The Description of the Child’s Actions

Describe the child’s actions and movements step by step, in detail, as you observe and the setting: i.e., room (what’s in the view), how many children, equipment, toys, etc.

Your description should be an unbiased, factual report. You should be able to ask yourself, “How do I know this?” and then answer yourself, “It is exactly what I saw and heard, not my interpretation of what the behavior meant.” Example: “Child A does not like Child B.” How do I know this? Can you see a child not like another? Or do you see behavior you think means a child does not like another? The above statement is not an observation but a judgment or assumption. You can’t observe a child’s mental process. You can’t see a child’s thoughts, only how those thoughts are acted upon. You can’t observe a child “deciding.” Do not record, “The child decided to eat a snack.” Instead, record, “the child ate a snack.”