Student Writing Exercise/Activities
The First Three Years

Physical Development

Debate: Bottle Feeding Versus Breast Feeding

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Your instructor will assign one of the positions to you. Your research and your paper should cover both positions.

Research:

This topic has been debated for many years. As you research this topic you might find magazines targeting parents particularly useful. It might be useful to take a historical look at how bottle formulas have changed over the years and how the major issues in the overall debate have evolved over the years.

Write a Reaction Paper:

Write a 4-6 page paper on your findings. Your paper should include an introduction, the advantages and disadvantages of both bottle feeding and breast feeding, and a concluding summary paragraph.

The paper:

 Plan Your Presentation:

Meet with the other student(s) on your side of the argument Share your ideas and determine your strongest arguments. Decide who will give the presentation and make some notes.

Class Debate:

Each side will be given 5 minutes to present their side of the argument. Those in favor of bottle feeding will argue first, and then those in favor of breast feeding will respond. There will be a 3 minute break after the two sides have presented their cases. During this 3 minute break the rest of the class will write individual a one page reaction papers describing their own position on the issue. The two groups will spend the 3 minutes outlining their rebuttal statements. Each group will have 3 minutes to give a rebuttal statement, with the those arguing for bottle feeding presenting first.

Class Vote:

When the debate has ended the class will vote on their choice as the overall best option for infants: bottle feeding or breast feeding.

Interviews: New Parents

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

The purpose of this assignment is to learn of individual differences between parents and the ways they interpret the signals of their infants and toddlers.

Interview:

Create a series of questions to find out how parents are interpreting the signals of the baby.

The questions should include topics such as eating and sleeping patterns, personality characteristics, and baby's preferences for particular toys, foods, locations, or people.

Type up your survey questions and give them to five couples with infants or toddlers (birth to 3 years old). You can survey both parents together or individually, but it is important to be consistent in you methodology with all couples. If you can, try to pick parents whose children are about the same age.

Comparison Paper:

Write a brief paper comparing the responses of the each set of parents to the information given in the text book. You should include an introductory paragraph, a summary of each set of responses, a comparison of the responses to the text book, and end with a concluding paragraph.

What do I turn in?

  1. A clean copy of your questionnaire

  2. The questionnaires you gave to participants

  3. A reaction paper

Specifics of the paper:

Research: Creating a Stimulating Nursery

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Pretend that you are a Child Development Consultant whose client wants to have the most stimulating and encouraging nursery possible. The client wants to know how to arrange the room, what type of furniture to buy, colors for the walls and the bedding, and what types of toys to buy. Should the baby have a swing? Should there be music, and if so, what type of music is best? Should the baby have a television? What type of lighting should be in the room?

Research:

Your task is to research these questions and report back to your client. You will find helpful articles in magazines targeted at parents, baby books, parenting books, and the internet. You can also find journal articles which have investigated many of these issues.

Write a Report:

Your report should be written as if you were going to give it to expectant parents. Detail your suggestions about every part of the baby's room in such a way that parents could take your report and furnish the entire room with your suggestions and instructions.

The paper:

Research: Preferences of a Preverbal Infant

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Psychological research reports, commonly referred to as journal articles, are written in a very specific way. The goal of this assignment is to give you exposure to technical writing and to acquaint you with an interesting area of research.

Just how can a researcher determine the preferences of a child before that child is able to talk? This difficult task has been achieved in some very clever ways!

Find an article:

You can use your text book to find an article or you can search for one using an index like Psychological Abstracts or the computerized version PsychLit. Search for an article that investigates the sensory preferences (visual, auditory, tactile, taste, or smell preferences) that explains the methodology in depth.

Writing your report:

Write a short paper with the following headings: Introduction, Participants, Methodology, and Discussion. Under each heading summarize the main points from the article. In the Introduction give the main focus of the research. For the participants tell who was studied. Under Methodology tell exactly how the researchers measures the infants' preferences. For the Discussion section tell what the researchers found out from their experiment.

The paper:

 * Your instructor may want to see a copy of the article along with your paper.

Brochure: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

The focus of this project is to acquaint you with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Research:

By using books, journal and magazine articles, newspaper stories, and the internet, collect information on SIDS. Look for the risk factors and methods of prevention. Also check to see what is available in your area for families who have lost a child to SIDS.

Educational Brochure:

Develop a brochure for new parents about SIDS. Explain exactly what SIDS is, the risk factors, and the means of prevention. Also list sources of support nationally and locally for families who lose a child to SIDS.

The brochure should involve one sheet of typing paper, but you can fold it any way you would like. You can turn the page sideways and fold it once for a booklet style or fold it three times for a tri-fold. You can type on both sides of the paper, but stick to one sheet of typing paper. The brochure must be typed. You can be creative in terms of the way you present the material (such as with the use of graphics).

Be certain to put your name at the very end of the brochure.

Field Trip: Observing in a Day Care

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Make an appointment:

Call to make an appointment to observe at a day care facility that keeps infants. Be polite and courteous on the phone. It is also important to be honest that this observation is a class assignment. Observing for one full day or half-day would be the most valuable.

Observation:

Watch closely to see how well the infants are cared for:

Are diapers changed when needed?

Are babies fed at appropriate times?

Are babies fed in an appropriate way?

Do attendants/teachers pay attention to outbursts of crying?

Are the babies ever held?

Look at the room where the infants are kept:

Is it clean?

Are the necessary supplies available?

Are the cribs adequate?

Is the room reasonably quiet?

Observe the attendants or teachers:

Are they trained?

Do they seem comfortable with the babies?

Are they patient?

Are there enough attendants/teachers for the number of babies kept?

Record these observations and any others you feel are significant.

Write a Paper:

Write a paper giving your observations and your reactions.

The paper:

Cognitive Development

Project: Testing Children's Cognitive Development

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Consider the ways cognitive development is measured in children during the first three years by surveying chapter 4. The goal of this project is to building a testing kit and test the cognitive development of three children.

Gather materials:

You need to develop at least 5 ways to test cognitive development and gather the materials to conduct those tests. For example, if you want to test object permanence (which would be 1 of your minimum 5) you would need a toy and a blanket.

Testing:

Once you have gathered materials then conduct your tests on three children: (1) 12 months old or younger, (2) 12 - 24 months old, and (3) 24 - 36 months old.

Writing Your Results:

You need to write a paper with the following headings:

  1. Introduction: Describe the ways cognition develops from birth to 36 months of age.

  2. Participants: Describe you three participants. Give their sex and age in months.

  3. Methodology: Describe in detail the 5 ways to test cognitive development you created.

  4. Results: How did your participants do on the tests?

  5. Discussion: How did your three participants compare in terms of ability? What differences in cognitive ability did you notice that might be attributed to age? Include a concluding paragraph in the discussion.

The paper:

Research: Language Development in Deaf Children

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

This research paper is focused on the development of language and communication skills in deaf children. Your paper should address such questions as:

How is deafness diagnosed in infants?

Do deaf infants babble? If so, is it similar to hearing children?

Is there an optimum time to start teaching a child sign language?

Do deaf children learn sign language at about the same age as hearing children learn verbal language?

Do deaf children learn sign language any faster or slower than hearing children learn verbal language?

What kinds of therapy, if any, is needed for deaf children in learning communication skills?

Does it cause any cognitive stress for a very young child to become bilingual with sign language and verbal language?

The paper:

Brochure: Helping Your Infant Learn to Talk

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Many parents look forward to the first words their infant speaks clearly. This traditional milestone of development can be encouraged through some environmental stimulation.

Write a brochure for parents who want to do the right things to encourage their child to learn to speak clearly and correctly. You can take the information given in the text book as a starting point, but you need to consult parenting books and magazines as well. You should also consult psychological journals for information.

What do I turn in?

  1. A reference page listing the sources of your information.

  2. A brochure that could be photocopied and given to parents. The brochure should involve one sheet of typing paper, but you can fold it any way you would like. You can turn the page sideways and fold it once for a booklet style or fold it three times for a tri-fold. You can type on both sides of the paper, but stick to one sheet of typing paper. The brochure must be typed. You can be creative in terms of the way you present the material (such as with the use of graphics).

Be certain to put your name at the very end of the brochure.

Psychosocial Development

Investigation: Infant Emotions

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Preparation:

  1. Re-read the sections of chapter 5 that discuss research on infant emotions.

  2. Gather pictures of infants showing different emotions. These can be gathered from magazines, newspapers, snapshots, or from the internet. Cut the pictures so that the baby's face is the primary focus and contextual cues are at a minimum. For example, if the baby is laughing because someone is tickling him or her, it is easier to guess the emotion if the picture shows the baby being tickled. For this research you want to show primarily the baby's face to see if people can identify the baby's emotions.

  3. Arrange the pictures in a notebook or on a series of cards for people to look at. Number the pictures.

Experiment:

Show the pictures to 5 male and 5 female college students and ask them to identify the emotion the baby is showing. Write down the emotion given to each picture.

Writing Your Results:

You need to write a paper with the following headings:

  1. Introduction: Give a brief overview of the current research on infant emotions. You can use your text book and library resources. A handbook of development psychology would be very useful for this.

  2. Participants: Describe the 10 people who participated in your study. Include their age and sex.

  3. Methodology: Describe how you put your instrument together (the pictures) and how it was administered to the participants.

  4. Results: What emotions did the participants attribute to the babies in the pictures?

  5. Discussion: Did you find much agreement among your participants? How confident were the participants in determining the babies' emotions? Is this method of research a good one to determine what emotions an infant is feeling? Include a concluding paragraph in the discussion.

The paper:

Interviews: What Was Your Attachment Style?

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

The goal of this project is to learn about your own attachment style. In order to do this you need to interview the person who would have spent the most time with you during the first few years of your life. Because the person who took care of you could be your mother, father, step-parent, grandparent, etc. the label Aprimary caregiver@ is used.

If for some reason you cannot, or do not want to, interview your primary caregiver please discuss the possibility of interviewing the parents of a friend of yours regarding that individual's attachment style.

Develop a Questionnaire:

Create a series of questions that are designed to determine whether you were a securely attached baby, an insecure-avoidant baby, or an insecure-resistant baby. You will need to think of situations similar to the Strange Situation that occur in everyday life that you can ask about.

Type the questionnaire and make two copies: one to give to the primary caregiver and one to turn in with this assignment.

Interview Your Primary Caregiver:

Give the questionnaire to your primary caregiver. Let them fill it out without interrupting them or stopping for conversation. AFTER the caregiver is finished you can ask if there are any questions or comments. Explain the assignment and ask the caregiver to describe your behaviors as an infant and toddler.

Summary Report:

Along with a clean copy of the questionnaire AND the questionnaire filled out by the caregiver, write a report summarizing the evidence that supports the attachment style you demonstrated as an infant and toddler.

The paper:

Application: Recommendations for Day Care Centers

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

The focus of this project is to brainstorm ways Day Care Centers can implement the psychological research findings on infant and toddler development into the curriculum.

You can use your text book as well as magazines, articles, books, and the internet for information and ideas.

What do I turn in?

A 4 to 6 page paper written for directors of day care centers which care for infants and toddlers. The paper should have the following headings:

  1. Introduction: Introduce the topics of day care for infants and toddlers, and the need for programs that encouragement development.

  2. Physical Development: Try to list specific things a day care teacher can do, or things that the center could provide, to encourage physical development in infants and toddlers. What should the 3 year old 'graduate' of the toddler class be able to do before moving to the preschool class?

  3. Cognitive Development: Try to list specific things a day care teacher can do, or things that the center could provide, to encourage cognitive development in infants and toddlers. What abilities should the 3 year old 'graduate' of the toddler class be able to demonstrate before moving to the preschool class?

  4. Emotional Development: Try to list specific things a day care teacher can do, or things that the center could provide, to encourage emotional development in infants and toddlers.

  5. Psychosocial Development: Try to list specific things a day care teacher can do, or things that the center could provide, to encourage psychosocial development in infants and toddlers. What can be done to encourage healthy self-esteem and to foster the skills needed to share and get along with other children?

  6. Conclusion: Encourage the day care directors to implement your suggestions. Remind them of the importance of these areas of development.

The paper:

Research: Influences on Attachment

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

The focus of this report is to consider the ways in which current lifestyles may influence attachment style. How might a baby's reaction to the Strange Situation be different if the baby is raised in any combination of the following:

  1. two-parent intact family with a mother and father

  2. two-parent family with a step-mother

  3. two parent family with a step-father

  4. two-parent intact family in which the parents are lesbian

  5. two-parent intact family in which the parents are gay

  6. a single parent family, living with mother

  7. a single parent family, living with father

  8. stayed with grandparents during the day

  9. stayed in a baby-sitter'

    s home during the day

  10. stayed in a day care during the day

Library Research:

Look for sources which discuss any of the situations listed above in terms of attachment between the infant and the parental figure. You will want to check in books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and the on the internet for useful information.

The paper:

Your paper should begin with an introduction describing the focus of your paper. The body of the paper should describe the research on attachment styles that began with the Strange Situation. Explain how that research has evolved over the years and how it has included (or ignored) some of the situations listed above. The paper should end with a conclusion that summarizes your findings and offers suggestions for attachment research in the future.

Specifics:

Brochure: Adjusting to New Siblings

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Often toddlers (3 years old and under) are forced to accommodate a new sibling. This could be the result of mother'

s pregnancy, an adoption, or step-siblings entering the family.

Research:

Look for books, journal articles, magazine articles, and newspaper articles that discuss ways of introducing a toddler to new siblings. You might find some children'

s books written to help children with this very issue.

Write a brochure:

Based on your research write a brochure that gives parents very concrete and specific suggestions on ways of introducing their toddler to a new sibling. The material may need to be organized as to whether the new sibling is the result of mother's pregnancy, an adoption, or the blending of two families.

What do I turn in?

  1. A reference page listing the sources of your information.

  2. A brochure that could be photocopied and given to parents. The brochure should involve one sheet of typing paper, but you can fold it any way you would like. You can turn the page sideways and fold it once for a booklet style or fold it three times for a tri-fold. You can type on both sides of the paper, but stick to one sheet of typing paper. The brochure must be typed. You can be creative in terms of the way you present the material (such as with the use of graphics).

Be certain to put your name at the very end of the brochure.

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