Cisneros 1

Marisol Cisneros
October 10, 2017
CHILD 350
Pre-assessment

Heading: This pre-assessment was conducted with six toddlers enrolled in the toddler labs at Brigham
Young University- Idaho. The children ranged from 16 to 38 months. Five girls and one boy were
assessed. On October 4, 2017 I observed the children’s interest in the topic and on October 6, 2017 I
planned a formal assessment that would be conducted near the art area, at the sink. I conducted this
assessment while the children were playing with paint during their free play time.

Methods:
Informal- On October 4, 2017 I observed several children return to the sink to wash their hands multiple
times after playing with paint in the art area during their free play time. All the children were wearing
art smocks during their activity but all the children had gotten paint on their hands and so were required
to wash their hands. I observed that many of the children were very fascinated with the pouring water
and enjoyed just exploring with the water by moving their hands through it by waving their hands up
and down in the water.

Formal- On October 6, 2017 I tested 6 toddler’s understanding of the process of washing their hands.
Having the children wash their hands was already a needed outcome, since the children were playing
with paint. The first question asked was whether or not the children knew when they needed to wash
their hands. I allowed them to come to the sink on their own and if not, then I would direct them to the
sink area. Once they were at the sink, I tested to see if they knew to rub their hands in the water and if
they needed soup. If they asked or gestured for help for the soup I would ask them, “What is soup for?”
After I assessed their understanding of process of washing their hands, I observed if whether or not they
knew that they needed to dry their hands after the process. Meanwhile as the children were washing
their hands, I asked the children at the art center, right next to the sink, a yes/no question and asked if
(name of the child washing their hands) was washing their hands.

Findings:

What Children in the Weds/Fri Toddler Lab Know About Washing Hands

Where How
At the sink Rub hands together
At the drinking fountain Only place hands in water
Washing Hands Use soap/don’t use soap
Props Use paper towels/don’t
Soup
Paper towels When
Because hands are dirty
Want to play with water

Three out of the six children knew to wash their hands at the sink after they were done painting and had
their hands covered in paint. Two just looked at their hands helplessly, gesturing that they didn’t want
the paint on their hands but it didn’t appear that they were able to come up with the solution to wash
 Cisneros 2

their hands on their own. One of the children tried to play in the other areas without washing his hands
at all. After I told him that he needed to wash his hands, instead of knowing to go the sink, he instead
went to the drinking fountain next to the sink and tried to rinse his hands there. Only one child knew to
rub their hands under the flowing water. Three of the other children just let the water pour on their
hands, whereas the other two played with the water by trying to grab it or putting their hands to top of
the faucet to experiment how their hand placement would affect the flow of the water.

Two of the children knew they needed soup. One child verbally said, “soup,” and gestured to the soup
and the other child merely just gestured to the soup. I asked the child who verbally asked for soup,
“What is soup for?” and she replied, “wash hands.” Only one child rubbed in the soup and the other five
just rinsed the soup off. Three of the children knew to dry their hands whereas, the other three just
went to walk away after washing their hands. Two of these children came back to the sink to wash their
hands again even though their hands weren’t dirty.

Possible Ideas to Teach:

1. We wash our hands when they are dirty, before we eat, and after we use the bathroom.
2. We need water and soup to wash our hands.
3. When we wash our hands, we rub them together to better clean them.
4. We need to dry our hands after we are done getting them wet.

Possible Experiences that could be Provided to Teach Selected Ideas:

1. Have the children wash their hands after any art activity.
2. Have the children pretend to wash their hands in dramatic play if they are playing with toy food.
3. Have books in the flop and drop area that talk about washing hands.
4. Create a baby washing activity outside.
5. Help the children dry their hands after experimenting with water in the sensory table.

Ways to Check for Understanding:

1. Create images of the different steps of washing hands and have the children order them.
2. Observe if the children initiate to have their hands washed after getting them dirty.
3. Observe children while they are washing their hands if they follow the correct sequence.
4. Ask close ended question about the process. Have pictures that the children can choose from to
identify what they should do.