Early Childhood Education Anecdotal Record Annotated
Early Childhood Education Anecdotal Record Annotated
Early Childhood Education Anecdotal Record Annotated
An anecdotal record is a short, concise narrative summarizing one directly observed incident, usually
chosen for its developmental significance; it is recorded after the occurrence. Please remember to be
objective and concise in your statements.
Setting __________________________________________________________
Circumstances ____________________________________________________
Narrative account of what you saw; direct observations only – no inferences. This might include things
such as child’s: actions, behaviors, emotions, language (both spoken and body language),
interest/engagement as well as the environmental context.
Reflection on your observation. Considerations might include age and stage of development, typical
behaviors and other prior knowledge about the child, environmental context (both classroom and home),
noticeable patterns as well as any questions you may have after this observation.
Actions to explore use the direct observation as well as the reflection to help you plan your next steps.
These typically fall into three general areas: interactions (peer-to-peer and/or adult-to-child),
environmental changes, experiences and/or provocations for the child.