Aussie Childcare Network Forum

Nearly finished my course. Just stuck on the case studies. Looked for ages but found no info on internet. Help would be really appreciated

CASE STUDY 1/SCENARIO 1 (CS1)
The child enters the room being carried by mum. The child is crying and holding on around mum's neck. Mum approaches a staff member and says 'Can you take her/him?' The staff member removes the child's hand from around mum's neck. The child's mum runs out the door.
The child lies curled up on the floor crying. When staff approaches, she/he shouts 'I want my mum!'

1. How would you react to this scenario if the child was one who:
a. Often acted shy?
b. Was usually comfortable in the environment?
c. Is usually outgoing?

2. Would you react differently for each child? If so why?

CASE STUDY 2/SCENARIO 2 (CS2)
The child (4yrs) sits down at the puzzle table and chooses a puzzle. After about 2 minutes of trying to get the pieces in, he pushes the puzzle off the table onto the floor. The caregiver goes over to the table, picks up the puzzle and asks what is wrong. The child says 'I can't so it. it's dumb!' Gets up and leaves.

3. How would you react to this scenario if the child was one who:
a. Often acted shy?
b. Was usually comfortable in the environment?
c. Is usually outgoing?

4. Would you react differently for each child? If so why?

CASE STUDY 3/SCENARIO 3 (CS3)
The child arrives and looks withdrawn. She/he yells at another child and refuses to sit at group time. She/he pushes toys off tables and spends alot of the morning fighting with the child she/he normally plays with.

5. How would you react to this scenario if the child was one who:
a. Often acted shy?
b. Was usually comfortable in the environment?
c. Is usually outgoing?

6. Would you react differently for each child? If so why?

Thank you for your reply Catchmeifyoucan,

I have now passed this assignment. Here are my answers for Case Study2/Scenario 2:

Case Study 2/Scenario 2
Often acted shyly: Acknowledge and accept the childs feeling of frustration and possibly anger. Talk about the feelings and encourage the child to talk about them too. Encourage the child to understand that there is nothing wrong with feeling frustrated. It is the reaction to the frustration or anger, such as pushing the puzzle onto the floor, that is unacceptable.
Offer to help the child complete the puzzle, or offer them a puzzle that suits there ability. Wait until his/her frustration is interfering with the task, then say, ‘You are doing such a good job getting that puzzle piece in but this bit is tricky. If I help you find where to put it then can you do the rest?’
If the child often acted shy, then I would do this with her if she was comfortable with me (knew me well), otherwise I would find someone that she new well to do the activity with her. If this wasn’t possible, then I would find a puzzle appropriate to her ability and encourage her to give it a try. If she has lost interest in the activity, then I would encourage her to try it again later.

Was usually comfortable in the environment: Aknowledge and accept the childs feeling of frustration and possibly anger. Talk about the feelings and encourage the child to talk about them too. Encourage the child to understand that there is nothing wrong with feeling frustrated. It is the reaction to the frustration or anger, such as pushing the puzzle onto the floor, that is unacceptable.
Offer to help the child complete the puzzle, or offer them a puzzle that suits there ability. Wait until his/her frustration is interfering with the task, then say, ‘You are doing such a good job getting that puzzle piece in but this bit is tricky. If I help you find where to put it then can you do the rest?’

Is usually outgoing: Acknowledge and accept the child's feeling of frustration and possibly anger. Talk about the feelings and encourage the child to talk about them too. Encourage the child to understand that there is nothing wrong with feeling frustrated. It is the reaction to the frustration or anger, such as pushing the puzzle onto the floor, that is unacceptable.
Offer to help the child complete the puzzle, or offer them a puzzle that suits there ability. Wait until his/her frustration is interfering with the task, then say, ‘You are doing such a good job getting that puzzle piece in but this bit is tricky. If I help you find where to put it then can you do the rest?’
If the child is usually outgoing, I could get him to do a puzzle as a group and help with the puzzle.


Would you react differently for each child? If so why? I would react slightly differently for each child because each child is an individual and has individual needs. What works for the outgoing child could discourage and scare the shy child.