All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort and effort means work. - Calvin Coolidge
What is Physical Development?
When we talk about physical development in young children, we usually mean two things: the process by which children grow physically, and their increasing skill at performing a range of various motor tasks, using their large and small muscles. Physical Development is a maturation process that happens in an orderly manner; that is, certain skills and abilities generally occur before other milestones are reached. For example, most infants learn to crawl before they learn to walk. However, it is also important to realize that the rate at which these milestones are reached can vary. Some children learn to walk earlier than their same-age peers, while others may take a bit longer.
(Resources: http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/ss/early-childhood-development_2.htm,
http://decal.ga.gov/ChildCareServices/PhysicalDevelopment.aspx)
(Resources: http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/ss/early-childhood-development_2.htm,
http://decal.ga.gov/ChildCareServices/PhysicalDevelopment.aspx)
Examples of questions related to Physical Development:
- Why do some children have a harder time taking a nap or relaxing than other children?
- Why do many children dislike trying new foods?
- How far can infants see and focus on objects?
- What are the approximate ages a child should crawl and begin walking?
- How early on do children establish hand-dominance?
- How does physical activity impact a child’s emotional development at a young age (toddlers?)
- What role does motivation play in Physical Development?
Overview of the Physical Development webpage:
The purpose of this page is to offer a starting point for making connections to your observations of your child study (and children in general). Once you have encountered a particular theory/idea/contributor/resource that you connect with you are required to conduct further research beyond this website for additional information and a deeper understanding of the ideas/people presented here. Important to mention, the information mentioned here under Physical Development can also have an impact on Cognitive Development as well as Social and Emotional Development. Below offers a brief outline of the sections located on this page - for the most part names and theories are alphabetized and sometimes grouped together based on their shared meanings:
Anything in blue with ** below you can click on and you will automatically be brought to that section of the page.
**Physical Development Milestones - What to Expect
**Infants (0-12 Months)
**Toddlers (1-2 years)
**Toddlers/Preschoolers (2-3 years)
**Preschoolers (3-4 years)
**Prekindergartners (4-5 years)
**Common Terms Related to Physical Development
Dynamic Systems of Action
Motor Skill Development - Gross Motor, Fine Motor
Perceptual Motor Development
Physical Growth
Vision
**The Relationship Between Physical Development and Motivation
**Effects of Physical Development
Anything in blue with ** below you can click on and you will automatically be brought to that section of the page.
**Physical Development Milestones - What to Expect
**Infants (0-12 Months)
**Toddlers (1-2 years)
**Toddlers/Preschoolers (2-3 years)
**Preschoolers (3-4 years)
**Prekindergartners (4-5 years)
**Common Terms Related to Physical Development
Dynamic Systems of Action
Motor Skill Development - Gross Motor, Fine Motor
Perceptual Motor Development
Physical Growth
Vision
**The Relationship Between Physical Development and Motivation
**Effects of Physical Development
Physical Development Milestones - What to Expect
Infants (0-12 Months):
The first year of life is a time of rapid growth and development in the physical area. During this time children are developing the physical skills they need in order to explore and learn from their environment. Physical development centers on large and small muscle development. Developmental milestones to watch for during this time include:
By 4 months:
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By 8 months:
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By 12 months:
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(Resource: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning)
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Prereaching - Voluntary Reaching - Grasping: Reaching and grasping, like many other motor skills, start out as gross, diffuse activity and more toward mastery of fine movements. Newborns make poorly coordinated swipes or swings, called prereaching, toward an object in front of them. Since they cannot control their arms and hands, they rarely succeed in contacting the object. At about 3 months, voluntary reaching appears and gradually improves. Of all motor skills, voluntary reaching is believed to play the greatest role in infant cognitive development. By grasping an object and manipulating it, the baby adds to his knowledge of the sights, sounds, and feel of objects. Once infants can reach, the modify their grasp. The newborn's grasp reflex is replaced by the ulnar grasp, a clumsy motion in which the fingers close against the palm. By the end of the first year infants use the thumb and index finger in a well coordinated pincer grasp (Berk, 1998).
Prereaching - Voluntary Reaching - Grasping: Reaching and grasping, like many other motor skills, start out as gross, diffuse activity and more toward mastery of fine movements. Newborns make poorly coordinated swipes or swings, called prereaching, toward an object in front of them. Since they cannot control their arms and hands, they rarely succeed in contacting the object. At about 3 months, voluntary reaching appears and gradually improves. Of all motor skills, voluntary reaching is believed to play the greatest role in infant cognitive development. By grasping an object and manipulating it, the baby adds to his knowledge of the sights, sounds, and feel of objects. Once infants can reach, the modify their grasp. The newborn's grasp reflex is replaced by the ulnar grasp, a clumsy motion in which the fingers close against the palm. By the end of the first year infants use the thumb and index finger in a well coordinated pincer grasp (Berk, 1998).
RECOMMENDED TEXT FOR INFANT PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT:
Wittmer, D. S., Petersen, S. H., & Puckett, M. B. (2013). The young child: Development from prebirth through age eight (6th ed.)
*Located in the "Learning and Development" section of the library
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Toddlers (1-2 years):
12 to 18 Months
This stage is an exciting time for parents and children. Most children have mastered basic movement skills and are working on refinement of those. During this period most children will be able to:
(Resource: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning) |
18 to 24 Months
Most physical milestones have been achieved at this time and physical growth is centered on further refinement of these skills. By the end of this time period the child may be able to:
|
______________________________
Toddlers/Preschoolers (2-3 years):
This is a time of great independence and growth. Physical skills are constantly being refined as the child explores his environment and expands his world. Most children of this age will be able to:
- walk up and down stairs by holding the rail
- run with little falling
- put on shoes
- dress themselves with assistance
- feed themselves using a spoon and fingers
- attempt to catch a large ball
- pedal a tricycle
- climb a ladder onto a low slide
- copy a circle using a crayon
Dominant Cerebral Hemisphere: By age 2, hand preference is stable, and it strengthens during early and middle childhood. This indicates that specialization of brain regions increases during this time. A strong hand preference reflects the greater capacity of one side of the brain - the individual's dominant cerebral hemisphere - to carry out skilled motor action (Berk, 1998).
______________________________
Preschoolers (3-4 years):
Children this age are constantly on the move! Most of them can maneuver through their environment independently and are constantly on! Skills at this time may include:
- dressing themselves without much help
- feeding themselves independently using a spoon, fork and dinner knife
- pedaling and steering a tricycle skillfully
- running, jumping, hopping and skipping around obstacles with ease
- climbing on outdoor play equipment easily
- catching a six inch ball
- cut along a line with scissors
- grasp a pencil to copy lines or circles
______________________________
Pre-Kindergartners (4-5 years):
Children's precision of motion improves significantly. Most are able to:
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Children are now more confident, and most are able to:
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Children develop skills that will help them as they enter school and begin writing. Most can:
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(Resource: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning)
RECOMMENDED TEXT FOR GENERAL PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT:
Bee, H. (2000). The developing child (9th ed.)
*Located in the "Learning and Development" section of the library
Other related links to resources about Milestones of Physical Development:
Click on any of the options below to access more information...
Common Terms Related to Physical Development:
Dynamic Systems Theory: When motor skills work as a system, separate abilities blend together, each cooperating with others to produce more effective ways of exploring and controlling the environment. For example, control of the head and upper chest are combined into sitting with support (Berk, 1998). For more on Dynamic Systems Theory check out the following chapter by Esther Thelen and Linda B. Smith.
Motor Skill Development: The term motor development refers to physical growth, or growth in the ability of children to use their bodies and physical skills. Motor development often has been defined as the process by which a child acquires movement patterns and skills. Genetics, size at birth, body build, nutrition and culture can all influence motor and physical development.As a child grows, his or her nervous system becomes more mature. As this happens, the child becomes more and more capable of performing increasingly complex actions. Rates may vary somewhat. However, nearly all children begin to exhibit these motor skills at a fairly consistent rate unless some type of disability is present.
Perceptual Motor Development: Perception is a neurological process by which sensory input is organized. It involves all of the senses. Perceptual Motor Development refers to the interrelationships between a child's perceptions (sensory information) and motor responses. Because perceptions derive from the senses and provoke awareness, motor development and perception are interdependent, and each influences learning. Space, depth, and weight perceptions, for example, depend heavily on locomotor experiences for their development.
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Physical Growth: Physical Development in children follows a directional pattern...
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Vision: Although a normal adult's visual activity (how well one sees) is 20/20, a newborn is 20/600, which means that something 20 feet away is seen by the newborn with the clarity of what an adult would see if the object were 600 feet away. This improves rapidly over the first six months to about 20/100, and by age 3, visual activity has reached about 20/30 (Wittmer et al., 2013).
Read more about why contrasting colors are good for infant brain development
Motor Skill Development: The term motor development refers to physical growth, or growth in the ability of children to use their bodies and physical skills. Motor development often has been defined as the process by which a child acquires movement patterns and skills. Genetics, size at birth, body build, nutrition and culture can all influence motor and physical development.As a child grows, his or her nervous system becomes more mature. As this happens, the child becomes more and more capable of performing increasingly complex actions. Rates may vary somewhat. However, nearly all children begin to exhibit these motor skills at a fairly consistent rate unless some type of disability is present.
- Gross (or Large) Motor Skills - Involve the larger muscles including the arms and legs. Actions requiring gross motor skills include walking, running, balance and coordination. When evaluating gross motor skills, the factors that experts look at include strength, muscle tone, movement quality and the range of movement.
- Fine (or Small) Motor Skills - Involve the smaller muscles in the fingers, toes, eyes and other areas. The actions that require fine motor skills tend to be more intricate, such as drawing, writing, grasping objects, throwing, waving and catching.
- Muscle Tone - How tightly or loosely do the muscles work for your child? If a child's body has high tone, then his movements might be jerky or disconnected. If a child's body is too loose - or low tone - then her movements might be slow and lack strength.
- Muscle Strength - How strong is your child? How much pressure can he apply with his hands and legs? How much pressure can his body withstand?
- Quality of Movements - Are the movements smooth or does she seem to jerk her limbs? Does she seem to move either particularly slow or fast? Does it take effort for her to move around?
- Range of Movement - An important area in physical development is a child's ability to make movements that span the entire length of her body. A significant milestone is the ability to make movements that go from one side of the body to the other, referred to as "crossing the midline". This skill is necessary for a child to do tasks such throwing a ball or passing an object from one hand to another. This concept is also important for the area of fine motor development.
Perceptual Motor Development: Perception is a neurological process by which sensory input is organized. It involves all of the senses. Perceptual Motor Development refers to the interrelationships between a child's perceptions (sensory information) and motor responses. Because perceptions derive from the senses and provoke awareness, motor development and perception are interdependent, and each influences learning. Space, depth, and weight perceptions, for example, depend heavily on locomotor experiences for their development.
- Auditory Perception - Involves the use of auditory clues to identify people, objects, and events and to discern such qualities as distance, speed, and space.
- Olfactory and Taste Perceptions - Provides additional information for the recognition, discrimination, identification, and location of experienced events and objects.
- Tactile-Kinesthetic Perception - Provides information relating to touch, textures, temperature, weight, pressure, and one's own body position, presence, or movements.
- Visual Perception - Involves the ability to recognize and discriminate faces, patterns, sizes, shapes, depth, distance, and so on.
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Physical Growth: Physical Development in children follows a directional pattern...
- Large muscles develop before small muscles. Muscles in the body's core, legs and arms develop before those in the fingers and hands. Children learn how to perform gross (or large) motor skills such as walking before they learn to perform fine (or small) motor skills such as drawing.
- The center of the body develops before the outer regions. Muscles located at the core of the body become stronger and develop sooner than those in the feet and hands.
- Development goes from the top down from the head to the toes. This is why babies learn to hold their heads up before they learn how to crawl.
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Vision: Although a normal adult's visual activity (how well one sees) is 20/20, a newborn is 20/600, which means that something 20 feet away is seen by the newborn with the clarity of what an adult would see if the object were 600 feet away. This improves rapidly over the first six months to about 20/100, and by age 3, visual activity has reached about 20/30 (Wittmer et al., 2013).
Read more about why contrasting colors are good for infant brain development
The Relationship Between Physical Development and Motivation
Other related links to resources about the relationship between Physical Development
and Motivation:
Click on any of the options below to access more information...
Effects of Physical Development:
The child's growth makes new behaviors possible. Specific physical changes are needed before others can take place. The lack of a particular physical development may set limits on the behaviors a child is capable of performing.
The child's growth determines experience. A child's range of physical capacities or skills can have an indirect effect on cognitive and social development by influencing the variety of experiences she may have.
The child's growth affects others' responses. The child's new physical skills change the way others respond to her.
The child's growth affects self-concept. Physical characteristics and physical skills (or lack of them) have a significant influence on a child's self-concept or sense of self-efficacy.
(Resource: Bee, 2000)
The child's growth determines experience. A child's range of physical capacities or skills can have an indirect effect on cognitive and social development by influencing the variety of experiences she may have.
The child's growth affects others' responses. The child's new physical skills change the way others respond to her.
The child's growth affects self-concept. Physical characteristics and physical skills (or lack of them) have a significant influence on a child's self-concept or sense of self-efficacy.
(Resource: Bee, 2000)
Reference List for Works Cited on This Page:
- Bee, H. (2000). The developing child (9th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
- Berk, L. E. (1998). Development through the lifespan. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
- Wittmer, D. S., Petersen, S. H., & Puckett, M. B. (2013). The young child: Development from prebirth through age eight (6th ed.). Upper Saddle Rive, NJ: Pearson.