Fact Sheet - 8 Months

Definition/ Explanation - Object permanence Object permanence is a cognitive advance that involves awareness that objects (including people) continue to exist even when we are not in direct sensory or motor contact with them (Arnett, 149). We practiced a lot of hiding games with Liam to help him better understand the concept of object permanence. We found that he was able to find the hidden object, as long as we didnt wait too long or distract him in the middle of the search. One thing that we observed was that Liam demonstrated an error that was discovered by Paiget. This error is called the A-not-B- error which is an error that many young babies make. We noticed that he was making this error when we hid the object in the same place repeatedly and then changed the hiding place. Liam had a tendency to look in the old hiding place and then got confused about where the object was or forgot about it. Liams favorite game as a baby was called, Hide and Seek. Memory Liams favorite game use to be a game called, Peek-a-boo. This game involves one person that covers their face with their hands or an object (such as a blanket or a cloth), then suddenly reveals it. We would play this game a couple times a week and Liam really showed a lot of interest in it. He also showed a lot of progress with this game because as time went on, Liam would initiate the game himself by putting a cloth up to my face or covering his own face. I found this extremely cute and exciting!

Fact Sheet - 19 Months

Definition/Explanation Deferred Imitation Deferred imitation can be defined as the ability to repeat actions observed at an earlier time. Deferred imitation is crucial for learning because it means that when we observe something important to know, we can repeat it later ourselves. This type of imitation is a frequent part of toddlers pretend play, as they observe the actions of other children or adults making a meal, fixing a toilet, digging a hole etc (Arnett, 188). Memory Liam always watched his Daddy work in his garage fixing many things like cars, household appliances and old broken toys. When he turned 2 years old all he wanted for his birthday was a set of tools just like his Dads. The minute he got his toolset for his birthday, he rushed out into the garage and started to imitate Daddy fixing the car!

Fact Sheet - 30 Months

Definition/Explanation Toilet Training Toilet training involves children learning to control their urination and defecation and are able to use the toilet without having any accidents. It is important to be patient with toddlers who are learning to use the toilet and to make sure your child is ready. Some signs of readiness are: staying dry for an hour or two during the day; regular bowel movements, occurring at about the same time each day; increased anticipation of the event, expressed through words or looks and directly asking to use the toilet or to wear underwear instead of a diaper. Toilet training is something that does not happen overnight; instead it is a gradual process (Arnett, 184). Memory Liam was fully potty trained just after he turned two years old. It was a slow process, but shortly after, he was able to make it through a whole day without any accidents. Liam was so excited about being potty trained that we went out and picked out a small, child-sized potty that was just for Liam! His favorite color is blue so he made sure to pick a blue potty with a picture of Thomas the Train on it. We also gave Liam rewards for every time he made a successful trip to the toilet. His favorite type of candy is Smarties, so every time he went to the bathroom on the toilet, he would receive a small package of Smarties. This really helped with the process of getting him to go to the bathroom on his own! Such a success, I am very pleased with how that went.

Fact Sheet - 15 Years Old

Definition/Explanation Puberty Ritual A puberty ritual is a formal custom developed in many cultures to mark the departure from childhood and the entrance into adolescence. Puberty rituals are especially common in traditional cultures. Puberty for girls is different for boys because female puberty is marked by a monthly menstruation that lasts throughout a womens productive life while boys puberty is not marked by a biological event, but by requiring the young man to display courage, strength and endurance (Arnett, 347). Memory Liam was born and raised Catholic and has attended church every Sunday since he was a little boy. His puberty ritual was his confirmation within the Catholic Church. Confirmation is a time (in the Christian Church) in which a baptized person affirms Christian beliefs and is admitted as a full member of the church. This is a big deal for Liam as he is becoming more and more interested in our Faith. We invited all of our close family and friends and made a great day out of it.

Fact Sheet - 16 Years Old and 11 Months

Definition/Explanation Under structured Socializing This concept means socializing with friends without any specific goal or activity; includes behaviour such as riding around in a car for fun, going to parties, visiting friends informally, and going out with friends. This type of socializing is highest in the late teens. Under structured socializing also includes drinking alcohol and substance abuse. Some teens experience these situations under peer pressure because they want to impress their friends by partaking in the risky behaviour. Many dangers are associated with under structured socializing such as drinking and driving and fighting (Arnett, 413).

Memory Liam is a very social boy with lots of friends, always being invited to parties and is one of the most popular boys in school. His friends are a little rowdy and can get into trouble sometimes. Liam is a great kid who does well in school so I am not too worried about him but I can remember this one time when Liam was almost 17, he went out to a party and asked me to pick him up at the end of the night. As he opened the door to get into the car, I could smell alcohol on his breath and he had quite the headache the next morning. That was the first time he got into serious trouble and was grounded for a month!