To Prepare:
Observe children under the age of 5 in a public place for at least 15 minutes. For example, you could go to a park or a play area at a local mall.
If you do not have access to a public place where children might be playing (e.g., you are on military deployment), you may find a video on the Internet of children playing and submit this to your Instructor for approval to analyze in place of the live observation.
Select 2 or 3 children on which to focus your observations. Take notes on each child’s specific temperament and play behaviors with peers.
The Assignment (3–4 pages):
Describe the setting of your observation.
Summarize the aspects of each child’s temperament that you observed. Then summarize each child’s play behaviors (group, solitary, activities, etc.).
Explain how each child’s temperament affected his or her peer interactions. Please make sure that the majority of your paper focuses on interpreting your observations through research on temperament, play, and their interplay.
Provide scholarly support for your statements and assertions. Be sure that you use proper APA form and style for your text, citations, and references.
