Running Record Observation Paper on a Specific Child (Essay Sample)

Running Record Observation Paper
Name
Institution
Running Record Observation Paper
Observer: (Insert name)
Child: Kimberly, 21 months old
Venue: Kimberly’s house.
Duration: 10:30 am – 11:20 am
Kimberly (pseudonym) is 21 months old with brown, soft and curly hair running to the middle of her face. She has big brown eyes that are almond-shaped with a dark complexion. She is on the back porch with her five-year-old sister looking out at the moving ants. Today is fairly hot, and the sun is shining brightly. The children are in tank tops and blue shorts. The time is 10:30 am on Saturday.
Observation Data
10:31- Kimberly walks across the room next to the balcony and grabs her tricycle. Her sister follows her immediately showing how to pop on the tricycle with much enthusiasm. Kimberly tries to start the tricycle, but before she can move it, she answers her mother’s call for a snack. I feel uncomfortable as this is an unfamiliar territory for me. However, I have maintained a passive role as I adapt to the anxieties that Parrish (2014) suggests in observation as one is vulnerable to what will unfold next.
10:36- Kimberly and her sister are running to the kitchen table. Kimberly appears happy when given the doughnut. She is looking up to her mother and asking ‘Ma, juice.’ She is taking the juice and the doughnut as she mumbles something to her sister. Kimberly has finished her snack and is now fighting her sister for another. Kimberly is becoming irritable and is crying as she tries to grab the doughnut off her sister. The mother is intervening by offering Kimberly another doughnut. I realize that there must be much to the irritable behavior of Kimberly, which concurs with Fawcet (2009) that what we observe in children is a tip of the iceberg.
10: 40- Kimberly is running out of the house with the remaining doughnut in her hand. She is gesturing her sister to join her by clenching her stretched arm at her. Kimberly is holding a push toy and a doll on each of her hands. She is sitting down when her sister starts to approach her. Kimberly is making engine sounds with her mouth as she is pushing the toy on the grass. Her sister is taking the other push toy and joins Kimberly in the rhythm of the engine. Kimberly is placing her doll on the toy as she attempts to give it a ride. The doll keeps tripping off, and Kimberly appears frustrated by this.
10: 50 – Kimberly is already up and running to the flower bed dirtying her both hands. Her sister is running towards her and wipes off the dirt as she drags her away from the flower bed. Kimberly is refusing to move and says ‘stop, stop.’ The sister is stronger and pulls her along forcibly. Kimberly trips and is crying at the top of her voice chanting ‘Ma, Ma.’ The tussle continues until Kimberly’s sister runs out to the house to call her mother.
11: 00 – Kimberly is hiding in the big flower bed peeping at the entrance of the house. She is distracted by a leaf that has just fallen off a tree. She grabs it and starts to observe it. Suddenly she puts it in her mouth as if licking the liquid on it. Her attention is caught by the yelling of her sister as she approaches with their mother. She hides the leaf behind her back and stares blankly at her mother saying ‘Nah, Nah.’ As if protesting about something.
I took a break from the observation as I reflected on the emotions and cognitive abilities of Kimberly around others. The next session starts in ten minutes. At this point, I get to talk to Kimberly’s mother who gives some additional information regarding the growth of Kimberly. As postulated by Piaget, the background influences could have an impact on the development of a child (Piaget & Inhelder, 2008).
11: 11- Kimberly appears calmer as she dresses her doll on the stairway. She is busy fitting the tight collar n the doll when she is interrupted by her sister. Kimberly squeezes herself to allow some room for her sister. Kimberly gestures her sister to sit next to her by tapping the empty space. They are laughing as they produce cheeky sounds. ...