ASSESSMENT

“I have used my observations overview to plan opportunities that

Child Assessment evaluates individual encourage physical activity developmental patterns and milestones, for an , three 2-year- including the development of gross motor olds, one 4-year-old and and fine motor skills. Observing and documenting two 6-year-olds. Some each child’s development helps to: of the ways that I have • Identify delays or any unusual development done this is to watch for the for early intervention types of activities that are • Understand each child’s capabilities so that lesson plans address the needs of piquing their curiosity at all children each age.” • Sequence skill development throughout a curriculum – Brenda Flannery, • Know how to adapt physical activity Lil Blessings Child Care, programs and environments Crandon • Observe a child’s behavior and understand more about the reasons or context for those behaviors assessing the children in your program

The Gross Motor Developmental Milestones Quick Reference Chart (on pages 16 and 17) will help you observe and assess the physical development of individual children in your care. Features include: • A focus on physical development and skills • Skill categories within the physical development domain • Suggestions for sequencing physical skill development • Separate versions created for different age groups

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Use a variety of activities to help assess they skills children have mastered, skills skills continue to practice and improve, and that may need extra attention Make regular observations of how children activity,respond to and participate in physical activity, how they initiate their own physical and how they continue to develop physically Communicate observations with parents. Consider adding a physical development a section to your daily report or creating development portfolio that is frequently shared with parents Involve parents in assessment by inviting home them to share their observations from to their or encouraging them to contribute child’s portfolio physical development of all of your children, children, your of of all physical development adaptationsyou can prepare atfor children to skill levels. Be sure different communicate them ideas to parents and give successes their child’s growth and of how to continue development at home. for all all for ages considerations considerations fast and it is important to Children grow up their development. record and document •  •  •  • 

completed your action steps, start completed your action steps, start observation and assessment again to evaluate progress and identify new areas for improvement. Keep a journal of successful physical activity. You can look back and see progress and remember why you do what you do! Have the tools used to record to record Have the tools used assessment easily observations and home or classroom. accessible in your an index card for For example, keep that clips to your each child on a ring belt loop. Observation and assessment are an ongoing process. Once you have quick tips quick •  •  •  assessment? Create action steps for child development. Once you have assessed the children in your care, use the information gained to create schedules and lesson plans that provide time to practice skills and foster physical development. Because your assessment has provided a picture of the what comes after after what comes

development of the children in your children in your development of the care to feel like an extra does not have into the day. You can responsibility to fit activities to help you assess purposefully plan place your recording skills and strategically during the day. You can tools for easy access while you interact make useful observations with children, lead activities, support child- day’s play, and reflect back on the initiated events. Documentation about To make documentation easy, think which how your environment is set up and best for methods of documenting will work you. In their book Focused Observations: How to Observe Children for Assessment and Curriculum Planning, Gaye Gronlund Marlyn James discuss a variety of tools and and ideas you can use to record a child’s development. Included are an observations a file record, a quick check recording sheet, with folder and sticky notes, and a folder index cards. or a ringYou may want to carry a pad of paper of index cards to jot down notes throughout a the day, or you may prefer to have clipboard for each child that you fill in during quieter times of the day or after children have gone home. Don’t be discouraged if you have to try a few methods to find out what works best for you and your program. This just means that you have really figured out what works best! how to fit assessment assessment fit to how and gross motor Observing the physical into your day into Assess infants’ physical development by quick tip engaging them in a variety of activities that will help you see their progress toward various milestones, such as grabbing, With increased mobility in sitting, and crawling. For example, use , be sure to arrange the Tummy Time activity below to assess safe, low places for climbing infants’ development in terms of lifting and provide toys that can be their heads, holding their heads up, rolling pushed or pulled. This will over, and crawling. Use your interactions help them develop all of the as a method of assessment as well. Lead gross motor skills, including infants in little activities throughout traveling, and manipulative the day, such as grabbing for different objects, dancing around the room and stabilizing skills. with an infant in your arms, and moving infants’ arms, legs, fingers, and toes as you name these body parts out loud. Observe how infants react to different activities and how they start to initiate their own movements as well as their continued physical development. activity idea

Tummy Time Place an infant on his or her tummy. Roll brightly colored soft play balls nearby. Encourage the quick tip infant to follow the balls (visually from side to side), reach for, and touch the balls.

Touch a toy to the infants’ hands to Equipment: Soft blanket or mat, colored balls encourage grabbing every day. As they Time frame: 5-10 minutes or until interest develop, you will see infants progress is lost from using their entire arms to swipe at objects to using their entire hands to Adaptations: Adjust the distance that balls grab, then just using their fingers to grab. are rolled; change the texture or size of balls

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Space Invaders with clearPrepare a 10-foot by 10-foot square marked assess thelines. As children move through this space, children travelpersonal space and general space that play area. in. Use cues such as “Look at our small area withoutWhen I say ‘go,’ walk around our play use this time bumping into anyone else.” You can and comfort.to observe and record posture, speed bumping intoSay, “Now run in our play area without anyone else.” Observe and record again. Equipment: Four cones or place-markers and tape Time Frame: 10 minutes Adaptations: Make multiple play areas to accommodate more than 4 or 5 children. Encourage children to use other locomotor skills, such as walking backward or hopping. Play music in the background.

Scavenger Hunt get to all over the room so toddlers must Place favorite toys variety of cruising, or walking. Choose a the toys by crawling, textures, toddlers a chance to feel different toys that will give and and carry objects of different shapes see different colors, skills. to observe and record gross motor weights. Use this time toys Equipment: Children’s favorite interest is lost Time Frame: 5-10 minutes or until Adaptations: Adjust the distance between items activity ideas activity For example, you might want to use yoga yoga For example, you might want to use cards to have children practice different onebalancing skills, such as standing on foot, squatting, and standing on tiptoes. useAdditionally, you could create dice to in practicing different traveling skills. Have a different traveling skill, such as walking, running, or sliding, on each side of the die. roll the die and practice children have Then the skill! preschoolers & & preschoolers Structure a variety of activities to observe children’s gross motor skills and physical skills development. Think about specific youyou are interested in assessing and how skills.can engage children in practicing those older children older

quick tip quick Create activity cards that capture that cards activity Create animals, objects, or people in different balancing positions. For example, show a stork standing on one foot, a frog squatting, or a toy soldier standing at attention. Try making cards for other skill sets, such traveling skills or object-manipulation skills. By providing a variety of materials and toys a variety of materials By providing development, gross motor that emphasize and catch (e.g., materials to throw such as soft and portable toys Mylar balloons) scarves and you will have the pushed or pulled, that can be the toddlers in your care opportunity to observe materials available. as they explore the activities for toddlers so You can also structure skills and physical activities specific gross motor For example, the Scavenger can be observed. right allows you to observe Hunt described at as walking or running, traveling skills such such as pushing and pulling, manipulative skills such as standing and and stabilizing skills push toy is balancing while reaching. If a truck room, you placed on the opposite side of the pushing and could observe the walking, that is a balancing. If a ball is placed on a shelf observe little higher than the toddler, you could The the child’s ability to reach and balance. up to you! options are endless and they are all toddlers multi-age groups Multi-age groups of children bring a special quality to the assessment process. Younger children watch older children to see how they move. Regardless of age, providers should always try to understand each child’s preferred method of learning. But with a multi-age group you can really see how interactions between children who have mastered a skill and children who are learning a skill can promote physical and gross motor development. Your observations can then inform your lesson-planning processes so that more activities are structured in a way that helps children of varying ages learn. activity idea

Follow the Leader, Simon Says, or Copy-cat Choose an activity in which children have to mimic one another, such as quick tip Follow the Leader, Simon Says, or Copy-cat. Instruct older children to lead different activities so you have an opportunity to observe the skills of younger children. If you have specific skills that you would like to assess, make cards or dice that can be rolled to give the older children guidance in selecting Often the best way to learn something activities. Then switch and have the younger children lead the game. is to teach it to someone else. Have an older child teach a new physical activity Equipment: None necessary, but props such as dice, bean bags, or or gross to a younger child. scarves could be used Time Frame: Variable

Adaptations: Go indoors and outdoors for variation. Depending on the size of your group, you may want to expand or limit the space available.

• 28 • CHILD ASSESSMENT • 29 • development. When culture and assessment assessment and When culture development. also have the together, you are brought to of using the information advantage lesson plans appropriate create culturally so they are environments and classroom in your care. to the children truly supportive engaging families engaging children’s physical Use portfolios to share progress and gross motor development could include photos, with families. This and objective, quotes from the children, strengths-based observations! engaging communities its ownEncourage your community to assess commitment to physical activity. Counties, conduct cities, and neighborhoods routinely community needs assessments. Challenge your community to make physical activity a part of its next needs assessment! Share information with parents Invite parents to share information Create next steps with parents Be a cooperative partner… • • •

Present Patient (avoid interrupting) Accepting Nonjudgmental Curious Be an active listener… • • • • • cultural competency cultural and culture a family’s values Understanding is helpful, but it assessment before starting As you are late to learn more. is never too of each the individual development assessing you will see differences, child in your care, to understand why these and it is important differences exist. reason for differences. Culture can be one family it may be the For example, in one to wait patiently to be norm for a child activity, while in another invited to join an may be encouraged to family, the child environment at any time. actively explore their “why?” When assessing development, asking why a is critical. It is important to understand child has or has not achieved a developmental values milestone. Understanding a family’s and culture will help you make reasonable conclusions about a child’s development. of a Be sure to look at the broader picture about child’s life before drawing conclusions

tips for communicating with parents tips for communicating Be kind Be warm Be real Be of service Be child-focused Be aware of parent reactions Be strengths-based… • • • • • • Do not assume a child has a developmental a child has Do not assume has yet to reach if he or she delay or disability Think about milestone. a developmental inclusion health explanations, including possible culture, and the child’s problems, the family’s these options, if history. After exploring may not be developing you still feel a child action. normally, then take about how a child If you have concerns your observations is developing, discuss the child’s parents. and concerns with Your goal in discussingSensitivity is important. is to support them in this with the parents This providing the best care for their child. support can be done through giving parents tell and understanding. It is best to objectively they them your observation and recommend discuss this with their child’s pediatrician.