Observations of children are essential for early years practitioners to understand children's development, interests and learning styles. Practitioners closely watch and record what children are doing without drawing conclusions. Observations inform planning to meet individual children's needs, evaluate activities, share information with parents and other professionals, and consider each child's strengths. Observations are also used to review the learning environment, support transitions, and enable partnerships between practitioners and other services involved in children's care and development.

1. As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven
wives. Each wife had seven sacks, each sack had
seven cats, each cat had seven kits. Kits, Cats,
Sacks and Wives, how many people were going to
St. Ives?
1

2. Aim: To Learn how to use observation to promote the
development of children.
Objectives:
•To understand why your observations important to the
children in your care.
•How observations are used.

3. Observation
Observation ‘involves practitioner observing children to
understand their level of achievement, interests and
learning styles, and then to shape learning experiences for
each child reflecting those observations’.
Statutory Framework for Early Years Foundation Stage, 2012
Assessment The action of assessing someone or something.
Planning
To formulate a scheme or program for the
accomplishment

4. • Becoming skilled in observation and assessment is one of the
most important part of your training and developing practice.
• By observation, we mean closely watching, listening and
generally attending to what a child is doing, and recording your
findings as accurately as you can.
• While you are observing, try to avoid drawing any conclusions
• Stay as focused on the child as possible.

5. Observation is an essential tool in planning to meet children’s needs.
Observation is important as it enables early years practitioners to:
•Evaluate individual needs and to share their evaluation with others
•Tune in to what interests an individual child, and to see how to support
and extend their interests
•Ensure that their planning and practice are informed by the knowledge
gained from observations.
•Build a fuller picture of each child that informs assessments.

6. Observation skills
Looking Listening
Writing
Thinking Questioning

7. Common reasons for observing
Assess over all
developmental
progress
Assess
effectiveness of
activities
To gain information
for parents
To form the basis
of planning
To consider
individual children’s
strengths
To understand a
particular child’s
behaviour
To gain
information for
other
professionals
To focus on
particular area of
development
To understand
children’s
interests
To evaluate the link
between
developmental
theories and practice
5
minutes

8. How observations are used to plan for individual
children’s needs?
• Effective planning for children’s early learning is based on
every child’s early needs, abilities and interests.
• This is why accurate observations are so important
• These needs have to be combined into the curriculum
requirement for your particular setting and to the age group
of the children you work with.
For example: the learning of development requirements f the
EYFS.

9. How observations are used for early
intervention
• Talk to parents, if there is any concern
• provide support in that area to reduce the risk that the
child will struggle when starting Key Stage 1.
• Observe to determine the cause of development delay
• Affect of disability
• An early identification should reduce the risk that the
child will continue to struggle in certain areas.

10. • Many boys in the play area, but none of the girls > encourage girls
to take part in play.
• If a child spend little time in the book area > need to change the
type of books on display
• Try to add home-made book about children’s play and interests
• If bilingual children make less progress than those who speak
English as a first language, you will need to focus on whether your
setting is providing enough appropriate support.
How observations are used to review the
environment

11. How observations are used during
transition
• When a child is experiencing a transition, observation can help
practitioner to build up a picture of the child’s needs during
transition.
• The practitioner could for example: visit the child’s home before
he/she starts the nursery to observe their behaviour.
• To find out any worries that the parents or carer might have
The process or a period of changing
from one state or condition to
another.

12. How observations are used in partnership
• Experienced practitioners may need help from outside the setting,
particularly in medical conditions or development delays.
• Parents / carers will provide valuable suggestions.
• Guidance of other expert or specialist professionals.
• They will gather the evidence from parents/carer, practitioners,
health visitors, doctors and social services.
• These provisions can only meet the child’s needs when there is
cooperation between all the services involved.

13. 5
minutes