Concentration

The child is narrowing his/her attention to the limited circle of his/her activity. Only intense stimuli can reach and maybe distract him/her. A main point of reference for the observer (with most activities) are the child’s eye movements: are the eyes focused on the relevant object or do they occasionally wander?

Energy

In motor activities physical energy is involved. One could even regard the degree of transpiration as a measure for involvement. In other activities a physical component may still catch the eye: loud talking (shouting), the actions being carried out in a lively pace. However, this must not be confused with the release of pent-up energy (e.g. because one had to be quiet for too long). Mental energy can become apparent in the zeal displayed in action or, more abstractly, in the (mental) effort showing on faces. This can be accompanied by physical signs, such as reddening or transpiration.

Complexity and creativity

Children are at their best whenever they are involved. The activity then is matching their competence. They fully apply to their cognitive and other capabilities. As a result, their behaviour is more than routine. More often than not complexity involves creativity: the child adds an individual touch to the activity, he/she brings in his/her own elements, produces something new, shows something not entirely predictable, something personal.

Facial expression and posture

Non-verbal signs are a great help when assessing the level of involvement. It is, for instance, possible to distinguish between eyes staring dreamily into space (level 1), wandering from one point to another, and an intense look (level 5). When stories are told feelings and moods can be told straight from the child’s face. The overall posture can reveal high concentration or boredom. Even when children are seen from the back only, one might assess the level of (non) involvement.

Persistence

When concentrating, the children direct their full attention and energy towards one point and are ‘captured’ by the activity. That is why they do not easily let go of the action. They want the sensation of satisfaction, experienced with intense activity, to last and they are quite willing to do the necessary efforts. They are not easily distracted by others or stopped by obstacles. Activities going along with involvement tend to last. Even very young children can surprise us with the duration of their concentration.

Precision

Involved children give special attention to their work: they are susceptible to details and show precision in their actions. Non-involved children tend to race through their work; they are negligent, absent minded, do not notice what is relevant to their actions. In verbally oriented activities less obvious details escape their notice (casual words , gestures,…). They miss the point or important clues. In contrast, if involved not a single sound is missed even when the speaker has a low voice.

Reaction time

Young children are alert and easily respond to interesting stimuli. They actually jump to action (e.g. after several possible activities were introduced), thus expressing motivation. They also react to new stimuli occurring in the course of action, provided those are relevant.

Verbal utterances

Children sometimes explicitly indicate that they are/were involved by their spontaneous comments (“I liked that!”, ” Can we do that again?”). They can also indicate more implicitly that the activity appeals to them by giving enthusiastic descriptions of what they are/have been doing: they cannot refrain from putting into words what they are experiencing, discovering,… Indeed, long before babies use recognisable words, they will often indicate their involvement vocally, gurgling, babbling and squealing.

Satisfaction

Activities possessing the quality of involvement often induce a feeling of satisfaction. The source of this feeling may vary, but it will always imply ‘exploration’, ‘getting a grip on reality’, being ‘fascinated’ or ‘passionate’ about something. This feeling of satisfaction is often implicit, but sometimes one can notice a child looking with utter satisfaction at his/her work, touching it,…