Observing and Documenting Children's Development

You watch children all day, but watching isn't the same as observing. Observing means looking on purpose, for a reason, and writing down what you see in a way that someone else could trust. It's the base of nearly everything a skilled caregiver does, from planning activities to talking with a family about a worry.

Memory is a poor record. By Friday, Monday's moment has blurred, and what stays with you is often your feeling about the child rather than what happened. Written notes fix that.

What You Will Be Able to Do

• Separate what you saw from what you think it means.
• Choose the right recording tool for the question you're asking.
• Observe every child in a group fairly, without leaving your supervision duties.
• Spot your own bias, and check it.
• Keep records private, and turn them into a useful summary.

Facts First, Meaning Later

An objective note records only what could be seen or heard. A subjective note adds a judgment, a guess about feelings, or a label. Both kinds of thinking matter, but they belong in different places.

Watch for words that hide a judgment: angry, sad, shy, lazy, bored, aggressive, hyper, sweet, bossy, wants attention. When you catch one, ask, "What did I actually see that made me think that?" Then write that down instead.

A good note answers five questions:

1. Who was involved? Use initials for other children.
2. When did it happen? Give the date and time.
3. Where did it happen? Say which area of the room or yard.
4. What did the child do? Use action words.
5. What did the child say? Use the exact words, in quotation marks.

Your interpretation still has value. Put it in a separate line, marked as a comment, so a reader can tell the difference. That way, if you were wrong, the facts are still there for someone else to read.

Choosing the Right Tool

No single tool answers every question. Start with what you want to know, then pick the tool. Names for these tools vary a little between programs.

Anecdotal Records

An anecdotal record is a short, factual story of one event. Write it as soon as you can, because detail fades fast. Many caregivers jot a few words on a sticky note and finish the record at nap time.

Worked example.

• Child: Maya, 3 years 8 months
• Date and time: March 4, 10:15 a.m.
• Place: Block area
• Note: Maya stacked 8 blocks. The tower fell. She said, "Too tall." She made a wider base with 4 blocks and stacked 6 more. She called to T., "Look, it stayed!"
• Comment: Maya changed her plan after a problem without any adult help. Possible next step is building challenges and using words such as "wider" and "balance."

Running Records

A running record is a nonstop description of what a child does over a set time, usually 5 to 10 minutes. Use it when you need the full picture, for example when you don't yet know what's behind a behavior. Arrange for another adult to cover your duties first.

Worked example.

The time stamps let you see how long each step took. Note that the record doesn't say that E. was upset or possessive. It shows what happened.

Frequency Counts and ABC Notes

When you're worried about a behavior, count it before you decide what it means. A feeling that "he hits all the time" is common, but the count often shows something more useful.

Pair the count with an ABC note, which stands for antecedent, behavior and consequence:

• Antecedent: What happened just before?
• Behavior: What exactly did the child do?
• Consequence: What happened right after?

Worked example. Staff say that Noah hits "all day." You count for five days and record the time of each incident.

11 divided by 14 is about 79 percent. Most of the hitting happens during transitions, such as cleaning up and lining up. That's a very different problem from "he hits all day." You now have something to plan around, such as giving a warning before a change, or giving Noah a job during cleanup.

Time Sampling

Time sampling means checking at set intervals and writing down what a child is doing right then. It's a good way to answer a question such as "Who is this child playing with?"

Worked example. You check on Ava every 5 minutes during a 30-minute free play period, for 7 checks. She's alone at 5 of them, next to other children at 1, and playing with another child at 1. So she was alone at about 71 percent of checks. Repeat this on a few days before you read much into it, because one morning is only one morning. Also, playing alone isn't a problem in itself. Your other notes will tell you whether she seems content.

Checklists

Checklists are quick, but they can mislead. A blank box means you haven't seen the skill. It doesn't prove that the child can't do it. Use three marks if your form allows: seen often, seen sometimes, and not yet seen. Add the date each time.

Don't treat a checklist as a test. Milestone checklists are tools for noticing and talking, and they aren't meant to rate a child or to give a diagnosis.

Work Samples and Portfolios

A portfolio is a dated collection of a child's work and your notes. Its power comes from comparison over time.

For every sample, write down the date, the child's age, what the child said about it, and how it was made. "Drew alone at the art table, took about 10 minutes, said 'That's my dog'" tells you far more than a bare drawing. Three self-portraits from September, January and May can show a family more than any report.

Don't correct or finish a child's work before saving it. Keep samples that show a child's struggles and progress, not only the best pieces.

Observing While You Supervise

Safety comes first. You can't step away from your duties, drop below your required ratio, or turn your back on the room to write. Those rules come from your state's licensing agency and your program. Most observing happens in small bursts, so plan for it.

1. Pick your focus each day. Choose one or two children and one question, such as "How does Maya join play?"
2. Keep tools within reach. Use a clipboard on the wall, or sticky notes and a pen in your pocket. If your program uses a tablet app, use the program's device, not your own phone.
3. Write key words only. Take 15 seconds, get a quote and a time, and look back up.
4. Finish your notes the same day. Nap time or the end of the shift works well.
5. Coordinate with your co-teacher. Say, "I'm watching blocks for five minutes. Can you take the room?"
6. Track who you've covered. Keep a class list, and tick off each child.

Worked example. You have 16 children and want at least one good note on each every two weeks. That's 8 children a week. If you focus on 2 children a day from Monday to Thursday, you have it covered, and Friday is free for catching up.

Observe at different times and in different places. A child who hangs back at drop-off may be a leader on the playground. If you only watch during circle time, you'll know only that part of the child.

One observation isn't a pattern. Before you call something a pattern, look for it on several days and in more than one setting.

Watching for Bias

Everyone has expectations, and they affect what we notice. A caregiver who already thinks a child is difficult tends to record every conflict and to miss every kind act. Bias doesn't make you a bad caregiver, but you do need a way to check it.

• Count your notes. At the end of a month, count the notes for each child, and how many describe a strength. You may find that you've written 11 notes on one child, 10 of them about behavior, and 2 notes on a quiet child.
• Ask a second observer. Have a co-teacher watch the same child, then compare.
• Compare a child with themselves. Use earlier notes on that same child, not a sibling or the rest of the class.
• Question your first reading. Ask what else a behavior might mean. Looking away could be fear, shyness, respect or a hearing problem.
• Think about culture and language. Eye contact, independence at meals and speaking up to adults are all taught differently in different families. A child learning English may understand far more than they can yet say.

Keeping Records Private

Notes about children are private. Handle them like medical records.

• Use initials for other children in a note.
• Keep paper records in a locked place, and digital ones behind your program's login.
• Share them only with staff who need them, and with that child's own family.
• Don't talk about a child at pickup within hearing of other parents.
• Never post photos of children on personal social media.
• Get the family's written permission before sharing anything with an outside professional.

Write as if the family will read it, because many programs let them see their child's file. Rules on records vary by state and by type of program, so learn your program's policy.

Warning: Observation notes aren't the way to handle suspected abuse or neglect. If something you see or hear makes you suspect it, follow your state's mandated reporting law and your program's policy right away. Don't wait to collect more observations. Your duty and your deadline depend on state law.

From Notes to a Picture of the Child

Notes in a folder don't help anyone. Set aside a regular time to review them, weekly if you can, ideally with your co-teacher.

1. Read the notes for one child, in date order.
2. Tag each note by area of development. Your program may use state early learning standards. Head Start programs use the Early Learning Outcomes Framework, which has five central domains: approaches to learning; social and emotional development; language and literacy; cognition; and perceptual, motor and physical development.
3. Note where you have little evidence, and plan to look there.
4. Note what's changed since the last review.
5. Write a short summary of strengths, interests and next steps.

One note can cover several areas. Maya's block tower, from earlier in this lesson, shows problem solving, fine motor control and language all at once.

Worked example. A summary for a family conference could read: "Since September, Maya has moved from building alone to building with one or two friends. She solves problems on her own, for example by making a wider base when a tower falls. She's now using words such as 'because.' We'd like to give her more chances to practice taking turns in small games."

Every line in that summary can be traced back to a dated note. That's what makes it fair and believable.

How This Connects to the CDA

Observing and recording children's behavior is one of the eight subject areas for the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, which is run by the Council for Professional Recognition. If you're working toward a CDA, your practice here will be useful, but this material doesn't count as CDA training hours and doesn't replace hands-on practice with a mentor. To get better, have an experienced teacher read your notes and point out where judgments slipped in.

Common Mistakes

Check Your Understanding

1. A coworker writes, "Tyler was frustrated and threw a tantrum because he's spoiled." How would you rewrite this?

Remove the guesses and the label, and keep the facts: "At 11:20, when told that it was time to clean up, Tyler lay on the floor, kicked his feet and shouted, 'No!' for about 2 minutes." Add a comment only if you have evidence for it, and keep it separate.

2. You want to know whether a child's crying at drop-off is getting better. Which tool fits best?

A simple frequency or duration record works well. Note how many minutes she cries each morning for a few weeks. You'll see the trend, and a story about one bad morning won't mislead you.

3. You're the only adult with your group, and you notice a child doing something new. What do you do?

Stay with the group. Jot a few key words and the time on a sticky note or clipboard, and write the full note at nap time. Don't leave your supervision duties to write.

4. At the end of the month, you see that one child has 9 notes, all about conflicts, and another has none. What should you do next?

Look for strengths in the first child, and plan to observe the second one. Check your class list, and ask your co-teacher to watch them as well. The gap may say more about your attention than about either child.

Key Takeaways

• Write what you saw and heard, and keep your interpretation in a separate comment.
• Choose your tool to fit your question.
• Count a behavior before you decide what it means.
• Plan short bursts of observing, and never leave your supervision duties to write.
• Check your bias by counting your notes and asking a second observer.
• Keep records private, and go to mandated reporting right away if you suspect abuse or neglect.