A characteristic for a child is one of the most frequently compiled documents necessary in the work of an educator, class teacher, social teacher. It may be needed when a child enters a kindergarten or school, when changing a place of study, in other cases. A well-written characterization helps to form the first idea of the child, his personal, psychological characteristics, to choose the right methods of pedagogical interaction with him.
There are three main types of characteristics: pedagogical, psychological and psychological-pedagogical. Psychological characteristics are made by a psychologist on the basis of data obtained as a result of observations of the child, various kinds of test tasks and other types of psychological research. Psychological and pedagogical characteristics can be given by a teacher using the data of psychological analysis, while a teacher or educator can write a pedagogical characteristic on their own based on their own pedagogical experience.
The characteristic does not have a unified form, but when compiling it, one should more or less clearly adhere to the following plan.
At the very beginning, general information about the child is reported: his last name, first name and patronymic, age (or date of birth). The educational institution that the child is attending, class or group number may also be indicated.
The following is a brief analysis of the family conditions in which the child is brought up: complete or incomplete family, the social status of the parents, their age and professional activity. It is indicated with whom the child lives, a brief assessment is given of the general psychological climate in the family, the style and main methods of upbringing that parents use.
The main interests of the child, his preferences in educational or play activities, and types of activities that cause difficulties are summarized.
Further, the assessment of the child's intellectual development is given. The component of the characteristic assesses how much it corresponds to generally accepted norms, whether the skills of educational and cognitive activity are sufficiently formed, corresponding to his age. You can separately indicate the level of development of such processes as memory, attention, volitional qualities, educational motivation, etc.
The characteristic may also contain a brief analysis of the child's temperament: how mobile and balanced his nervous reactions are, what is the degree of anxiety, and other features characteristic of the type of higher nervous activity of a student or preschooler.
After that, the main character traits are listed, inherent in the person to whom the characteristic is given. Typically, special attention is paid to qualities that are important for the purpose of this document.
So, if it is necessary to characterize a child as a student, the degree of his attentiveness, perseverance, diligence, perseverance in solving educational problems, etc., is noted.
The level of social and social activity of the child is also assessed: his position in the team, the degree of sociability, friendship, especially communication with comrades and adults. You can list the social assignments that the student performs in the classroom, and his attitude towards them, activity in the affairs of the children's collective, etc.
It can be given in the characteristics and assessment of the general level of the cultural and aesthetic development of the child, the features of the development of speech and outlook. It also briefly analyzes how adequate the child's self-esteem is, determines the level of his claims, lists the ethical and moral qualities characteristic of him.
The characterization ends, as a rule, with pedagogical or psychological recommendations for the further improvement of positive qualities. Possible methods and ways of correcting the existing shortcomings can also be indicated.
It is far from always necessary to give such a complete characterization of the child's personality. This document can be more or less detailed, highlight to a greater extent certain aspects of the personality of a student or preschooler, depending on the purpose for which it is compiled.
