My Baby Book: A Record of Development
This project is assigned in correlation with the chapters on Development and Language and will assist students in
understanding the major theories on development, forms of attachment and developmental concepts from across the life span.
You will be assigned to be a responsible parent as well as creating a baby book that demonstrates your mastery of the key
concepts within the chapters.
Part 1: Responsible Parent
BABY DUE ON March 3rd & 4th: A 5-pound bag of sugar, flour, rice or corn meal. The baby must be encased in pantyhose
and decorated accordingly. You may add yarn or a bonnet, sew on eyes, noses, and mouths and dress the babies in baby
clothes. Babies must be brought to class and “presented” to me.
Parents must spend 2 weeks tending to their “baby”, beginning on March 2nd – March 17th. Each “parent” must take the
baby to school and everywhere else people ordinarily take their babies. Students who leave them unattended at home or
anywhere else will have to write a 2 page paper on child abuse and present their findings to the class. (in addition to the
required assignment). If you find a parent from another district abandoning their baby then you must show me proof of them
in public without their baby. If three parents from the same district are caught abandoning their baby, the district will have
ten points deducted from their current points.
I will be checking OUTSIDE of class, to verify that you are behaving as appropriate parents and caring for your infants. If you
are caught NOT doing so, you will be required to write the paper on child abuse, IN ADDITION to the baby book, in order to
receive the credit for the assignment. If you do not complete the paper I will deduct 30 points from your project.
Part 2: Baby Book
You will design and create a personal baby book that discusses many aspects of your personal development since day one.
Follow the guidelines below (and exactly in this order) to create your baby book. You may use your mom, dad, or other family
references to connect your past to the developmental concepts we will discuss in this unit. This is a creative assignment. Your
baby book should not only contain personal and factual information, but it should also be decorative and unique to your
personality. You should have a minimum of six pictures in your baby book. (I have placed them throughout the assignment
below.) You may include additional photos. You should be creative, colorful, insightful, and careful of detail.
Section 1: Your General Fact Sheet(s)
DUE ON March 3rd & 4th:
1.
2.
3.
In one paragraph, describe your mom’s pregnancy with you.
Why were you given your name?
What were the other names your parents were considering? Include both male and female names.
Section 2: Your Language Development
DUE ON March 17th & 18th:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What was your first word?
When did you first say this word?
Why was this word your first?
Were there any funny sounds, words, and/or phrases you used to use?
If so, what were these sounds, words, and/or phrases supposed to mean?
Define telegraphic speech, overgeneralization, and overextension (in your own words).
Did you use these forms of speech in any way? How? Provide examples.
Did you experience any language barriers during language formation (i.e., stuttering, lisps, etc.)?
Photo: Include a picture of yourself in the early-childhood years.
Section 3: Your Cognitive Development
DUE ON March 17th & 18th:
1.
Admit to and explain at least one specific time when you performed or experience egocentrism, object permanence,
centration and irreversibility.
Section 4: Your Social-Emotional Development
DUE ON March 17th & 18th:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Who were you most attached to and why?
Define “imprinting” and explain whether this theory supports your attachment.
Were there any objects that you formed attachments with?
Were these attachments formed similar to Harlow’s “contact comfort”? Why or why not? First, make sure to explain
what “contact comfort” is.
Explain the overall effects of having no attachments in one’s childhood. Include a personal example if you feel as
though you fall into this category.
Summarize what adults experience, regarding later intimacy and attachment, as a result of the various infancy
attachment levels.
Summarize the impact your “baby” had on your day-to-day lives.
Photo: Include three pictures of you and your baby out in public doing different activities.
Section 5: Your Moral Development
DUE ON March 17th & 18th:
1.
2.
Write a short paragraph explaining “where you are” regarding James Marcia’s theory of development.
For extra credit, write a second paragraph explaining where your teacher is regarding James Marcia’s theory of
development. Make sure you explain why you think you (and your teacher) are placed specifically!
Section 6: Your Physical Development
DUE ON March 17th & 18th:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
How long was your mom in labor?
What was your birth weight and length?
How many months old were you when you learned to sit up?
How old were you when you began to walk?
When were you officially potty trained?
Compare your development for items #4, 5, and 6 with the “95% levels”
Define “puberty” (of course, in your own words). Based on the characteristics of puberty, explain whether adolescence
comes at a fixed age for all.
Make up and write a story about two friends (the same gender as you), one who is an early bloomer and one who is a
late bloomer. How are their experiences different, better, or worse? What comes out of both of their experiences?
Photo: Include a picture of yourself around the age of puberty. (may be a picture with two friends whom you wrote
about)
Section 7: Your Personality Development
DUE ON March 17th & 18th:
1.
2.
3.
Look at the “temperament theory” and Thomas and Chess’ temperament categories. Explain what type of child you
were, based on this information. Give detail or examples.
Write a personal journal (one page) about why stages #5 and #6 of Erikson’s eight stages of personality development
may be the highest hurdles to jump in life. Think about your junior high and high school years and what’s to come in
your post—high school years. Include physical, emotional, and cognitive aspects, and explain how these all fit into
Erikson’s stages #5 and #6.This should be fun and easy to do as long as you budget your time appropriately. I
guarantee I will be able to tell if this assignment was started and finished the night before it is due. Pace yourselves
and have fun!
Photo: Include a picture from your late adolescence that demonstrates your personality.