An Observation of a 2 ¾ year old boy in my program:

by Juliette McDonald
posted July 27, 2005

A little, almost three-year-old boy gets a bucket that holds many different shapes and sizes of wooden beads. There are also a few 4 - 5" buttons with large holes for easy stringing and various lengths and thickness of string.

The boy reaches in and puts a bead on a string and pulls on it and the bead falls off the other end. He reaches down and quickly tries it again, but he gets the same result. He takes a breath and huffs it out in frustration and folds his arms at his chest. He reaches into the bucket and picks out a 5" yellow button. The button has four large holes and the boy tries to put it on the string. It also falls right off the other end. The boy sits down with the large yellow button and sews and weaves the string in and out so the button will stay at the end of the string without slipping off. He reaches back into the bucket to pull out the bead he had tried before. This time it stopped at the end of the string where he had placed the yellow button. He smiled and said, "I put the bead on!" I replied, "Yes, you sure did!"

The boy took the next few minutes and filled the long string with many different beads. He took the string of beads and held it over the bucket and tried to get the beads to fall off of the end he was holding, but his hand was stopping his success. He then grabbed the middle of the string and half of the beads fell into the bucket, but the other half was still on the string. He reached way down and pulled the string high over his head and the rest of the beads fell off the string.

Then, the boy grabbed a red bead and put it on the string. Next, he looked a long time in the bucket and pulled out another red bead, and slid it on the string. He grabbed a blue bead, then another blue bead. He looked through the bucket for a while and pulled out a red bead again, and then another and sewed them on the string. He spent the next few minutes repeating this pattern. When he was about half way through, the beads were not falling all the way down the string. After several tries at pushing and shaking the string, he found that if he stood up and held the string over his head after he put a bead on it, it would fall all the way down by itself. He worked until the string was completely full of his red and blue pattern.

Off the boy went, walking around the room pulling his beads behind him. "Look at my snake!" he proudly said. "Wow, that is a red and blue snake," I reflected.

After a few times circling the room with his "snake" following him, he sat down on the circle rug and put the two ends of the beads together. "A circle, Juliette!" he proclaimed. "You made a circle, didn't you?" I reflected.

Then off around the room he went once again pulling the beads behind him. He took the string of beads over to the play kitchen area where he put it in the oven and baked it for a few minutes. I couldn't help but notice how much it looked like a string of sausages. He pulled it out of the oven and took it to the round "restaurant" table, where he pretended to eat his bead food.

He pulled the string back onto the floor and it followed him to a small rug where he held the stringing end of the string way up high over his head. He pushed the string making it move back and forth gently. Then he moved his hand a little more making it swing higher and harder. "Tick-tock, tick-tock," he repeated over and over. Then he set the beads down. "These are heavy beads, Juliette," the boy announced. "They are heavy?" I asked. "Uh Huh! I'm all done with the beads now." he told me while placing the string of beads back into the bucket and putting it back on the shelf!

What did the boy learn?

In this short period of time, less than ten minutes, this little boy made many learning discoveries all by himself.

He mastered fine motor skills through beginning sewing and engaged in strong imaginative play. The little boy also showed a great growth with problem solving (math and science) skills and focused attention span. Here are the expanded lessons this almost 3-year-old learned:

If you ever have the time -- pick up a pen and paper and observe your child and record what they do. You will be amazed what types of lessons come out of play. Here are some basic guidelines to follow:

  1. Record when the child does not notice.
  2. Write down only reflections of what is observed, eliminating any judgments or feelings that you might think.

Example:

  1. Interact with your child as little as possible during this time.
  2. Don't suggest things, just observe.
  3. After you are done, you'll be surprised at how this observation exercise reveals more about your child then you knew before you tried it.

I use these observation techniques when I am having difficulties with children. It opens up a window of understanding to me. I would be happy to discuss any of your observations with you, or help you in any way.

Have fun with this!

Please send in your questions!

Back to Part I - Innate Flow of Learning...

Universal Preschool's Preschool Expert: Juliette McDonald

Juliette McDonald our Preschool Expert

Juliette McDonald is the owner of Little Bloomers In-Home Preschool, a private preschool located on the San Francisco Peninsula. She also offers children's art and music classes.

Juliette is the author of a three-volume set of parent co-op art books entitled, Borrowed Recipes for Exploratory Arts. Juliette is also a song writer, singer, recording artist, and performer. She has written and recorded her first two children's CD's, Around and Around, and Kitty Vacation, and is now working on her third CD, It's A Brand New Day.

Juliette is a homeschool mom and together with her two daughters, Yvette and Alainah, she performs children's family concerts throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Juliette welcomes your inquiries. For more information, E-mail her or visit her website at www.littlebloomers.com.

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