The Power of Observation

    After becoming a parent and also a Parent Educator, I got to see the importance of the power of observation.  Observing children as they play sheds a light on their developmental progress as well as their personalities.  Take my 13 month old ‘R’.  I got out some activities that I thought might interest him.  Since he was showing a real interest in putting objects inside of other objects, I choose the Clink Can, the MilkJug and the Parmesan Container. 

{Read more about how to create your own Homemade Toys here}

 

Clink Can

What is it? Simply a can with a slit cut in the lid and baby food jar lids, juice can lids or poker chips.

What does it do? Promotes hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and problem solving.

What I learned from observing ‘R’: He is beginning to problem solve. He would slightly turn his wrist to try and make the lids fit in. He is extremely persistent and patient (a trait from his dad). He tried over and over again without getting frustrated. Last, he likes to complete a task. He had to have every last one of those lids in that can before moving on to something else.

 

                             

 

MilkJug

What is it? Half gallon milk jug, old fashioned clothespins

What does it do? Promotes hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and placing a round object into a round hole.

What I learned from observing ‘R’: He did not find this challenging. He placed them in quickly and with no issue. Which means I missed his queue telling me he was ready for placing round objects in round holes. Now that I think back, I did see him placing a ball into a cup several weeks ago.  That would have been the best time to introduce this activity, as he might have found it more engaging then.  Although, he did place ALL the clothespins in before moving on (that completing a task trait again!)  Next, we will work on dumping and shaking those clothespins out of that jug!

But, look at this last pic.  Trying to get a lid through that hole!  Love that he is using trial and error.  It didn’t seem to work for him so he tossed the lid!

    

 

Parmesan Can

What is it? A clean parmesan can and straws cut at different lengths.

What does it do? Promotes hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and decision making.

What I learned from observing ‘R’: That this was challenging, but not too challenging.  How do I know?  He didn’t get frustrated, but it kept his attention and he enjoyed completing the task over and over.  I also loved to watch which hole out of the 3 he chose to put in the straw in.  It was never the same hole, but never seemed random either.  I knew he was proud of his accomplishment of completing all the straws when he shook it up and down and gave me that perfect smile!

 

 

What have you learned about your children through observation?  It is amazing the things you can learn through a set of watchful eyes!

 

Please note: Supervision is extremely important when working with small objects that present a choking hazard with children 3 and under.