Running head: TODDLER OBSERVATION

Lucas W. Munson

Toddler Observation

Ivy Tech Community College

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TODDLER OBSERVATION

INTASC Standard #1: Learner Development

“The teacher candidate understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns

of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social,

emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and

challenging learning experiences.”

Rationale: To demonstrate my understanding of Standard #1, Learner Development, I chose to

include my first child observation. Through visiting with a toddler and observing the things that

he can or can not do, I could compare this with how the average child would develop and see

the common differences. This also allowed me to see how some things can be learned and

others are natural. For those learned, I can attempt to identify a source and how to approach it

in the classroom.

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At any age, a child can be named average, above average, or—worst of all—below

average. This common system of labeling a student spans from test scores, to social

interactions, to attendance. Because of this, parents and teachers are often left to expect too

much or not enough of their children or students. Until the parent or teacher has enough

experience to expect a certain amount from each certain student, this label can be thrown

around with no real proof. To students, this label can play a huge role in the formation of self-

esteem or how hard they work in school. To teachers, this label on a student is purely a

harmless was to organize.

Bentley Lippott, a 24 month-old, was kind enough to let me observe him on Monday,

February 15, 2016, at his grandma’s house. This house is a small ranch house near Strawtown,

IN. This, of course, was done under the supervision of his grandmother, Cassandra Eiler, who

has been a family friend for a long time. During this time (around 7:30, just after dinner),

Bentley continuously ran around the room, mazing through the furniture and around the dining

room table. He even army-crawled underneath the chair that I was sitting in at the dining room

table. Bentley also showed me how he could move a sitting bench so where he could stand on it

and turn on the light. According to his grandmother, he learned how to do this all my himself!

His grandma said how she will often tell Bentley to do something even if he can’t do it. For

example, he discovered how to turn on the light switch because he wanted to to turn on the

light and grandma told him “no, you do it”. This gave him the motivation to persevere and find

different ways to look at the same problem. Bentley has learned how to do many things on his

own because of this parenting style, and that is great because it shows him growing, not just

mimicking what others do.

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The night concluded with an hour-long play session with Bentley and his toys. Bentley

was quick to respond when his grandma asked him to put his toys in a bin or to get out a certain

toy. He was also very interested in all of his toys and showed interest in finding out how each

one worked. Unfortunately, Bentley also showed how possessive he was over his toys. When I

went to sit down with him and play with the toys, Bentley would stare me down or say “mine”,

so I would know that I shouldn’t play with his toys. With this, I tried to push my limits but also I

tried to help him out and hand him certain toys. I wanted to show him that sharing can be

caring. Towards the end of my visit, Bentley got out his new bicycle. All by himself, he brought

out this bicycle—the size of him—to the center of the room and stood on it. This showed me

how he understands how to use it, just lacks that little bit of motor skills to make him into a

speed demon. Shortly after this, I left the observation and Bentley seemed fine with it. Bentley

didn’t show signs of fear or over-attachment in that way, which is a good sign for someone at

his age.

On one hand, Bentley has plenty of things that are growing at the right speed. The first

thing is that his mind is very active. Even though he isn’t asking “why” every minute, it is clear

that his mind is buzzing because of how busy he was when playing with the toys

(whattoexpect.com). He would constantly look at the toy from different angles and see how it

works. He would put in different sized balls to see if any or all of them would fit. Another

normal thing for Bentley to go through is mess-ups in potty training and fears

(whattoexpect.com). According to Bentley’s grandma, these are both very common occurrences

in their household. Lastly, Bentley can understand the commands that are given to him. This

understanding is expected at this age (parents.com). For example, Bentley was told to put all

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his toys away, and he understood and did as he was told. These are just a few of the reasons

that Bentley is on the right track for physical and cognitive growth.

On the other hand, Bentley has a few things that are not growing at the right speed.

First off, Bentley can not yet create full sentences. If he does, these sentences are about two or

three words. Children of this age should be able to speak four-word sentences

(babycenter.com). In fact, Bentley was more familiar with sounds in comparison to sentences.

When he got on his bike, he made a buzzing sound, as if he was revving the engine. Small

actions like this made it clear that he knew the sounds that things made, but not how to talk

about them. Another thing that seemed abnormal to me was his amount of jealousy. From

what I can find, most jealousy at this age occurs if there is a younger sibling in the family. For

Bentley, that is not the case. Bentley is an only child, which could play in to how possessive he

is. Everything he has is his and always has been his. Bentley’s grandmother stated that Bentley

will have a tough time if he ever has a younger sibling and this is very true.

At the end of the day, I learned a lot from this visit. Children are constantly amazing me.

From my service learning, to family members, to this observation, every interaction I have with

a child amazes me. Maybe my expectations are just low, but children at any age seem to be

much smarter than I expect. Even if Bentley isn’t the most developed according to these

websites, he is really smart. This would relate to a classroom because I will have many different

students who excel in different areas and it is my job to help them become more well-rounded.

No matter if Bentley would be labeled as average, above average, or below average, he has

already shown great problem solving skills and perseverance.

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References

Robinson, H. (n.d.). Your Baby from 22 to 24 Months: Improved

Language & Motor Skills. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from

http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/growth/improved-

language-motor-skills/

Sullivan, D. (n.d.). Your 24-month-old's language and cognitive

development: Asking questions | BabyCenter. Retrieved

February 21, 2016, from http://www.babycenter.com/0_your-24-month-olds-language-

and-cognitive-development-asking_1273382.bc

Sullivan, D. (n.d.). Your 24-month-old's physical development: Moving

every which way | BabyCenter. Retrieved February 21, 2016,

from http://www.babycenter.com/0_your-24-month-olds-physical-development-

moving-every-which-w_5181.bc

What to expect. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from

http://www.whattoexpect.com/toddler/24-month-old.aspx

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