Assessing the Preschooler Part 2 of 5

Assessing Play: Day 16 Sheep in the Meadow

 Observing children in play is probably the most important part of observing. The children use this time to process their information. Many educators and parents mistakenly think that play time is about children running around screaming on the playground. Playtime is about so much more than that.  

Sheep in the Meadow is a game that involves the areas of Math and Social and Emotional Development. This is a game that involves the children hiding the counter sheep all over the classroom. Then you take the number cards and set out one of the cards and have the children find the counters and bring them to the meadow. 

This game is good because after initially helping the children play the game you can let them play on their own. It helps with learning to follow the directions, and playing together with friends with little to no fighting. Well almost, we all know there will be a fight. One of the children will dive on to one of the sheep and another child who was standing across the room from the other child will Xena warrior cry about the fact that their friend took their sheep. Then they will fight as a lonely sheep lays on the floor right next to them. It's deeply tragic and hilarious. 

What you are observing for is on the chart at the back of the Mother Goose Time lesson planner 

*Self Concept 
*Self Direction 
Social Relationships 
*Number Concepts
*Shapes
*Spatial Awareness
*Patterns and Sorting
*Measurement
*Logic 

Now you do not have to observe all of these in one activity, For this activity You take a picture and you label the back with the activity you feel they have either improved on or what they need to work on. Like for the example above of the scary football dive and banshee scream over the lost sheep. That would be labeled under Social Relationships and they need to improve cooperative play and sharing. 

If you have any questions about how to observe children during play feel free to hit me up! See you next time! And no hitting! 
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