The Importance of Observation
Observing 3-5-year-olds is an integral part of ensuring that our students are on a positive trajectory and that we ourselves are on the right track. And in my opinion, it’s also really fun! Our observations of each child’s behavior, interests, approaches to learning, and response to their environment can help guide our instructional decisions in order to support each child’s learning and enhance their development.
There are many methods for keeping track of this information. Some teachers like to write anecdotal notes on paper or digitally while others prefer to take photos or a combination of both. There is really no one right way to do it. You just have to find what works for you. If you would like to see the method that I like to use, I would like to share with you my simple three-step method to COLLECT, ORGANIZE, and ANALYZE anecdotal notes.
1. COLLECT
What is Anecdotal?
Anecdotal is defined as a factual, objective narrative about an occurrence and/or person. In the classroom or at home, teachers and parents or caregivers can write anecdotal notes to document their observations of students.
Anecdotal notes give us valuable information to help guide our teaching, enhance each child’s development, and implement an engaging curriculum to achieve meaningful goals.
When to Take Anecdotal Notes
My favorite time to observe and document is when the children are engaged in Learning Centers. I love to sit down with them and join in their play. This is a great way to get a close-up view of how they interact, handle materials, and create. Talking together can give us information on speech patterns, conversational skills, and social interactions.
At other times, it is beneficial to observe from afar. In this way, we can watch for how a child enters play, chooses a learning center, or transitions to another activity. We can also watch the decisions he makes when we are not so close by.
And then there is observing and documenting during a small group time. I have to be honest and say that I find this to be the most challenging, if I am not prepared ahead of time. When I am getting ready to do a patterning activity with a small group of children, I of course, want to have all the materials and counters ready. However, I also need to have my students’ names and today’s date written ahead of time on the label paper on my clipboard. This will allow me to observe the children more closely and interact as needed.
How to Take Anecdotal Notes in Preschool
Here are some tips which can help you take effective anecdotal notes:
- Write the date and the name and age of the child being observed.
- Include the title of the activity and/or learning center when necessary.
- Keep it short and simple when possible. You do not need to write in full sentences! Coming up with an abbreviation system can be very helpful.
- Quote the student from time to time. These can be very powerful on a progress report or at a parent/teacher conference!
- Don’t forget that your most important job is to be WITH the kids. Interact with them. Support them. Enjoy them. You do not need to observe their every move or write down everything they say. They need YOU! Don’t let anything take that away.
Examples of Anecdotal Notes
- 3-6-22 Penny (5) Water Table: Grabs baster from a peer. “That’s mine!”
- 3-9-22 Tom (3) Music: Places instruments back on shelf before changing centers.
- 3-10-22 Linda (4) Dramatic Play: Joins 2 peers already dressing baby dolls.
- 3-12-22 John (3) Lunch: “Chip, dip, pip, nip, bip.”
- 3-12-22 Mary (4) Writing: Makes marks with pen on a beach postcard to simulate writing. Tell me it says, “I saw a shark.”
- 3-14-22 Vincent (5) Playground: Climbs up and down Curly Q no problem.
- 3-16-22 Rita (3) Easel: Holds paintbrush with a fist.
- 3-17-22 Christopher (4) Dramatic Play: Uses a banana for a phone and a spatula for flipping pancakes on the stove.
- 3-18-22 Vincent (5) Math: Sorts buttons – round, red, with 4 holes – blue, triangle, with 2 holes.
- 3-19-22 Tom (3) Blocks: Lines up 3 trees in size order. Points and says, “Small, large, medium.”
- 3-20-22 Mary (4) Magnets & Paint: Drags magnet wand under box but doesn’t make contact with magnet ball. Continues to try for 5 minutes. Then gets it!
2. ORGANIZE
Organizing all these notes may seem overwhelming. But I am here to tell you that setting up your observation system does not need to be complicated. It really can be as easy as ABC!
A. Place a handful of Sticker Label Sheets on your Clipboard and have your favorite pen or pencil ready. Write down your observations using the guidelines listed above.
B. Cut apart and separate the notes by child and then further by each area of development. Peel and stick the notes in the appropriate location in your 3-Ring Binder with Tab Dividers.
This can be done at the end of the day, or every few days. Whatever works best with your schedule. Keep in mind that the number of students in your care will determine the quantity of notes you will have collected.
C. Identify the benchmarks your students are currently demonstrating for a particular skill or goal. You can do this by comparing your observations to the benchmark grids in my Ultimate Observation System. Record the benchmarks s/he is meeting throughout the year on the coordinating checklists provided with a 3, 4, or 5. With eight spaces for each goal, you have plenty of room to see her progression.
3. ANALYZE
Now that you know where your students are developmentally, you can support each of them by adapting their learning experiences and providing materials that will enable them to reach their goals and milestones.
Provide Interesting Materials
Take Tom for example. On 3/19/22, he demonstrated a need for more practice with size seriation. He is 3 and the expectation is for him to put 3 objects in size order. We can provide Tom with lots of items to practice with. He loves the outdoors, so let’s go for a nature walk together and gather stones, twigs, and pine cones of various sizes to place in the science center. Asking Tom to be part of the collection process makes it that much more meaningful to him. If you do not have access to these types of hands-on materials, you can always make your own size seriation cards using photographs or clip art!
Another example is Mary. On 3-12-22, Mary demonstrated an interest in writing but needs support to use a model to make letter-like forms. She loves animals, so let’s choose some animal stickers, stamps, and stencils together along with some blank books in her favorite color to place in the writing center.
Plan & Implement an Engaging Curriculum
Thematic Unit Plans that integrate activities and experiences across developmental domains and subject areas are highly engaging for preschool-aged children. When learning is connected in this way, the brain notices the patterns and connections. This brings the curriculum to life, triggering an increase in neural connections! In this way, our students are able to learn more easily and furthermore, retain the knowledge.
If you would like to see what a Thematic Unit entails, check out my FREE Ocean Thematic Unit!
In Conclusion
I sincerely hope the information presented here, including my Simple 3-Step System for Preschool Observations, is helpful to you. You can certainly create this system yourself. However, if you think you might like to have access to an immediate, low-prep download with everything you need, all ready to go, check out The Home Aide Teacher’s Ultimate Observation System and it’s companion, The FREE Guide to Early Childhood Development I would love to be able to help make observations and anecdotal notes easier for you!
