Running head: TODDLER OBSERVATION

Toddler Observation Report

John Mitchell
Ivy Tech Community College

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1. In what ways did the toddler you observed seem typical of this age group?

The toddler I observed was the typical child that you would normal
come across. He walked up the steps, with hands to help, and ran wherever
he went. I have observed and been around toddlers around this age and
some of them wanting to be held in the parents arms but Jackson seemed
very independent and content with walking. According to the Eriksons
(2015) second stage of psychosocial development, one to three year olds
realize that one is an independent person who can make decisions. (p. 9) I
asked Jackson if he needed help up the stairs and he said, No, I could tell
that he wants to prove he can do what ever I can do. He has three older
siblings and they are all very active. He copies all of them and he is basically
following under the rule, monkey-see monkey-do and that correlates with
the section in the textbook about, The Learning Perspective. According to
Bandura (2015), the Social Cognitive Theory explains that what he is doing is
known as imitation and he believes that children imitate other people
because he is learning how to understand the world. (p.10-11)
Sleep was another factor that I noticed was perfectly normal for a
toddler. When I arrived at the home the parents told me he woke up around
nine oclock and I asked them when he went to bed and they said around
nine oclock. According to Snell, Adam, & Duncan (2015), Growth and
Health The average three year old gets about an average of ten to eleven

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hours of sleep. I played with him for a few hours and around two oclock he
took a nap woke up at around four thirty. If Jackson has this same routine
everyday then he will get around ten and half hours asleep, which is normal
for a toddler his age. (p. 104)

2. Did any of the toddlers behavior seem unusual for this age? Explain.
I did notice that has just turned three years old and he is still wearing a
diaper. The parents told me that out of all four children, Jackson is taking the
longest. I noticed later in the day that he was full of energy then he slipped
off beside the couch and was really quiet. I figure that he was soiling his
diaper so; I rushed him to the bathroom to see if he would use the toilet and
he screamed and threw a tantrum. He was a very well behaved child but
when it came to using the toilet he wasnt and it was almost like he was
terrified of the toilet.
3. What signs of toddlers increasing independence did you observe?
I spent the whole day helping babysit him with his parents and we
went to the play area for kids at the McDonalds. I noticed he would walk
up/down stairs by himself, which I referred to in my first question response,
but as we got in the car he wanted to buckle himself in the car seat. He knew
how to latch in the top buckle but did not know how to do the bottom one so,
his mother was about to help and then he said, Noo, I can do it. His mother
let him try for a minute but, then she stepped in and just buckled it real
quick and he didnt mind. We pulled up to the restaurant and he wanted

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open the car door, open the restaurant door, and he wanted to untie his
shoes to get in the play area. I was impressed on how independent he was
because it almost seemed like he wasnt a follower or imitator but more like
a leader.
4. Has this observation experience helped you better understand toddlers?
Why or why not?
I believe this was a good learning experience for myself. I have a two
month old at home and I am clueless at what obstacles stands ahead of me
as a father. Given the understanding of how toddlers interact in situations is
going to help me tremendously. When to start potty training them so they
will not be a late bloomer in that field and just letting them explore their
abilities. Their abilities are only going to be learned from trial and error and
letting them increase their independency can be an amazing experience for
myself to witness.

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References
Vail, R. (2012). Children and their development (7th ed., pp. 9-104). Pearson
Education.