Observing Physical and Cognitive Development in a 43-Month-Old Child

Physical and Cognitive Observation Paper Name Institutional Affiliation Course name Instructor’s name Assignment due date Physical and Cognitive Observation Paper Overview Child’s Name: John (Name changed) Date of Birth: June 17, 2021 Observation Date: January 20 to February 10, 2025 Age at the Beginning of Observation: 43 months, 3 days Time: Two hours daily, between 10 AM and 2 PM Introduction Determining a child’s achievement of physical and cognitive development goals could offer parents and educators insights on the needs and the best approaches to enable them meet growth expectations. Early childhood development has significant implications on the wellbeing of a child and their academic achievements. Schools provide resources for both the physical and academic needs of children and ensure that the learning environment provides holistic growth. Through the observation of a child, educators are able to identify the potential changes they could make to the physical and social environment to best meet their development needs. The current paper describes an observation exercise for a 43 month male child in a learning environment that offers academic and physical support for development. John is an English speaking child with no physical or mental health disabilities and was born on term with optimal weight (Abdulhameed & Rashid, 2022). He demonstrated the achievement of majority of the physical and cognitive development goals for a child of his age and was able to demonstrate meeting most of the conditions for growth at his age. The observation paper offers a summary of the observation techniques, provides data on physical and cognitive development aspects for John, and provides a conclusion of the findings. Observation Techniques Observation techniques for the experiment have significant implications on the data and information available for the observer. Various observation tools are available for researchers and determine the depth of insight that an educator has on the child’s physical and emotional wellbeing. One of the tools used for the experiment was the recording of anecdotal notes that indicate the observations the researcher makes during and exercise. The notes provide a list of important events during the observation period that demonstrate the success or failure of development in the physical and cognitive aspects. The next observation technique was the filling of an age and stages questionnaire that provides guidelines on development at each stage. For this observation exercise, the questionnaire was for a 42 month old child and it lists aspects of communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal social development for a child at this age (Rahimah & Koto, 2022). The tool involves making observations at each stage of development and recording how the child demonstrates success in development at each stage. Lastly, the documentation of photos indicated important events during the collection of data on the child’s development. The tools offered insights and data on the child’s physical and cognitive development as indicated in the appendix. Physical Development Physical development for a child at 43 months can be grouped into aspects of gross motor and fine motor development. The achievement of each of the aspects of development determines the ability of a child to engage in active activity independently and determines how they interact with peers during play (Rahimah & Koto, 2022). Gross motor development has significant implications on the movement of a child and their play activities with peers in the classroom and playground. During the observation period, John development the successful achievement of numerous aspects of physical development in both gross and fine motor movement. At this stage of growth, the child should demonstrate aspects of physical stability that enable movement and play activities. Actions such as jumping, running, and playing with a tricycle were important indicators of development during the observation exercise. During the observation on the playground, John participated in various play activities that indicated both his development and could offer guidelines on aspects of support that would facilitate meeting his goals. At 43 months, a child should be able to walk upstairs using one foot of each stair to indicate both balance and physical strength. The observation of the child indicated that he was able to achieve this milestone during observations on a playground. While John used the railing for support and stability to achieve this exercise, it is expected for children between three and four years old. The development is important since it shows how the child has achieved physical developmen