Observing Children's Play
The Outdoor Play Space
How do effective outdoor play spaces relate to observing children’s play? We observe children to learn more about how they grow and develop, how they mature, and how they come to know and understand the world around them. The purpose of effective child observations in play environments is that it gives us a greater understanding of how young children grow and develop in all of their developmental domains. This article keenly observes children growing in each developmental domain and explains this growth through the context of play. You will learn how to apply this observational skill while working with children in early childhood. We will explore Charlene’s growing language abilities, Henry’s motor skills, Gillian’s social skills, and Keith’s emotional development. You’ll learn that children express themselves verbally, use verbal and nonverbal emotions in appropriate ways, use fine and gross motor development to play, and demonstrate social interactions within the play space.
The Observational Field
Observing the growth and development of young children can be very interesting, engaging, and enjoyable. When observing, we generally call the location, setting, or place the observational field. And for us, it is outside on the playground. Here are examples of language, motor skills, social skills, and emotional skill development.
When observing the outdoor play space, we learn about how children develop:
- Language Development
- Fine and Gross Motor Development
- Social Development
- Emotional Development
