Running head ANECDOTE CHILD STUDY 1 .docx

Running head: ANECDOTE CHILD STUDY 1
Anecdote Child Study
Student CCC
Rochester University

2
ANECDOTE CHILD STUDY
As an Aunt of both an infant and a toddler, I took advantage of
the quality time that I
spend with my nieces as an opportunity to perform the
following focus child study. For this
particular study I chose to observe my niece Kaidence who is a
9 month-old female infant.
Kaidence and her parents along with her 2-year-old sister came
over to my house to visit my
parents and I for the weekend. The following anecdotes entail
observations of Kaidence over a
two day period.
Anecdote #1- This anecdote consist of physical development
milestones of infancy in
which sitting alone, crawling, pulling to stand, and learning to
walk is involved. The reason why
I chose this anecdote is because Kaidence shows an important
amount of motor achievement.
These four motor skills are significant to Kaidence exhibiting
her ability to perform complex
systems of action. Kaidence sitting alone shows that she has an
appropriate amount of control of
her head and upper chest allowing her to sit alone. As a result

of her own support, Kaidence
spent majority of her evening crawling. The environment of the
home provided a broader
physical environment to influence her motor skills due to stairs
being in the home. Kaidence has
mastered crawling up the stairs. As the evening continued
Kaidence displayed her ability to pull
herself up into a standing position and went as far as taking one
to two steps when holding onto
things and tottering around them. Furthermore, Kaidence fell
multiple times when attempting to
take steps without holding onto any objects. After falling on her
bottom numerous times she
always returned to motion within a few seconds. This shows
that she is in the process of learning
the amount of strength that is needed to balance her body
vertically over two moving feet.
In order to support her physical development an activity that I
would do to help Kaidence
learn how to walk would be for me to provide more balance and
stability for her by holding her
3

hands after she pulls herself up. This will help Kaidence gain
the confidence that she needs to
take her first steps.
Kaide ce h ica de e e ca be c ec ed Piage e i age with
he bab e f he e e a d e e e e he d (Be , & Me e , 19).
Piage idea f ci c a eac i i e i fa h b e ac e e e ie ce ca ed b
hei e ac i i . Acc di g Piage he eac i i ci c a beca e, a he
infant tries to repeat the event again and again, a sensorimotor
response that originally occurred
b cha ce e g he i a e che e (Be , & Me e , 203). I e a i
Kaide ce, he
repeated events of holding onto things and tottering around
them will strengthen her chances of
developing the new scheme of learning how to walk. On the
contrary, according to
B fe b e e ec l gical he a child develops within a complex
system (Berk, & Meyers,
26). This theory in relation to Kaidence would interpret that her
activities and interaction patterns
within her immediate surroundings stem from the innermost
level of the environment, also
known as the microsystem. Whereas Piaget believes that a child
develops throughout stages

rather than a systematic approach.
Anecdote #2- This anecdote consist of cognitive development
which intentional or goal-directed, behavior coordinating
schemes are used to solve simple
problems. The reason why I chose this anecdote is because
Kaidence displayed her ability to
successfully problem solve simple tasks. This is significant to
Kaidence because she shows a
more complex action sequence through being able to retrieve
hidden objects. When Kaidence
spotted an attractive toy she was motivated to crawl towards the
toy in order to play with it. Due
to the toy being her older sisters it was not an appropriate toy
for an infant to play with. As a
result, the toy was hidden under a cover in the process of
Kaidence crawling towards it. When
4
Kaidence made it over to where she first saw the toy she pushed
aside the cover in order to
e ie e he hidde . Thi h ha Kaide ce abi i e ie e hidde b ec e
ea he

mastery of object permanence through her understanding that
objects continue to exist although
it may be out of sight.
In order to support her cognitive development something I
would do is to help complete
her awareness of object permanence. I would do this by letting
Kaidence visibly see that a
hidden toy can be moved from one hiding place to another. For
example, Kaidence would make
the A-not-B search error of searching for a hidden toy in the
first hiding place even after being
shown that it was moved to a second hiding place. I would
practice hiding an object in its first
hiding place (A), next I would have her see me move the object
to a second hiding place (B).
Currently, Kaidence would try to find the hidden object where
she first saw it (A). However, I
would help Kaidence understand to go to the place where she
last saw the toy hidden. This would
help her develop a clear image of the object as persisting even
when hidden from view (Berk, &
Meyers, 204).
Kaide ce c g i i e de e e ca be c ec ed Piage c g i i e-

developmental
theory. Piage he f c g i i e de e e i he be ief ha chi d e ac i e
c c edge a he a i a e a d e e he d (Be , & Me e , 19). Thi
relates to Kaidence learning through experience that an object
hidden from view continues to
exist. This theory suggests tha chi d e de a di g i diffe e f ad
. O he he
hand, Vygotsky believed that adults and more expert peers help
children master culturally
meaningful activities (Berk, & Meyers, 25). While Piaget says a
child tends to receive
knowledge through experience, Vygotsky appears to lean more
towards the idea that a child
5
ecei e edge h gh he he f ad a d ee a a chi d a a e ea i gf
activities.
Anecdote #3- This anecdote consist of language development
which cooing and babbling is apparent. The reason why I chose
this anecdote is because
Kaidence is consistently making speech like sounds. This is

significant to Kaidence because she
is cooing and babbling as a way to communicate. While
Kaidence was playing with her two-
year- d i e he ed c i g a d babb i g a a a f c e a i a beha i .
Kaide ce
sound patterns were those of adult like speech. This shows that
Kaidence is reflecting speech
patterns of what appears to possibly transfer into to her first
words in the near future.
A ac i i I d d Kaide ce a g age de e e i a e e
time to sit down and talk to her. I would also incorporate
gestures when speaking to her so that
she may be able to integrate words with gestures. For example,
although Kaidence is neither deaf
nor hard of hearing I would use sign language as a way to
expand her vocabulary so that over
time the gestures will symbolize words.
Kaide ce a g age de e e ca be c ec ed to V g k ci c l al he .
V g he be ie e ha chi d e de g ce ai age i e cha ge he e hei
abi i
participate in dialogue with others progresses while cultural
values are built up (Berk, &
Meyers, 25-26). Although Vygotskey agreed with Piaget that

children are active and constructive
bei g , Piage ch e e ha i e chi d e i de e de eff a e e e f hei
d,
(Berk, & Meyers, 25) which Kaidence appears to be doing
through the use of cooing and
babbling.
Anecdote #4- This anecdote consist of social development
which social smiling is contributed. The reason why I chose this
anecdote is because Kaidence
6
e ea a b ad g i a he igh f he a e . Thi i ig ifica Kaidence
because she
expresses a social smile when encountering a face-to-face
interaction with her mother and father.
Kaidence was in the middle of playing with her sister and she
heard the sound of footsteps
coming towards her. Kaidence stopped what she was doing and
turned to see who it was that was
approaching her. When she realized that it was her father she
begin to smile with an open mouth
a he c ed a d ed he a a d eg e ci i g . Thi h ha Kaide ce e f

a cia
smile in response to seeing a parent reflects a warm and
affectionate relationship that is healthy
f he chi d cia de e e .
A ac i i I d d Kaide ce cia de e e i a a ga e f
peek-a-boo. This may generate a social smile when making
funny faces or noises. Secondly, I
would promote active social engagement to encourage laughter.
Moreover, I would practice
e di g Kaide ce i e a d cia c e i a i d a e i a e affec i .
Kaide ce cia de e e ca be connected to E ik ch cial age, ba ic
trust versus mistrust. In this psychosocial stage infants gain a
sense of trust that the world is good
d e a a d e i e ca e ha he a e e e ie ci g. Thi e a e Kaide ce
cia
response at the sight of her father. Kaidence displayed a social
smile to a person that gives her
warm and responsive care. Erikson may interpret this as
Kaidence having a sense of trust that the
d i g d (Be , & Me e , 16). O he he ha d, F e d ch analytic
perspective
would stress the influence of early parent-child relationship on
development (Berk, & Meyers,

15). This would relate to the parent-child relationship that
Kaidence has with her father. As a
result of that positive relationship with a parent she is socially
responding in a healthy way.
Anecdote #5- This anecdote consist of emotional development
which clear-cut attachment and separation anxiety is
experienced. The reason why I chose this
7
anecdote is because Kaidence has a strong and affectionate bond
with her mother. This is
significant to Kaidence because she displays separation anxiety
when her mother leaves the
. Af e a g i g Kaide ce he a h di g he i he he a ca ed a
different room. When Kaidence was given to me I sat her in my
lap momentarily until her
he a ab e c e bac . Whe Kaide ce he a dde i ie he di a ed
a sense of fear and anxiety becoming upset and crying.
Although I tried to soothe her by rocking
her tightly in my arms she did not calm down until her mother
was visible to her again. This

shows that Kaidence experiences separation anxiety due to not
understanding that the caregiver
continues to exist even when not in view (Berk, & Meyers,
262).
A ac i i I d d Kaide ce e i a de e e i b ac ici g
separation between her and her mother. When spending time
with Kaidence I would plan out
personal time without her mother being in the room for brief
periods of time so that she may
become more use to separation. Every so often I would plan to
gradually have the mother leave
for longer periods of time until Kaidence became more
comfortable in understanding that her
mother continues to exist even when not in view. Although
Kaidence may be too young to
understand I would try my best to reassure and communicate to
her that her mother will return.
Kaide ce e i a de e e ca be c ec ed B lb e h l gical he f
attachment. Thi ch a a ic idea f attachment to the caregiver has
profound implications
f he chi d fee i g f ec i a d ca aci f i g e a i hi (Be , & Me e
,
261). B b d b e e Kaide ce e i a a e a i clea -c a ach e ha e

where at ach e i e ide he ca egi e . Acc di g B b he i i be
ie ed ha
the use of a familiar caregiver is used as a secure base (Berk, &
Meyers, 262). Similarly, Freud
gge ed ha he i fa e i a ie he he i he f da ion for all later
relationships
8
(Be , & Me e , 261). F e d d i e e Kaide ce e a a i a ie a a hea
h ca e
for later relationships due to a positive parent-child relationship
that Kaidence has in early
childhood.
Summary
Teachers have the wonderful opportunity to spend time with
children who experience
physical, cognitive, verbal, social, and emotional growth on a
day-to-day basis. I believe that it is
extremely important for teachers to observe infants and toddlers
for healthy and successful
development. If teachers lack in observation of infants and
toddlers developmental millstones
can easily be overlooked. Moreover, if teachers fail to keep

track of whether a child is
appropriately developing that is then putting the child at risk for
receiving the help that he or she
needs, if any at all.. It is also important for teachers to be aware
of what healthy development
entails. If a teacher does not know what to look for
developmentally then they may not be aware
of whether the infant and toddler is meeting their milestones. As
a result of these reasons, I
believe that it is crucial for teachers to know their infants and
toddlers so that they are able to
plan for their development accordingly.
This assignment was extremely beneficial to expanding my
knowledge in regards to
infancy and toddler development. It has also provided me the
opportunity to become more hands
on in the process of learning a lot about the specific infant that
I observed. Personally, the best
part of this assignment was bei g ab e e a f he chi d de e e
af e
observing their physical, cognitive, language, social, and
emotional growth. I believe that it is
extremely important for all infants and toddlers to be observed
for the reason that childhood

de e e ca ha e a i di id a ad ife.
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References
Berk, L. E. & Meyers, A. B. (2015). Infants and children:
Prenatal through middle childhood
(8th ed.). Boston, MA: Perason.
Five Anecdotes of Various Infants and Toddlers
Anecdotes
Date:
Beginning:
When, Where, Who
Middle:
What did the child do?
What did the child say?

Category and/or Specific Development
#1
3/12/12
Afternoon. Room #2. Toddler (18 months)
Child is just learning to speak, and when I repeated “Auntie” to
him, he tried to say it.
Language (steadily adds to vocabulary)
Language (joint attention with caregiver becomes more
accurate)
#2
3/13/12
Afternoon. Room #2. Toddler (18 months).
We watched a video and when the movie ended an upbeat song
came on. Both boys got up and danced around the room.
Physical (walking is more coordinated)
Emotional/Social (joins in play with familiar adults, siblings,
and peers)
#3
3/12/12
Morning. Room #2 Toddler (18 months)

Comforted his friend when he cried as his mom left for the day.
Emotional/social (realizes that others’ emotional reactions may
differ from one’s own) and (shows signs of empathy)
#4
3/13/12
Morning. Room #2 Toddler (18 months.)
To help him stop crying I picked him up and showed him
pictures of my kids and asked him to tell me their names, which
he did successfully.
Language (steadily adds to vocabulary)
Emotional/social (complies with simple directives)
#5
3/12/12
Late afternoon. Room #2. Toddler (18 months)
His parents put him in a pack and play to take a nap when he
arrived. He cried for a while so I decided to rock him to see if
he’d nap. He sat with me for 20 minutes before joining the
other boys to play.
Emotional/social (joins in play with familiar adults, siblings,
and peers) and (uses caregiver as a secure base for exploration)
and (separation anxiety appears)
Five Anecdotes of Infant or Toddler

Anecdotes
Date:
Beginning:
When, Where, Who
(Important: Include AGE of child)
Middle:
What did the child do?
What did the child say?
Domain and/or Specific Development
#1
#2
#3

#4
#5
1. Focused Child Study (PLO 1, 6, 7): (80 pts possible)
Knowing your infants and toddlers and properly planning for
their development starts with observing them. You will collect
anecdotes, analyze 5 anecdotes while observing one child and
plan for that child’s development and then summarize what you
learned. (See instructions below and in the assignment for this
study). Please make sure that you are collecting 5 anecdotes
from the same child. This assignment has been separated and
each part explained below with corresponding possible points.
a. Collect 5 anecdotes on one infant or toddler under the age of
2 years and 6 months. Make sure that you get different
anecdotes and not all the same (e.g., all art, or all language). If

you do not currently work directly with children, find a child
(e.g., relatives, neighbors, church children, etc.) but they need
to be under 2 1/2 years old. (Forms are provided in the file
named “Anecdote Form”). If finding an infant or toddler to
observe presents a challenge, please contact me directly so we
may brainstorm alternatives (e.g., asking family/friends to send
video clips of an infant/toddler or relying on memories from
working with a child) (15 pts).
b. Categorize the anecdotes according to child development
based on the Milestones presented in Chapter’s 5-7 and pp 282-
283
c. Then use those 5 anecdotes to complete a detailed analysis of
each. Each anecdote should be written in paragraph form that
includes (i-iii) below along with planning for that child’s
development. What did you learn about this child from these
anecdotes? Each anecdote should include the following:
i. Include the specific development (e.g., Milestones presented
in Chapter’s 5-7)
ii. Why is this anecdote significant to this child’s development?
Why did you choose it?
iii. Now that you have an idea of the interests, needs and
strengths of the child(ren) you observed, based on the 5
anecdotes that you chose, for each one plan an activity that you
would do with this child to support his/her development and/or
what materials would you use with that child to support his/her
development.
d. Connect the observations with theory (Piaget, Vygotsky, etc.)
from chapter 1. Compare and contrast how two or more theorists
would interpret your observations of the child. You are to
consider the theorist’s views on the domains of development
and their views in terms of the basic issues. Discuss how the
theorist(s) support or connect your anecdote to development.
You must support all theory references with an APA reference
citation to your textbook complete with page number.
e. Write a summary of why teachers (or another profession)
should observe infants and toddlers and what you learned from

doing this assignment.
f. Grammar, writing & APA formatting. Paper should have a
title page, formatted according to APA specifications, utilize
proper APA in text citations and have a corresponding reference
page formatted in APA style.

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