Child’s Name: Sammy K.
Age of the Child (in months): 18
Setting or Background
Sammy, the 18-month-old infant, was observed in a home environment that was relatively comfortable and largely within the living room area. This is a familiar environment to Sammy, which means that this setting fits naturally and freely nature and unrestrained play. The observation was done during the two hours around the afternoon, a period when Sammy is usually active and has already woken up from sleep. Adequate toys characterize living room furnishings according to age and open cubic environments that will allow the development of various types of movements and activities with a plentiful context for observing motor skills development in Sammy.
Gross Motor Skills Observed
Watching the young child for a while, I made two gross motor skills observations about Sammy. He manoeuvred around the room fluidly, mastering a coordinated balance and only rarely stumbling. The ability to do this action reflects that the muscles of the legs are well developed and also that they have been coordinated many times of use, a common observation among toddlers aged almost 18 months. The second incident to be mentioned is the manner in which Sammy climbed onto the low sofa completely on their own. He measured the height and braced himself collectively with his hands as he drew himself to the target zone. This physical action is not only muscle strength-dependent but also needs spatial skills and problem-solving to show his refinement of gross motor tasks.
Fine Motor Skills Observed
Sammy further showed developed fine motor skills, and one of the observations on it was the sample ability to stack bricks. He went about slowly and neatly collecting small blocks, one after another, silently placing them on top of one another where they maintained their balance to form a tower. The activity demanded much accuracy, perfect hand-eye coordination, and fine touch; Sammy was capable of it. Another case was when he played with a shape sorter toy. Focusing on the different shapes and fits into their respective spaces, he manipulated each piece using his fingers and revealed a capacity to order corporeality by shape and size. The fact that he’s so nimble and has a good grasp of cognition in this task is representative of outstanding motor fines for his age.
Evaluating Child Development Against Chapter 4
According to the observations and the developmental milestones in Chapter 4, Sammy is meeting age-appropriate development. After the age of 18 months, children exhibit advanced gross motor abilities like walking independently but steadily with an increasingly unsteady gait and beginning to run, which is evident in Sammy. His ability to climb onto the furniture through his means can also be considered as a normal growth of body hidden, balance, coordination and strength (Paris et al., 2024). Such motor skill level is compatible with preshow expected stages of motor development in toddlers, almost 1.5-year-old children from the chapter.
When it comes to fine motor skills, Sammy’s behaviours fit in well with impeding development points for him. A typical set of 18-month skills would involve the capability to stack blocks and interact with cubes on a shape sorter toy. Such processes engage the motor skills aspect as well as a cognitive understanding of shapes and spatial relationships. Sammy’s competence in all these work tasks also shows that he is developing according to the normal ranges for his age group (Paris et al., 2024). Only Sammy has the majority of fine motor abilities that are defined to occur at this stage, which include coordination and control, as he follows everything with shapely accuracy involving both hands. Additionally, Sammy’s engagement with his surroundings and things pairs up well with the appraisal of normal improvement. His initiatives of playful engagement with the blocks and shape sorter fit right into the cognitive and physical development stages mentioned in Chapter 4.
References
Paris, J., Ricardo, A., & Rymond, D. (2024). Chapter 4: Physical Development in Infancy & Toddlerhood. Wtcs.pressbooks.pub. https://wtcs.pressbooks.pub/infanttoddlerdev/chapter/chapter-4-physical-development-in-infancy-toddlerhood/#:~:text=Rapid%20Physical%20Changes&text=By%20the%20time%20an%20infant
write