Running head: EARLY CHILDHOOD PORTFOLIO 1

Early Childhood Portfolio Reflection

Ellyn E. Culotta

Louisiana State University

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Early Childhood Portfolio Reflection

In this Early Childhood Portfolio, the physical, cognitive, and social/emotional

development Charlie will be discussed. She is three years old and attends a school that follows

the Reggio Emilia Philosophy. This simply means that there are lots of windows to provide

natural lighting and all the elements in the classroom are made of natural wood or natural colors.

I felt as though this environment was warm and inviting for the children. During the

observations, it was noted how the materials allowed Charlie to express herself and develop

physically, cognitively, and socially or emotionally.

Charlies physical development was recorded in a series of events that were broken down

into subcategories. These included body growth, the influences of physical growth and health,

gross-motor, and fine-motor development. For a preschooler, Charlies body growth is

developing just fine. Seeing as she does not have any balance issues, when it comes to walking

or running. She seemed to enjoy outside time on the playground. She practiced her gross-motor

skills by riding on the scooter and throwing the ball to her teacher. On the other hand, the

preschool appropriate scissors seemed to be one of Charlies favorite toys, as she spent majority

of her time developing those fine-motor skills cutting paper. The parent recommendation also

involved improving her fine motor skills by encouraging her parents to ask her about her

drawing and find meaning behind them all. Each of her physical development examples proved

that Charlie was developing just right for her age. I strongly believe that the foundation her

teachers are providing at this facility for her enhance her skills through the different tools.

Next, Charlies cognitive development was recorded in a total of five different

subcategories. These included Piagets theory of the preoperational stage, Vygotskys

sociocultural theory, information processing, individual differences in mental development, and

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language development. Charlie used Piagets theory by practicing discovery play. She also

followed Vygotskys theory by learning from her peers and teaching them as well. Charlie

displayed poor signs of attention, yet good signs of problem solving. Therefore, her information

processing could be improved, but it was creative of her to suggest taking turns with her friend.

So that they each got to play the puppy on the scooter while the other person walked the dog as

each friend held an opposite side of the rope. In order for Charlies teacher to provide different

representations of materials they tried using an iPad with pictures on it but unfortunately Charlie

seemed disinterested. Then, Charlie and her friend took part in a brief but valuable conversation

that shed some light on the childs ability to hold a conversation. The dramatic play area was the

classroom material that would most encourage Charlie to use make-believe play and socialize

with her peers. It was also suggested to her parents that they help her learn that there are more

ways to sort inanimate objects. This is the next step in her cognitive development according to

TS Gold. Each of these examples and observations provided me with an insight on what its like

to examine a preschoolers cognitive development. Charlie in particular is a bright child who I

feel like would learn so much more if she spoke more often.

Lastly, Charlies Social and Emotional Development was broken down into seven

different subcategories. These categories included Eriksons theory on initiative versus guilt,

self-understanding, emotional development, peer relations, foundations of morality, gender

typing, and child rearing. Eriksons theory was exemplified in Charlies initiative to create a

picture for her parents because she wanted too, rather than her teacher or peer telling her she had

too. Charlie is also still understanding what it means to complete tasks on her own, as she

develops her self-esteem. Emotionally, she seems unconcerned with other peoples feelings

when she abruptly asked the little boy to get off the chair. However, she does still play with her
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friends in a cooperative play style. By using her power of personal choice, Charlie did get to play

with a couple of toys that she wanted too. Her teachers also reduced as much gender stereotyping

as they could by encouraging all students to get involved in a diverse range of activities. Her

stuffed animal acted as an emotional safety net during her nap time. While it was recommended

to her parents to encourage their daughter to understand why others feel the way they do. I felt

that this would also aid in developing Charlies own self-awareness of her emotions. From

observing Charlies social and emotional development, I have learned that it is important to treat

all children the same despite their gender, and empower them to succeed in all that they do. By

creating the positive environment inside the classroom, the children will walk away with more

self-confidence and self-awareness.

In conclusion, three-year-old, Charlie, exhibited mostly strengths in all aspects of her

development. She is growing daily well in her physical, cognitive, and social and emotional

development. I was pleased to see each of the classroom materials that encouraged and enhanced

her already developing skills. The parent recommendations also help the child and her parents

become more aware of the next step in the childs development. Overall, this observation has

taught me a lot about preschool aged children and what it means for a teacher practices to be

considered developmentally appropriate.

Peer Reviewed by Laura Simmons