1

Try out at least three of Piagets conservation tasks on a child at the preoperational age and the same three tasks on a child at the age of concrete operations (e.g., use Play-Doh, pennies, water in two-sized glasses). Record your queries and the childrens explanations. Discuss these childrens reasoning abilities in terms of Piagets theory, supporting your discussion with examples from your observations.

See this video for good examples of what to do and say:

2

Observe a child who is acquiring language (a child in the age range of 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 would probably be most interesting). Spend at least 30-60 minutes observing the child, and take notes on the language development that you observe. Based upon your knowledge about language acquisition, discuss this childs language development, supporting your description with examples from your observations.

3

Observe a baby (approx. 12 months old) interacting with its parent or caregiver. After observing the baby and caretaker for at least 30-60 minutes, discuss your observations in terms of what you know about infant attachment, supporting your discussion with examples from your observations.

4

Observe some preschoolers (at least 4-6 children) at play for at least 30-60 minutes. Discuss your observations in terms of what you know about social behavior (e.g., play, aggression, prosocial behavior, gender-typed behavior) in early childhood. Use examples from your observations to support your discussion.

5

Observe a parent interacting with his or her school-age child or adolescent for at least 30-60 minutes. Based upon your observations, describe the parents style of child rearing and discipline (i.e., authoritative, authoritarian, permissive). Use examples from your observations to support your description.