The 7 observation traps
Where observations go wrong — and what to write instead. Every one of these is common, and every one is easy to fix.
1Recording the trip, not the child
✘ “We went to the farm and he loved it.” · “Planted seeds.” · “Played outside.”
✔ One thing this child did about one thing they noticed. Outdoors is the setting, not the evidence.
2Crediting the adult’s work
✘ A handprint an adult held the hand for · a template craft · mixing two colours an adult set out.
✔ What the child chose or worked out — wanting orange and finding there is none.
3Reading in what is not there
✘ “A dark painting — he seems sad.” · “She drew a house.” (She did not say so.)
✔ What the child showed or said. A painting is a house when the child tells you it is.
4Look-alikes that do not count
✘ Singing along ≠ pitch matching · loud ≠ control · a toy phone ≠ symbolic play · sitting quietly ≠ listening · silence ≠ a positive attitude.
✔ Read “Doesn’t count” on the statement before you credit it.
5Copying the example
✘ The tool’s example with the name changed. Five children’s files that read the same.
✔ Copy the shape, not the words: what happened, in their words, what it tells us.
6Fixing the wrong thing
✘ More pencil practice for messy writing · more counting for “fewer”.
✔ Look underneath: how they are sitting; whether they have the word. Check the prime areas first.
7“Wait and see” on an early sign
✘ Waiting on a child who does not turn to sounds they cannot see · never repeats an action to make it happen again · reliably will not touch anything wet or messy and is distressed if pressed.
✔ Tell the SENCo the same week. For sounds, ask the family about hearing — glue ear is common and comes and goes. Raising it is not deciding what it means. Anything about a child’s safety: the DSL, in person, today.
Just Little Kidz · The Developing Mind Nursery · From EYFS moments & observations and the “Observing well” course