18 Participation Charts and Profiles

Participation charts are used to get a better idea of the areas in a room that children choose to spend time in. Documenting these observations helps educators identify children’s interests so they can build on them, and it also lets educators know which areas aren’t getting used at all. If a participation chart reveals that, for example, no one spent any time in the reading area all week, educators can reflect on why that might be and what changes could be made to increase the participation in that area. On the other hand, if it becomes clear that the art area is a favourite, educators might decide to expand it and introduce new materials.

Image by freepik

The type of data that is recorded will depend on whether the chart is focused on one child or several children. When an educator observes a group of children, by using checkmarks, they can indicate which children have chosen which areas and how many times they have returned to those areas. The data paint a clear picture of where children tend to spend their time, and this can be helpful for educators when planning curriculum.

The information collected can also help educators see who children play with. Because checkmarks don’t provide insight into what children did in each area, how long they spent there, or whether they played with or only alongside others, educators can add written comments to provide more insight. For instance, if a participation chart indicates many checkmarks in the blocks area, an educator might interpret that to mean that that area is very popular, and no changes are needed. However, if they added a comment after noticing that only the Lego blocks were used and the other types of blocks were never touched, an educator might decide to add different kinds of interlocking blocks, display the large wooden blocks in a different way so they’re more visible, or put up pictures of structures made with those wooden blocks as challenges for children to build.

Participation Chart for Multiple Children

When an educator uses a participation chart to better understand the interests and development of one child in particular, they can take note of how long the child spent in each area, and this can be much more informative than a checkmark since spending 30 seconds as opposed to 45 minutes would indicate very different levels of interest. Similarly, if a child visits each area of the room, at first glance of a participation chart with only checkmarks, one might conclude that the child has diverse interests, but seeing that they only spent a very short time in each area might suggest that the child struggles to find something they enjoy and might benefit from some support from the educator to find something they can immerse themselves in.

Participation Chart For One Child

Another way of using a participation chart for a single child is to adapt the focus to a specific type of skill. For instance, if an educator is interested in a child’s social skills, they might choose to use the chart to identify what areas of the room or what times of day a child chooses to play on their own as opposed to connect with other children. The educator might document that a child engages entirely in solitary play while inside, but that once they’re outside, they enjoy playing on the climber and building in the sandbox with other children. Then in the comments, the educator might note that the children the child plays with are actually from the other classroom. This important observation noted in the comments section might lead an educator to decide to facilitate the building of friendships with other children in their own classroom.

Profiles

A profile is used by educators when they would like to get a clear and comprehensive idea of one child’s skills across all domains. One of the many benefits of this method is that it allows educators to incorporate family and cultural influences to provide a holistic view of the child. This would be especially beneficial in the case where a child is new to an early learning program. The educators could not only observe the child directly, but they could also reflect information provided by the child’s family to help provide insight into some of the observations. For example, if a profile observation reveals that a kindergarten child resists any task that involves self-help, a discussion with the family that reveals that in their culture, the parents do everything for the child, including feeding them and putting on their shoes would be incredibly beneficial to understand what might have been otherwise interpreted as a developmental red flag. Another reason why educators might choose this method of documentation is if parents are seeking a psychoeducational assessment for autism, ADHD, or a learning disability. The professionals leading those assessments rely on the expertise of educators and their familiarity with the child, so a profile can be incredibly helpful in sharing areas of strength and any areas where a child struggles.

Profiles can be especially useful when they’re completed every few months to get an idea of how well a child is developing. Educators can clearly see what skills the child is currently demonstrating so they can look ahead and identify how they can support the child as they begin to develop more advanced skills in different areas. For example, if the profile reveals that a kindergarten child holds crayons with a palmar grasp, the educator can begin to help the child practice the more advanced tripod grip that they will need to draw and write more precisely. Profiles can also be very helpful in identifying any areas of concern when an educator notices less (or no) growth in a particular area. For instance, if an educator documents that a 9-month-old communicates their needs through crying, and this is the same observation noted on the child’s profiles carried out at 12-months of age and again 15-months of age, this would be something the educator should discuss with the family and recommend they speak to their doctor about.

It’s important to note that while educators might notice “red flags” and have concerns that a child might have a particular disability, a diagnosis can only be provided by a designated professional (usually a psychologist). While educators may be very familiar with characteristics of certain disabilities, we must never discuss any suspicions that a child might have that disability with the child’s family. Firstly, we do not have adequate training. Secondly, if we are wrong, we will have needlessly caused that family a great deal of stress and worry, and that incorrect information can have a detrimental impact on our relationship with the family and their trust in us. All we can do is share our objective observations and identify any concerns we have noticed and encourage them to speak with the child’s doctor who can provide them with further guidance.