Observation of Children Playing with Sensory Table

This report presents an observation of children playing with a sensory table, noting their skills, behaviors, and recommendations for improvement. The children's fine motor skills, cognitive development, communication skills, and dedication are discussed. Recommendations for enhancing their skills and abilities are provided.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SOCIOLOGY
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Part 1................................................................................................................................................2
Anecdotal Records.......................................................................................................................2
Part 2................................................................................................................................................7
Data analysis................................................................................................................................7
Discussion on the results...........................................................................................................10
Conclusion and Suggestion............................................................................................................12
Reference list.................................................................................................................................14

2SOCIOLOGY
Introduction
The sensory table play includes incorporating preschoolers to play with plastic beads.
Along with the plastic beads a good number of containers and equipment are provided to them.
The game is unstructured and preschoolers need to use their imaginative power in order to play.
According to Follari (2015), sensory play can be considered to be one of the best ways that help
in the development of the child. The sensory table is basically a table full of materials that get
children to use all five senses. The table is set up to let children learn and engage their senses by
interacting with everything that is being presented to them. In this report, 3 children will be
observed while playing with the sensory table. The skills, activities, and observation of the three
children will be noted down with the help of an Anecdotal record template. Following data
collection, data analysis will be performed in the report where a detailed discussion about the
observed skills and behaviors' of each child will be performed. Finally, an effective
recommendation to enhance the capability and skills of each of the children will be provided in
this report.
Part 1
Anecdotal Records
Activity observed Child 1 (male) Child 2 (Female) Child 3
playing at the sensory
table
 Is totally
engrossed in
 Constantly
communicatin
 Was
attentively

3SOCIOLOGY
Time observed: 3
minutes 8 seconds
the sensory
table activity.
 Prefers
playing the
game while
standing.
 Des does not
follow his
peers while
playing.
Prefers to play
independently.
 Not
communicatin
g with any one
of his peers.
This act
demonstrates
that child 1 is
introvert in
nature.
 Is using a
funnel and a
g with her
peers while
playing.
 Helped her
peer to
understand the
game. While
child 1 was
pouring beans
into her
container,
child 2 told
him that it's
her container
and hence he
should feel his
container
instead of
filler hers’.
 Is getting
detracted
while playing.
This act of her
listening to the
instruction of
the educator
for playing.
 Paused for a
moment and
tried to find
out a chair for
comfort.
 Helped the
educator to
place the
chair.
 Was playing
by her own but
was
communicatin
g with child 2.
 Was trying to
play with a
good number
of equipment.
 Planning her

4SOCIOLOGY
tube for
playing.
 Distributing
the plastic
beans in the
container of
his peers.
 Picked up a
cylindrical
container and
a cup
 Used the cup
to pick up the
plastic beans
and pour the
same into a
cylindrical
container.
 Tapped the
cylindrical
container with
the cup as
soon as it got
demonstrates
that child 2
lacks
attentiveness.
 Follows the
instruction of
the educators.
When the
educator asked
everybody to
collect chairs
to sit, she
followed the
instruction.
 Throughout
the play, Child
2 was focusing
on what her
peers of doing
instead of
getting
engrossed into
the game.
own play. This
act of child 3
demonstrates
her
imaginative
nature.
 Was
concentrating
on her game
 Was investing
time on the
funnel till
beans were not
coming out of
the funnel
 Was playing
with one o her
peer
delightfully.
This
demonstrates
her ability to
make friends.

5SOCIOLOGY
filled in.
 Though child
1 is not
communicatin
g with his
peers, he put
some of the
plastic beans
in the
container of
his peers.
 However,
when the peer
refused to take
his help, Child
1 did not
communicate
with her.
 When the
plastic beans
scattered at his
portion got
emptied, he
 Was
communicatin
g with her
friends while
laying. This
act
demonstrates
child 2 is
extrovert in
nature.
 While playing
child 2 was
discussing
how she is
using the
tools. This
demonstrated
that child 2 is
highly
imaginative.
 While child 1
was putting
plastic beans

6SOCIOLOGY
opted for
collecting
plastic beans
from his peer’s
portion.
 When forbade
to do so, he
stopped. This
act
demonstrates
that the child
is obedient.
 Slowly was
losing interest
in the play
 Tried to clean
the box before
leaving the
play. This act
of the child
does
demonstrate
his cleanliness.
into child 2’s
container, she
forbade him.
She stated, “ I
will do it by
my own.” This
act
demonstrates
that she peers
to do her work
independently
instead of
getting it done
by others.
 While child 1
was taking
beans for
playing form
child 2’s
place, she
forbade him to
do so. This act
demonstrates

7SOCIOLOGY
 Lost interest in
the play while
other children
were playing.
This act
demonstrates
his
restlessness
and lack of
integration.
that child is
protestant in
nature.
 Was noticing
how other
children were
using the
equipment for
playing
purposes. This
act
demonstrates
her act of
being
observant in
nature.
Part 2
Data analysis
The sensory table is one of the highest used tools that is currently used across the world in order
to enhance the skills of children in their early childhood. While observing child 1, child 2 and

8SOCIOLOGY
child 3 playing in the sensory table, the first thing that I released were that all the children were
using their hands and limbs while playing the sensory table game. According to Dinehart,
(2015), one of the chief benefits of letting children play with the mentioned table is that it helps
the children to develop their fine motor skills. Considering the fact that children need to use their
hands while playing the game and for interacting with the objects, the sensory table play
demands fine motor skills. All the three children, I have observed were using their hands in an
effective way.
Estai & Bunt, (2016) has also pointed out that the sensory table play also helps in the
development of cognitive skills as well as language skills in children. Children interact with the
items on the table in ways that get them to count, organize, match, and label objects. However, as
per my observation, there was a lack of cognitive development in the play session. This is
because all the players were playing as per their own imagination. No tasks, challenges or
guidance were provided to them. When it comes to communication, I found child 1 to be the
most introvert amongst the three children observed. I found that while other children were
expressing themselves and communicating with their peers, child 1 was completely engrossed in
the play. As per my opinion, this act of child 1 possesses both positive as well as native impact.
When it comes to the positive impact, I found Child 1 to be highly attentive and possess the
power to concentrate. When a child possesses the skill to focus on a particular task, it becomes
easier for his or her to learn new things within a very short amount of time. The skill of focusing
on a particular subject will also help child 1 to memorize things effectively. While these are
some of the chief benefits that I believe will be enjoyed by child 1 in future, one of the major
issues that I noticed in him is that he lacks the skill to socialize and communicate. According to
Darling-Hammond, (2017), the sensory table play enhances the chance of communication and

9SOCIOLOGY
this help the children to learn how to socialize. However, child 1 was found to be reluctant to
communicate with his peers. Lack of communication is also hindering his way to develop his
language skills. Not being able to communicate with peers poses the risk to impose a negative
impact on child 1's personality. According to Duffee et al., (2017), a child should always be
encouraged to communicate with his or her peers. This is because; lack of communication with
peers may lead to lack of development of communication skills. Children suffering from a lack
of communication skills are more prone to physiological diseases like anxiety and depression.
Hence it is highly crucial for child 1 to develop her communication skills in an effective way.
Another issue I noticed while observing Child 1 is his lack in dedication. In spite of the fact that
that jack was playing very attentively, after a few minutes he lost the interest to play. Lack of
dedication possesses the power to hamper the academic as well as social growth of Child 1 in
near future. Lack of dedication will also hamper his competitive nature. Ledford & Gast, (2018)
stated that the majority of the child get bored easily since they want elders to pay attention.
When it comes to child 2, the first thing I noticed about her was that she was extrovert in
nature. From the beginning of the play, child 2 was communicating effectively with her peers.
Along with communication, she was also paying attention to the activities of her peers.
According to Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., (2015) one of the chief feature of an extrovert child I that
they talk a lot and peers to be the center of attention. These features were clearly visible in Child
2. The extrovert nature of child 2 can be considered as a skill of her since it will enable the child
to develop effective communicative skill in the future. However, one of the major issues that I
noticed in child 2 is lack of attentiveness. Unlike child 1, she was not at all engrossed in her own
play. She was constantly noticing others while playing which in turn demonstrate lack of
confidence. According to McCormick et al., (2016), it is highly crucial for a child to develop

10SOCIOLOGY
confidence over his or her own work in order to ensure a bright future. Another fact that I
noticed in child 2 was her lack of imagination. Amongst the three children observed, child 2 was
the child who has used the least number of equipment. As per my opinion, it is highly crucial for
child 2 to enhance her concentration and imaginative skills in order to ensure a bright future.
When it comes to child 3, I found the child 3 neither too introvert or extrovert. She was
found to understand what her necessities were. She asked for a hair which I found a really
impressive ac. Though child 2 was also communicating with her peers, unlike child 2, she was
also paying attention to her play. Not only was she communicative, but I also found that she was
the child who used the majority of the equipment lying on the sensory table. Along with playing
with the equipment, I also found her helping one of her peers to play. This act of her
demonstrated her ability to socialize and develop emotionally. According to Ketchabaw et al.,
(2015), while children are playing together along with engaging each other in a positive way, this
act enhance their sense of belonging. A sense of belonging has been found to provide protection
to children against mental health issues along with improving their learning. Children who feel
that they belong are happier, more relaxed and have fewer behavioral issues compared to others.
Discussion on the results
The result of the observation of child 1 is as follows:
1. Child 1 is attentive. He possesses the ability to get engrossed in an activity.
2. Child 1is introvert. He lacks the skill of socializing.
3. Child 1 lacks dedication and concentration. He was not able to stick to the play for a
longer period of time.
4. He easily gets bored.

11SOCIOLOGY
The results of the observation of child 2 are as follows:
1. Child 2 is extremely extrovert. She likes to communicate with her peers while playing.
2. Child 2 is hyperactive.
3. However, child 2 lacks attentiveness and focus. She was constantly found to be focusing
on what is done by children around her instead of focusing on her own work.
4. She was using the least number of equipment while playing. Hence child 2 lacks
imaginative skills.
The results of the observation of child 3 are as follows:
1. Child 3 is obedient. She was listening to the educator while she was explaining how to
play.
2. Child 3 possesses communicative skills. She was actively communicating with child 2.
3. She demonstrates attentiveness. She was playing with the plastic beans with full
concentration.
4. Child 3 is cooperative and possess socializing skills. She was helping one of her peers to
play.

12SOCIOLOGY
Conclusion and Suggestion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that all the children were playing with the
sensory table in an effective way. No major conflict within the children was observed. While
child 1 was found to be extremely introverted in nature, child 2 was found to be hyperactive and
introvert. Child 3 was found to have the skill of socializing and is cooperative. While these are
some of the major skills noticed within the children, a few issues, eradication of which can
enhance the social, cognitive as well as emotional development of the children has been noticed.
In order to eradicate the issue in the following paragraph effective recommendation has been
provided.
The first skill that needs to develop by both child 1 and child 2 is concentration and
dedication. According to Darling-Hammond, (2017) in order to enhance dedication amongst
children, it is highly crucial to keep them busy by providing them with different types of works.
For instance, child one can be kept busy playing with the sensory table by providing him a
specific task to do. For instance, he could have been asked to fill 3 to 4 cylindrical container with
a cup. It is crucial to enhance the interest of the children in order to make an activity interesting
for them.
When it comes to the skill of concentrating on a specific activity, the educator can
implement the following strategies. She can provide all the children with a particular task so that
all of them remain engaged in play. Reducing distraction can be considered as another way of
enhancing the concentration of the child. According to Ketchabaw et al., (2015), children can
concentrate easily in an environment that is free from loud music, noises along with another
factor that posses the potential to distract children.

13SOCIOLOGY
Another issue that has been observed is the lack of communicating skill in child 1. In
order to enhance the communication skill in child 1, the educator needs to encourage him to
communicate with his peers. Along with encouragement, ice-breaking activities can also be
implemented by the educator. For instance, the educator can organize an ice-breaking session
where every child will introduce himself or herself to his/her peers. Not only this, both educator
and the family member of the child should establish effective communication by listening to his
question and answering the same.
In order to enhance the creativity of the children, the educator should introduce the
children with a good number of creative ideas. Long with this, free space should be designated
for creating. Estai & Bunt, (2016) stated that carving out space where a child can be creative is
highly crucial. Along with this, children should be exposed to nature more often by both parents
as well as educators. The educator can introduce outdoor playing more often in order to enhance
their interest in exploring creativity.

14SOCIOLOGY
Reference list
Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher education around the world: What can we learn from
international practice?. European Journal of Teacher Education, 40(3), 291-309.
Dinehart, L. H. (2015). Handwriting in early childhood education: Current research and future
implications. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 15(1), 97-118.
Duffee, J. H., Mendelsohn, A. L., Kuo, A. A., Legano, L. A., Earls, M. F., & Committee on
Child Abuse and Neglect. (2017). Early childhood home visiting. Pediatrics, 140(3),
e20172150.
Estai, M., & Bunt, S. (2016). Best teaching practices in anatomy education: A critical
review. Annals of Anatomy-Anatomischer Anzeiger, 208, 151-157.
Follari, L. (2015). Foundations and best practices in early childhood education: History,
theories, and approaches to learning. Pearson Higher Education AU.
Ledford, J. R., & Gast, D. L. (2018). Single case research methodology: Applications in special
education and behavioral sciences. Routledge.
McCormick, C., Hepburn, S., Young, G. S., & Rogers, S. J. (2016). Sensory symptoms in
children with autism spectrum disorder, other developmental disorders and typical
development: a longitudinal study. Autism, 20(5), 572-579.
McCormick, C., Hepburn, S., Young, G. S., & Rogers, S. J. (2016). Sensory symptoms in
children with autism spectrum disorder, other developmental disorders and typical
development: a longitudinal study. Autism, 20(5), 572-579.

15SOCIOLOGY
Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Nxumalo, F., Kocher, L., Elliot, E., & Sanchez, A. (2015). Journeys:
Reconceptualizing early childhood practices through pedagogical narration. University
of Toronto Press.