Sicilia Oseguera

Child Observation Reflection Summary

        In the two child observations that I looked at I was able to notice major differences between the 8 month old and 20 month old. It was very interesting how the two males differentiated from one another. In my observations I decided to split up the focus of my observations into 3 different sections per child. For the infant I decided to focus on sensory and perception in infancy (chapter 4), psychical development in infancy (chapter 4), and the still face experiment (chapter 6). In the toddler observation I focused on Piaget's cognitive theory and sensorimotor stage (chapter 5), development of language (chapter 5), and types of attachments in young children (chapter 6). I decided to split up my 6 topics of my choice to really understand how each child fit into the according category.

        In the infant observation, I observed that the 8 month old needed more help from the mother than the 20 month old did. I saw that he was really trying to find himself and learn new skills through observation. You can see in the observation notes that he uses his senses and perception to understand what he is doing. During the still face experiment, the child reacted the same way the mom did and wanted her to be happy again. It was fascinating how quickly the infant's mood changed from a happy face to a still face. The last thing I observed was his psychical development. For being 8 months old, he was surprisingly very strong. He held his head up well and really wanted to stand and try to walk. The infant felt very secure crawling. It was a very big difference from the development of the 20 month old.

        During the 20 month olds observation, he had a lot more independence and self-knowledge compared to the infant. During the toddlers observation I saw that he was a very secure attachment toddler. He was safe enough to do things on his own, but also needed help from his mother from time to time. His development of language skills were very impressive. The toddler can identify an object to say the word, such as “ball”. Although he could not make complete sentences, he knew how to combine 3 words together. Last thing I observed from the toddler was his cognitive and sensorimotor stage. I can see in his sensorimotor stage that he was very aware of what he was doing and how he was doing things.

        I learned from these observations that infants and toddlers vastly differ from one another. They each have their own unique ways of life during their infancy and toddler ages. Each one of them was finding their own independence within them. Although the toddler had more independence than the infant, we can see how the independence grows. I also learned that the mothers both loved their children and were helping them grow to become better and more developed.         

        By having great parents, I believe that one can grow up to be an amazing child. Although I did not observe the children with their fathers, I learned how much the mother needs to interact with their child. In each of the observations I saw that the mothers gave their sons independepene, but still helped them along the way. This is a great example of how cultural practices have an effect on young children's development. By letting the children be independent, they can grow up to be great kids. I observed that both of the mothers showed love to their son which is another strong factor of cultural beliefs. By loving on your child it can show them what a good caretaker is. The main lesson I learned from this child observation is that each child develops at their own pace and is unique in their own way.