good for his age at hitting the ball with a bat. We also played catch with a ball and he was quite good at catching it but he dropped it a couple of times. Then we played football and he was very good as he aimed the ball where he wanted it to go. I think that Jack was very good at kicking the ball.
When we went home I tested jack at being able to stand on one leg. He stood for 10 seconds without holding on to anything.
Interpretation
Since I’ve been on this visit I now understand what physical development means because I watched Jack on the tricycle which shows he’s doing well on the gross motor skills.
Compared to the norms Jack was above the norm at kicking a ball, riding a tricycle and standing on one foot.
My personal opinion about why Jack is above the norms for his development is because he gets encouragement from his brothers and joins in when he sees the things they do.
In my opinion I think Jack will be fit and healthy in the future. With the encouragement from his brothers and his parents to continue exercising, he probably won’t be fat either because he will use up his energy.
Jack riding his tricycle
Type of Development – Physical Development
Topics – Fine manipulative skills
Aims – I’m going to see how big jack can build a tower with blocks.
Location – At my house
Equipment – Blocks, pencils and coloured pencils
Safety Issues – N/A
Research/Norms
I will be looking at Jacks fine manipulative skills for a child of the age of 4.
- Can build a tower of ten or more cubes.
- Can copy a building pattern of three steps using six cubes or more.
- Able to thread small beads on a lace.
- Hold and use pencils in an adult fashion.
- Can draw on a request figure that resembles a person showing head, legs and body.
Plan for visit 3
The norms that I will be looking at are to watch Jack using building blocks and see how he holds a pencil to draw pictures of his family.
What Happened?
For this visit I was focusing on Jacks fine manipulative skills.
I sat down and I gave him some blocks to see if he could build a tower of 12 blocks for me. Jack could build the blocks but they kept on falling down. He kept on trying until they stayed up. He enjoyed playing with the blocks and we had fun.
After that I got some paper and a pencil and Jack drew a picture for me of his mum and dad. I then drew dots of a car on paper and then Jack followed the dots. He was very good at this and enjoyed himself.
Interpretation
On this visit I was looking at Jacks fine manipulative skills. Fine manipulative skills are when you look at how a child uses their fingers.
I played with Jack using building blocks. He was able to build a tower of 12 blocks. He also drew me a picture of his mum, dad and brothers and traced round dots to make a picture of a car.
Jack uses a tripod grasp when he draws this means he uses his thumb and 2 fingers to hold the pencil.
My opinion why Jack is above the norms is because of the help of at nursery school and his parents and brothers. The nursery has helped Jack with his fine manipulative skills by teaching him how to hold a pencil in the correct manner.
In my opinion I think that Jack will not have too much trouble learning how to write because he is already getting lots of practice holding the pencil and he loves drawing. He could also improve by doing other things like jigsaw puzzles.
Type of development – Social Development
Topics – Interacting with others
Aims – To look how Jack interacts with others
Location – Ants in your Pants (a children’s play area)
Equipment – N/A
Safety Issues – To make sure we follow the safety rules within the play area
Research/Norms
I will be looking at Jacks social development to see how he interacts with others.
The norms that I will be looking at are:
- How he interacts with his elders including how he reacts when getting told off.
- Whether he shows concern for younger children and sympathy for playmates in distress.
- Often sensitive to others.
- Shows a sense of humour.
Plan for visit 4
The norms that I will be looking at are whether Jack shows concern for his elders and his friends (younger and older).
I will be taking Jack to Ants in your Pants (a children’s play area) for a day out to see how he is with other children and his brothers.
What Happened?
On my visit this week I was looking at Jacks social development at interacting with others.
For this visit I took Jack to Ants in your Pants (an indoor play area). I watched him play with other children. Whilst we were there Jack had an argument with another child because the child pushed him. Afterwards Jack went up to the little boy and said sorry and gave him a hug so they both made up. Jack also made friends with another boy who was not part of the group and gave him a soft toy as the boy had nothing to play with.
Interpretation
On this visit I learnt how Jack interacts with others. I took him to Ants in your Pants (an indoor play area). He had an argument with another little boy but they made up. Jack said sorry and gave him a hug this shows that Jack has taken into consideration another child’s feelings and shows he cares about others.
During work experience at a nursery I watched how children showed sensitivity with others. In the nursery I watched young children at play and I observed that when any of them had a problem one of the other children would go over to help or give support in a child’s way. This has helped me to show that Jack has learned to say sorry and how to make up after a quarrel.
I think in Jacks future development that he will nice has a nice sense of humour and he will also be sensitive to others. He also gave another child a soft play toy which shows he can share.
Jack will be able to fit in well in new circumstances because he is developing well socially.
Type of development – Social development.
Topics – Personal social skills.
Aims – I’ll be looking at his personal skills e.g. using spoon and fork.
Location – Play school and at my house and his house.
Equipment – Spoon and fork
Safety Issues – Electrical equipment in the kitchen. Shoes tied up properly.
Research/Norms
I will be looking the norms listed below.
- Eats skilfully with a spoon and a fork.
- Washes hands and dries them.
- Can undress and dress except for laces, ties and buttons.
- General behaviour more independent and self fulfilled.
- Like to be with other children.
- Like to be independent.
- Keeps dry day and night.
- Plays corporately particularly, domestic play.
Plan for visit 5
For this visit I will be looking at Jacks personal social skills so I will be looking at how he eats with a spoon and fork and to see if he can dress and undress himself and see if he is dry at nights. I will also see what his behaviour is like in play school.
What Happened?
For this visit I saw Jack three times, in his play school, at his house and at my house.
I went to see Jack at his play school to see how he behaves with other children.
I also saw Jack at his house and my house to see how he eats and plays with his brothers.
I babysat for Jack and his brothers on Thursday night. I watched him playing with his brothers and dressed him for bed.
Interpretation
When I went to see him at his play school I found that Jack liked being around other children. Jack cooperates and likes to take part in playful games. He made me a picture with card, glue and coloured sand.
Jack came to my house with his family for Sunday dinner. I watched the way Jack ate with a spoon and fork and I found he was very skilfully at using them but he still wanted his mother to help him.
I found that Jacks general behaviour was that he likes to be independent but he wanted his mothers help all the time. Jack also cries when he doesn’t get what he wants or what ever his brothers have, he gets jealous.
I think when the new baby is born he will want more attention when he wants things done for him. He may also show regression when the baby is born because he may want to behave like the baby.
I think the effects in Jacks future development will be that he will want more things done for him. I think he should get more encouragement from his parents and brothers to do things for himself instead of having them done for him.
I will help to develop his self esteem and confidence and he will manage better in school. Especially when he needs to go to the toilet or change into his PE kit.
Type of development – Intellectual (cognitive) development.
Topics – Match coloured shapes.
Aims – To see how well Jack matches his colours to the shapes and counts and uses letters
Location – My house.
Equipment – Coloured paper and cards and blocks with numbers and letters on them.
Safety Issues –
Research/Norm
I will be focusing on the norms below.
- Counts by rote up to twenty or more and beginning to count objects by word and touch in one to one correspondence up to four or five.
- Enjoys a joke and a laugh.
- Matches and names four primary colours correctly.
- Draws a recognisable house.
- Asks meaning of words.
- Imaginative play well developed.
- Draws person with head, legs and trunk.
Plan for visit 6/7
At this visit I wanted Jack to have a good time to see how his sense of humour was. Also I wanted to see how he was at counting with me and also how he would use shapes and do drawings.
What happened?
At this visit I was looking at Jacks intellectual development. I had different coloured cards so we cut shapes out of them. We had a triangle, a square, a circle and a rectangle in the four primary colours. Red, yellow blue and green. I asked him to tell me the colour of the shapes and count them which he did; he was able to tell me what the shapes were except for the rectangle which he thought was a square. He asked me about this so I told him the difference between a square and a rectangle. He did not know the word rectangle so it was good he asked me. This is understandable at his age.
During our play I was talking to Jack and we were doing some knock knock jokes and he was laughing so much it made my belly hurt.
I asked Jack to draw a picture of his house and with him and his brothers which he did.
Interpretation
On this visit I was looking at Jacks intellectual development which is a cognitive development which is part of him learning to use his mind.
He will learn about people’s behaviour and learn how to do things.
I found that Jack generally knew what the shapes were but he sometimes got it wrong and got mixed up with the square and the rectangle.
This is not a problem as he will gradually learn as he gets older. He knew what the colours were which was good for his age.
He drew some good pictures for me and he was very attentive whilst drawing them.
He showed he had a good sense of humour when we were talking and playing, we laughed a lot.
Jack is at an age now where he will learn more. He will be helped by his brothers playing with him and by going to playschool.
I will also help Jack learn the shapes by going over them with him. This will help him understand them much better.
Type of Development – Emotional development.
Topics – Jealousy towards his new baby sister.
Location – Jacks house.
Equipment – Coloured cards and pictures
Safety Issues – N/A
Research/Norms
These are the norms for Emotional development
- Shows affection and displays sensitivity to other people.
- Strong willed but has a sense of humour.
- Express a wide range of emotions through play activities.
- Happy to leave parents for much longer periods of time.
- Enjoys caring for pets.
These norms are for 4 years and 5 years because Jack has just reached 5 years old.
These are normal emotions that children show:
Positive Negative
Excitement Anger
Pleasure Hate
Pride Rudeness
Affection Guilt
Happiness Fear
Joy Distress
Contentment Jealously
Love Frustration
Shyness
Sadness
Aggression
Aims for visit 8
I have decided to look at Jacks negative emotion. This is JEALOUSY because he has not really accepted his new baby sister in the family.
His behaviour around his new baby sister is that he ignores her and doesn’t pay much attention to her.
I have looked back through my study and I noticed in visit 5 that he gets jealous of his brothers when they have something and he doesn’t.
Plan for visit 8
For this visit I am going to make up a little story to tell Jack. The story is about a young boy who has a new baby sister and he gets jealous of her because he thinks the new baby will get the attention that he wants off his mum.
What Happened?
When I visited Jack I was looking at his emotional development. Jack wasn’t communicating with his new baby sister as I thought he would. I noticed his brothers did communicate with their new baby sister but Jack would not take any notice.
Before the new baby was born Jack was always clingy with his mother.
Even though he can do things for himself he would always want his mum to help him.
When Jack is at playschool or at my house without his mum he does things for himself so it is attention he is seeking from his mum.
Since his new baby sister has arrived Jack is still trying to get the most attention from his mum. Even though his mum might be busy with the baby Jack will keep on at his mum till he gets what he wants.
I have looked back on all my other visits and Jacks main emotions in the visits have come down to jealousy. This can turn to anger and frustration when he cannot have what he wants. This is usually when playing with his brothers and they have something he wants. Jack will turn to his mum and expect her to get the toy or game for him.
To help him I have written a little story about a young boy who has a new baby sister. This is enclosed.
Interpretation
“Emotional development is a development of a child’s ability to control their emotions”.
These emotions may come down to certain changes in a child’s family e.g. new baby, a death in the family or even neglect or abuse. Some children may behave badly to show emotions, but they may be really quiet or even silent.
On this visit I was focusing on Jacks emotional development and what effect Jacks emotions have on him.
On this visit I noticed Jack was not communicating with his new baby sister like his brothers. I also looked back on my visits I have made and jealousy comes into the visits quite a lot. Jealousy comes into visit 5 and it is because his brothers have got what he wants.
While I was at Jacks house I read the story I have written and he seemed surprised that the young boy in the story never took much notice of his new baby sister. I think this shows that Jack does care but that his jealously stops him showing affection for his sister.
Jack’s jealousy seems to come from insecurity. This is more so now the new baby has arrived.
The effects this could have in Jacks later development are that his jealousy could affect the way he accepts new things into his life.
I think what would help him overcome his jealousy is that he should focus on the good aspects of new things that come into his life.
At present Jack needs the help and support from his parents, brothers and other family to help him to accept his new baby sister. Jack should be encouraged to help with his sister. This can be done by letting him feed her and help to bath and change her under supervision of course. Jack would soon accept her if he was more involved and he would not feel so insecure.
Evidence such as photographs, drawings and menus etc have been included with the visits that they are mentioned in.
Analysis/Interpretation.
For the interpretation of the different development areas I have just been looking at the development and norms for a boy of 4/5 years. The age of my study child.
Physical Development
Physical Development is about physical growth of the child. This includes height, weight, development of teeth and muscles. Also it is about how the child uses his muscles (Gross Motor Skills) and fingers (Fine Manipulative skills). A child’s diet is also very important in the Physical Development process.
I looked at all these areas in my study visits to Jack and on the whole he was above the norm for his age. This could be because he has two older brothers and thy all play games together. Jack was below the norm for height but he is the third child and his mother is short.
Jack’s future Physical Development should be good. He is very active and loves playing and he is full of energy. Jack has a very good balanced diet so I cannot see him having any weight problems. No-one in his family is fat.
All this will help his long term growth and be good for is future health.
Jack is above the norm for Physical Development.
Social Development
Social Development is about how the child interacts with others. Younger and older than himself. It also involves personal social skills such as using a spoon and fork, being able to dress himself, can wash and brush his teeth and dry is hands.
Jack is very good with other children and older people. He played well in a group and showed concern for the other children. Jack is very dependant on his mum when she is around. I think this is just attention seeking. When she is not there Jack will play fine and will do things for himself but as soon as his mum is present he wants her to do everything for him. Jack’s mum has had a new baby girl which is causing Jack to be jealous as he is not the baby of the family anymore. Because of this Jack does not bother with his new sister as he should do.
Jack’s Social Development is slower than it should be because of his dependence on his mum. Jack is in full time school now so he spends a lot time with other children without his mum being there. This will help him to overcome the dependence he feels for him mum. However with the new baby and Jack’s jealousy this may slow him down again. Jack will grow out of this in time and with the help of his parents and family he should become well adjusted socially. He plays and interacts well now when his mum is not there.
Jack is a bit below the norm for Social development at present because of his dependence on his mum.
Intellectual Development
Intellectual Development is about using the mind to think, learn about things, increase vocabulary, looking at books, drawing and remembering.
Jack is very good at matching coloured shapes and being able to draw and cut shapes out from card. He was able to recognise shapes though had a bit of a difficulty with a square and rectangle. He was unsure of the word rectangle. Jack can count very well and he drew a picture of himself and brothers at his house. He included the right detail in the picture for a child of his age.
Jack’s Intellectual Development is good. He likes to build and make things and also loves drawing. He does some good pictures. Jack is also inquisitive and will ask questions.
Jack is at the norm for a child of his age in his Intellectual Development.
Emotional Development
Emotional Development is about a child’s feelings and how they interact with others and to issues around them.
Jack is very dependant on his mum. We saw this in his Social Development. Jack can get jealous if someone has something he wants. This usually only happens when his mum is there and he will go to her for help to try to get his way. When I observed him in play school he was fine and did not get jealous once. In fact he joined in with the other children and shared with them as well.
Jack’s mum has had a new baby girl and this has made Jack’s jealousy worse as he seeks more attention from his mum. He does not bother with his new sister as much as I would have expected. His brother’s are great with her. Jack’s jealousy can turn to anger and frustration which brings on mini tantrums. Jack has a caring and considerate side to him and has best friends at school and he is very friendly. He also has a good sense of humour. It is just when he is at home with his mum that the negative emotions appear.
On the good side Jack does show emotions whether positive or negative (jealousy). It would be a problem if he did not show any emotions at all.
I think Jack is at the norm for his Emotional Development.
Overall Interpretation
There is a detailed interpretation of the visits include at the end of each visit.
Overall Jack’s development is about average for his age. He has lots of support from his parents and family and Jack is a quick learner.
I feel Jack’s development will only get better and looks good for his future.
Jack’s Development Compared to the Norm
Above Norm
Norm
Below Norm
Physical Social Intellectual Emotional
Development Development Development Development
Jack Norm
Whilst I have been visiting Jack I have noticed that Jack gets jealous and he seems to want what his two brothers have. Last time I visited I noticed that the boys were playing on the game cube and Jack wanted it all to himself.
Therefore, because of this, I am going to plan a play/activity session with Jack, his brothers and myself to see how he will cooperate when playing organised games with others.
The aim of the visit is to get Jack playing and sharing with others without getting jealous.
This is social play and should help Jack’s social skills including overcoming his jealousy when playing. It will help him to join in with other children instead of just wanting the things that they are playing. One of the games I will use will be playing snap with cards. This will be intellectual play as Jack will have to match the numbers on the cards.
The play/activity will take place at Jacks house.
I have made a list of the types of games we can play.
- Build blocks together
- Cards/play snap
- Snakes and ladders
- Domino’s
- Duck duck goose
I have planned this play/activity visit for a Tuesday tea time after school. I have a free evening then and I know his mother and brothers will be there. I know his brothers will take part in the games.
I plan to play snap cards with numbers on them as I know Jack has a set of cards. I will ask his brothers to join in and who are both aged 7. We will play several games because I don’t think Jack will learn to share immediately. I also plan to play Duck duck goose which is a more noisy and energetic game.
Description of what happened
At this visit Jack got out his snap cards. He seemed happy to play and his brothers joined in as well. We played 5 games. Jack won twice and his brothers won one each and I won once.
We also played Duck duck goose. It was fun and Jack really enjoyed playing with his brothers. I found that Jack, Adam and Justin got on very well when all playing together.
In the game Duck duck goose the children sit in a circle with one standing to start the game. This child walks round the outside of the circle tapping each child on the head saying 'duck'. At a random point he/she changes this to 'goose' and runs off round the circle. The 'goose' must jump up and run in the opposite direction. Whichever child reaches the vacant place first sits down and the loser continues the game.
Jack responded really well and accepted being out and losing in the card game. Jack asked to play again.
Evaluation
I think that this play/activity was very successful because:-
- Jack did not fight or spoil the game.
- He stayed to play most of the time and only ran off to get a drink.
- The first time he lost to his brother he had a moan but I persuaded him to play again.
- The second time he lost to me and he thought this was funny.
- When he finally won a round of snap he was ecstatic and when his other brother won the next round he didn’t seem to mind.
When we played Duck duck goose Jack wanted to be the goose every time and had to be told to sit down and wait his turn. After a few turns he seemed to like running around and sitting down equally. All three boys really liked this game as it was energetic and they were really noisy laughing and shouting in fun.
I think that both games showed Jack that you can have fun even if you don’t win a game. I believe this was a good success as it suited Jacks personality much better than playing board games. He needs to play noisy exciting games with others. This will help his social development.
If I did this again I would make a few changes.
- I would play these games with other children instead of his brothers to see if he can cooperate with other children.
- Take Jack to the park and play outdoor games with other children.
- Watch him in the park at play on the swings and climbing frames to see how he interacts with other children playing there.
Overall I was pleased with this play/activity task.
Planning
The visits were the most important part of the study. It was from the visits that all information about the study child’s development was gained. Each visit had to be planned with an objective in mind. What type of development would be used for the visit and what topic would be studied within that area of development? Also the plan had to have an aim based on the topic. It was important that the correct location and that the right equipment for the study was available. The plan had to look at the safety issues as well.
Research had to be carried out to find out what the norms were for within the development area to be looked at so a comparison could be made with the study child. I chose from the norms of that development, activities that matched the topic I wanted to study.
The plan then would look at ‘What Happened’ at the visit and record this then an interpretation could be written showing the norms compared to the study child.
I felt the planning was very successful. I used the same method to plan each visit and it made the gathering of information a lot easier. This also made it easier to give the interpretation of the visit.
Resources
I used a number of resources to gather information for the study. As well as the work done in school, I used the internet a lot. I had to be careful of the sites I looked at so as to be able to get reliable information. I tended to use government and medical sites, also the BBC. Other sites were form links on trusted sites.
I found the internet good, as detailed information on a subject, (such as nutrition), could be found easily rather than having to look through a lot of general information to find what I wanted.
I could have used some more specialised books on child development in particular ones aimed at GCSE but these are quite expensive to buy and books in the library tend to be outdated.
Methods
The main method for gathering information of the study child was through observing and keeping a diary of the practical activities and the play we had together. I was able to collect most of the information about the child’s development this way. I was then able to match it with the information I had researched on child development and produce the interpretation of the visit and compare the child’s development with the norms.
Analysing and Interpreting Results
As I had planned the visits well it made the gathering of information easier. My study child was 4/5 years old during the study and was cooperative and willing to play which helped. I was therefore able to get a good variety of information. I think I presented the results in a good manner and was able to compare to the norms.
I believe I have written a well presented study.
Conclusion
I have learnt an awful lot from doing this child development study. With it being largely practical through the visits it made me have to research the subject a lot more rather than just reading a text book about it.
I think I planned the study well which made doing the rest of it easier. I could have done more research work earlier on in the study into all areas of the different developments. I found myself noticing something during a visit and then having to research about it after. It may have helped me to have been able to gather more information during the visits.
If I were to start this study again I would look to increase my range of a study child. I was observing a 4/5 year old boy with a good social upbringing. Because of this I was limited into looking at a small part of a child’s development.
I think I would try to look at a few children ranging from new born to 4/5 year old. Also male and female. This would give me a bigger area of understanding the different stages of child development.
