Why is observation important in young children?
Reasons we observe young children in the classroom: 1. to keep them safe. Watching the children use the toys and play in the room allows the teacher to see if there is anything that needs to be readjusted for safety’s sake. 2. to see if they understand what they have been taught. The students should be taking what you are teaching them and use it in their play. Do they understand what sharing is? Do they understand how magnets work? These things should be visible to you as you observe. 3. To compare. We observe and document our observations in order to see where children are at now, and then we can compare that with were they are at a few months later. 4. To document. it is necessary to record children’s behavior if there is a problem, or just to keep research in the child’s file to share with parents or the child’s teacher next year.
