Is \narrative observation\ ok to set an activity for the child?
If you are asking if you can set up an activity for a narrative observation, the answer is YES and NO. A narrative observation should be you observing a child and having absolutely no responsibility or contact with this child in a natural setting. Somebody else needs to be caring for this child while you observe. So , if you were to have, for example, a water-play table all set up for children to play with and you later were observing this and not involved, I would say its ok. Remember though the purpose is to record without any bias or prediction about what is going on exactly. If the child throws a cup at another child you wouldn’t write…”the child threw the cup at another because she was upset from being yelled at” This is your opinion and not necessarily the intent. I think narratives are the easiest yet the most difficult of observations. I would recommend you sit in a chair and dont smile, make eye contact, initiate, with this child. Typically you would do a narrative for 30 mi
