Child Observation Essay

For this assignment, I chose to interview the daughter of a friend. Sarah is three years old, and she was observed while interacting with kids that ranged in age from one year to almost seven years old. I did the observation in their home to ensure Sarah felt comfortable and relaxed to acquire a more accurate assessment of her temperament.

I spoke to Sarah’s mom, Shelly, about different aspects of her temperament and personality. Her mom described Sarah as “busy and happy”. She described Sarah as always being on the go and having a very laid back and patient temperament. The mom said there was only one scenario where this would change, and that is when she was interacting with her younger brother, Jack, (20 months old) who was present during

I observed her playing with a toy that another child wanted. When the child approached and tried to grab it, Sarah gently pulled her arm away and politely told him that she was playing with it. When he vocally protested, she responded in the same quiet way, explaining that it was still her turn. Shelly directed the other child to another toy so there was no further interaction. I expected yelling, crying, and possibly even hitting as the scene unfolded. Sarah is truly very laid back.

The most apparent trait that stood out to me during my observation was how easy-going and flexible Sarah was. There was a lot going on, and she just seemed to go with the flow. When one child was having a hard time and being grumpy, it never affected Sarah 's mood. She allowed him to work through his feelings without taking it personally. She was able to stay calm and happy even though there was a clear shift in mood in the room. I was very impressed with this personality

They are intensity and mood. She is a very positive girl and reacts calmly and quietly to different situations going on. She 's not one to have tantrums according to her mother. When she is sad or hurt she tends to become snuggly. Her mom says it takes a lot to get a negative or loud reaction from Sarah. She is generally a positive and happy little girl. She only has a shift from this temperament when interacting with her younger brother, Jack. At those times, she has quick bursts that are over quickly, and she returns back to her happy, positive temperament once again.

The trait that would make it difficult to parent Sarah is her adaptability trait. Sarah tends to question changes to routines, big or small. She needs to understand what is changing and why. Sarah needs answers to her questions before she can make the adjustment. However, when she is given an explanation she is able to adapt. This can be difficult to contend with when things need to change abruptly with little or no time for explanations. There will not always be time to help ease Sarah into a new or changing scenario, which could cause an even bigger problem than the one causing the change to begin