Physical Development has to do with the development of the body and of child’s ability to continue to sharpen gross and fine motor skills within each stage of development.
A child’s physical development is seen by experts in the form of stages where numerous changes are evident. Even though every child’s actions cannot be specifically placed into a certain stage because each child’s learning agility differs, the following is a general guideline of each stage and the certain movements, actions a child is most likely to display on his journey of growth and development.
Parents often are not informed well enough as to within what stage of physical development is a child more likely to accomplish a certain task and that is exactly what this guide will equip you with. The general knowledge a parent or caregiver may be interested in to know that your child is developing according to the suggested guidelines which suggest that if they are they are in adequate health.
In this article you will find:
- General stages of childhood physical development
- Tips, links, recommended activities for each stage
- Recommended books for each stage
Infancy (Birth--Age 2)
The infancy stage is a period where there is remarkably rapid growth which can be seen in a child's reflexes. These reflexes include the grasping of small objects, flaring both arms and legs when responding to loud noises all which are evidence of neurological development. Gross motor skills come soon after beginning slowly and more rapidly as a child gets older. Beginning at 1 year children may roll over, crawl, sit and much more eventually walking as they get older with an increase in their balance.
In the following, we offer ideas on how to help your child polish their motor skills in order to make a smooth transition into their next stage of early childhood.
Play with building blocks
There are so many great ways to help strengthen and tone a child's muscles. Why not play blocks with your child? A parent may help her child build a tower and as the child bends up and down to place the blocks they are already working those little muscles! You may also build a large tower and have them crawl under. The point is don't be afraid to get creative and you will both have fun!
Exercise
With close supervision parents may help a child climb since it will help their sense of laterality. Most toddlers who are beginning to walk need plenty of practice. Parents or caregivers may do this by going on walks with your children. Try different surfaces such as sand, grass, and even gravel for them to practice walking. These will offer a challenge to them which in turn will help to promote balance.
Music
Who doesn't love to wiggle or dance to music, especially young children? By playing music such as "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" and songs where your child can use their hands to depict what is happening in the song, they will greatly enhance gross motor skills. As the child gets closer to the toddler stage they may bang on cereal boxes, play infant safe maracas, tambourines, and/or March around all of which are incredibly fun and stimulate a child's brain.
Early Childhood (Ages 2--6)
Gross motor skills such as hopping, running, climbing, swinging continue to occur throughout this phase. Added to these skills come along Fine motor skills. These include manipulating small objects primarily with the hands such as cutting with scissors, or drawing and coloring. The main goal of improving Fine motor skills is practice, patience, perseverance, and optimism. Remember that patience is necessary as not all children learn at the same time as the next child. Each child is unique. Be creative and have fun.
Playing Roles and Dress-Up
Children in between ages 2--6 have highly creative and inquisitive minds. They love to make things up. As a parent you can set up pretend roles for children to play with one another during physical play. These roles will also teach them to cooperate and be responsible. They will also make practicing gross motor skills more exciting.
Puzzles & Stringing Beads
Activities such as these greatly help a child in tuning his or her fine motor skills. You may decide to start with Peg puzzles for younger children and gradually change to normal cardboard puzzles which will require more skill in holding. Stringing beads could be seen as just plain fun for a child but their fine muscle coordination is in progress during these activities.
Cutting and Drawing
Continue to improve a child's fine motor skills by giving them projects to do. Cutting shapes of animals or people out of construction paper in different colors. They can then go ahead and glue them under you supervision onto a larger construction paper. Add more excitement by drawing faces with fat or thin crayolas, markers on them and then coloring them in. These challenging skills for a child are sure to enhance their creativity, enhance their curiosity while improving their fine motor skills.
Painting
Painting can also be exciting to children especially when they can use a variety of brushes such as large brushes and smaller and thinner brushes. The smaller the brush, the more precision and control the child will have to use.
Video on Writing:
Early Childhood (Ages 2--6) Gross motor skills such as hopping, running, climbing, swinging continue to occur throughout this phase. Added to these skills come along Fine motor skills. These include manipulating small objects primarily with the hands such as cutting with scissors, or drawing and coloring. The main goal of improving Fine motor skills is practice, patience, perseverance, and optimism. Remember that patience is necessary as not all children learn at the same time as the next child. Each child is unique. Be creative and have fun. Playing Roles and Dress-Up Children in between ages 2--6 have highly creative and inquisitive minds. They love to make things up. As a parent you can set up pretend roles for children to play with one another during physical play. These roles will also teach them to cooperate and be responsible. They will also make practicing gross motor skills more exciting. Puzzles & Stringing Beads Activities such as these greatly help a child in tuning his or her fine motor skills. You may decide to start with Peg puzzles for younger children and gradually change to normal cardboard puzzles which will require more skill in holding. Stringing beads could be seen as just plain fun for a child but their fine muscle coordination is in progress during these activities. Cutting and Drawing Continue to improve a child's fine motor skills by giving them projects to do. Cutting shapes of animals or people out of construction paper in different colors. They can then go ahead and glue them under you supervision onto a larger construction paper. Add more excitement by drawing faces with fat or thin crayolas, markers on them and then coloring them in. These challenging skills for a child are sure to enhance their creativity, enhance their curiosity while improving their fine motor skills. Painting Painting can also be exciting to children especially when they can use a variety of brushes such as large brushes and smaller and thinner brushes. The smaller the brush, the more precision and control the child will have to use. Middle Childhood (Ages 6--10) During this stage visible changes are a bit slower than they have been during their earlier childhood years. Girls tend to mature quicker than do boys. Girl’s puberty usually starts between ages 8 to 13. This brings formation of the breasts, pubic hair, and increased body fat. In boys puberty is typically from ages 10 even though they may not see any major changes until the ages of 15. These changes may include growth of the penis, enlargement of the testes, and pubic hair amongst other changes. At the same time children become more independent and physically active than when they were much younger such as the preschool years. Children learn to play kickball, hit a baseball, learn to throw and catch amongst many other activities all of which improve muscle coordination and strength. The most common changes include losing a number of baby teeth eventually being replaced by larger permanent teeth. Children during these ages show further improvement in fine motor skills. These can be seen in their drawings which will have more details in comparison to their preschool drawings. Great improvement is usually seen also in a child's handwriting. It displays itself more consistently, smaller, and alot neater. During these years children will also show interest in different activities such as sports, or the arts, and craft projects which in turn continue to fine tune their fine motor skills even further. Generally such sports include: Jazz, Tap dance, ballet, baseball, or soccer and the list goes on. Early Adolescence (Ages 10--14) During this stage of adolescence, one of the most marked physical changes in children is the beginning of puberty which is a series of biological changes that will lead a child into what is known as reproductive maturity. A growth spurt is evident as well which is a rapid increase in height and weight. There is dramatic increase in physical growth. A girl growth spurt tends to happen about 2 years earlier than boys. By the time boys reach the age of 14 boys catch up and pass girls up. Adolescent height change happens and this is where the legs, feet, hands grow larger to adult size and then will the torso. This is the reason some adolescents may seem somewhat out of proportion temporarily even though eventually their bodies tend to fill out. Eventually boys tend to end up larger and heavier than girls for the reason they have had an extra two years of preadolescent growth as stated by many experts in this field. Towards the end of the dramatic physical changes that are taking place in the skeleton due to sex hormones, girls tend to end up with hips that are broader in relation to their shoulders and their waist. By age 14 girls the gains in large muscle movement have already leveled off. Boys near the age of 14 continue their dramatic growth spurt not only in endurance, but in speed and strength. A girl’s menarche (or first period) usually takes place at about 12 1/2 years of age but could happen as early as 10 years of age so don't be alarmed. Any questions may be directed towards the Childs pediatrician. During these ages the great majority of gross motor skills have already been defined in perfectly healthy adolescent. Fine motor skills at this point should continue to be refined through various activities which could preferably by of special interest to the child such as: sports and/or music. Late Adolescence (Ages 14--18) Around ages 14 or 15 in girls and 17 for boys the growth spurt ends marking this as an accomplishment in sexual maturity. Because every individual adolescent is different in his physical growth rate due to different factors, some teenagers, especially boys show little signs of puberty until they reach high school. The body has done much of its growth physically but during the adolescent years the brain continues to refine its pathways. This would include the control of emotions, and reactions to consequences for various behaviors whether good or bad. During these years your child may seem like they have morphed into another being unfamiliar to you as they are going through the ups and downs of these years where there hormones are acting up and balancing out. It would help for us as parents to recognize their sensitive feelings and their thoughts. We can use the input to help parents direct them towards positive behavior and outcomes. It would be wise to show them that you are there, stay close and affirm them and show them the right way always. A parent may not see how grateful their children are but in the long run, they will thank you, the concerned parent. They will thank you for being by there side through their infancy all the way through these adolescent years which can be tough and even confusing as they search for identity amongst different crowds. Eating Habits for Physical Well-Being Very briefly I wanted to undermine the importance of healthy eating habits. As we all should be aware, good eating habits start at birth. A child's physical development relies heavily on their nutrition. This includes their growth, bone structure and strength, energy level, and even their ability to concentrate. It is never too late to start healthy eating habits for your child. Their bodies will thank you in the long run as their diet is crucial for their well-being as previously mentioned.
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