© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Children Physical Development in Early Childhood 8

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Children

Physical Development

in Early Childhood

8


Images of Children

• Teresa and her art– Kindergarten and free access to materials

created enthusiasm– Later years in school destroyed motivation

• Teachers unaided children’s skills• Restrictions to art increased• Student competition created stress

How Does a Young Child’s Body and Brain Grow and Change?


Height and Weight

• Average child grows 2½ inches and gains between 5 and 7 pounds a year during early childhood– Growth patterns vary individually

• Heredity has an influence– Boys gain muscle; girls gain fatty tissue



Height and Weight

• Environmental influences on growth– Ethnic origin– Nutrition– Birth order– Social class– Urban vs. rural – Maternal smoking– Prenatal development



Height and Weight

• Growth Hormone Deficiency– Occurs in prenatal development– Absence in pituitary gland– Treatment over several years needed to attain

normal height– Affects boys two times more than girls– ‘shortness’ may have little impact on social and

psychological functioning



The Brain

• Grows slower in childhood than in infancy– 75% of adult size by age 3– 95% of adult volume by age 6– Brain and head: fastest growing parts of body

• Body weight of 5-year-old is 1/3 of adult size



The Brain

• Neural changes– Neurotransmitters and dopamine– Myelination

• Layer of fatty cells• Increases neural connection functioning• Important in development of abilities: eye-

hand coordination, attention focus



The Brain

• Structural Changes – Brain undergoes dramatic anatomical changes

between ages of 3 and 15• Some areas almost double in size, purge of

unneeded cells follows (up to age 4)• Rapid frontal lobe growth (3–6 years of age)• Temporal and parietal lobes (6–puberty)



The Brain

• The Brain and Cognitive Development– Density of synapses peaks at 4 years of age

• True episodic memory may begin• Self-awareness may develop here

– Brain maturation and experiential opportunities contribute to cognitive abilities

– Organized into neural circuits



The Brain

• Neural circuits: visual input is coded; output is language (reading)– Prefrontal cortex

• Dopamine: key to information transmission• Important in self-control and other skills• Functioning mapped by scans



Prefrontal Cortex

The Brain


Gross and Fine Motor Skills

• Gross motor skills– Preschoolers struggle for balance– Age 3: Enjoys simple movements such as

hopping, jumping, and running

– Age 4: Becomes more adventurous and climbs

– Age 5: Runs hard, is adventurous, tries hair-raising stunts in climbing

How Do Young Children’s Motor Skills Develop?


Gross and Fine Motor Skills

• Gross motor skills– 3-year-old: most active age in human life span– Daily exercise needed for muscle growth– Activity level influenced by family, opportunities

(child care centers, preschool programs)– Failure to develop can have long-term negative

consequences– Exercise is healthy in many ways



Fine Motor Skills

• Age 3: Still emerging from infant ability to place and handle things

• Age 4: Coordination improved and more precise– Inability for prefection is frustrating

• Age 5: Hand, arm, and body move together under better eye command– Seeks more complex actitivites



Fine Motor Skills

• Denver Developmental Screening Test– Used to diagnose developmental delay in

children from birth to 6 years of age– Simple, inexpensive, fast– Includes gross and fine motor skills, language,

and personal-social ability



Young Children’s Artistic Drawings

• Research findings– Artistic interest varies in children– Unintended irregularities of spontaneity– Lavish colors don’t quite match– One basic form covers a range of objects– Art conveys feelings and ideas– Provides opportunities to problem solve in

creative ways



Development of Fine Motor Skills in Early Childhood

37 to 48 mos 49 to 60 mos 61 to 72 mos

• Approximates a circle in drawing• Cuts paper• Pastes using pointer finger• Builds 3-block bridge• Builds 8-block tower• Draws 0 and +• Dresses and undresses doll• Pours from pitcher without spilling

• Strings and laces shoelace• Cuts following a line• Strings 10 beads• Copies figure X• Opens and places clothespins (one- handed)• Builds a 5-block bridge• Pours from various containers• Prints first name

• Folds paper in halves and quarters• Traces around hand• Draws rectangle, circle, square, triangle• Cuts interior piece from paper• Uses crayons appropriately• Makes clay object with 2 small parts• Reproduces letters• Copies 2 short words

Listed in approximate order of difficulty in each period



• Developmental changes and stages


Stage Age Progress

Placement Stage 2–3 Placement patterns

Shape Stage 3 Diagrams of 6 different shapes

Design Stage 3–4 Mix 2 basic shapes into more complex design

Pictorial Stage 4–5 Objects that adults recognize



• Child Art in Context– Golomb’s research:

• Reflects inventive problem solving• Developmental changes depend on talent,

motivation, familial support, cultural values• Flourishes in sociocultural contexts where

tools are available, activity is valued



Handedness

• Origin and Development of Handedness– Genetic inheritance– Right-handedness dominant in all cultures

• 90% right-handed– Ultrasound: preference in fetal thumb sucking – Newborns and infants show preferences– Many preschoolers use both hands; preference

seems to develop later



Handedness

• Handedness, the Brain, and Language– Approximately 95% of right-handed individuals

process speech primarily in left hemisphere – Left-handed individuals

• Show more variation in processing• More likely to have reading problems



Handedness

• Handedness and Other Abilities– Left-handers more common among

• Mathematicians• Musicians• Architects• Artists

– 20% of top-scoring SAT group were left handed



Sleep and Sleep Problems

• Most young children – Sleep through the night– Need 11-13 hours sleep – Have daytime nap– Disruptive patterns in 4- to 5-year-olds linked to

adjustment in preschool– Slow down before bedtime lowers resistance

What Are Some Aspects of Young Children’s Health?



• Transitional objects (bedtime companions)– Increases emotional adjustment

• Sleep problems– Estimated: 40% have sleep problem at some

time in development• Hyperactivity linked to sleep walking• Resistance to bedtime linked to conduct• Night terrors linked to emotional problems




• Sleep Problems– Lack of sleep linked to peer problems,

depression, anxiety, and accidental injury

– Nightmares: frightening dreams

– Night terrors: sudden arousal, intense

– Somnambulism: sleep walking; most outgrow

– Sleep talkers: not abnormal in children



Nutrition

• Energy needs – Calorie needs increase with age– Needs vary by age, sex, and size

• Dieting, eating behavior, parental influence– Diets worsen as children age, go out of home– Children need healthy, balanced diets– Today’s meals exceed dietary needs– Eating behavior influenced by caregivers



Nutrition

• Fat and sugar consumption– Avoid excessive fat, sugars, fast foods– Linked to health, dental, behavioral problems

• “Fussy Eaters,” Sweets, and Snacks – Allow child to develop tastes in food– Expose to healthy foods/snacks; limit sweets



Nutrition

• Overweight Young Children– A serious health problem– CDC: child obesity categories can create stigma– BMI: overweight - at or above 95th percentile– Obesity: 11% of 2- to 19-year-olds– Weight linked to psychological well-being

• Study of 34 countries: – U.S. has 2nd highest rate of childhood obesity



Nutrition

• Malnutrition in Young Children from Low-Income Families– Most common: iron deficiency anemia

• Causes chronic fatigue– Lower intake of fresh fruits, vegetables– Less education, more processed foods– Linked to cognitive deficits, physical growth– Can improve with use of U.S. food programs– Linked to behavioral, conduct problems



Health, Safety, and Illness

• Preventing Childhood Injuries– Last 50 years: shift from fighting diseases to

prevention and treatment (vaccines)– Child more at risk for serious injury, accidents– Accidents: leading cause of death in children

• Most can be prevented, safety laws enacted• Safety linked to behaviors, environment,

family• Most accidents occur in the home



Main Causes of Death in Children



• Contexts of Young Children’s Health– Poverty: low income, poor medical insurance,

exposure to lead poisoning and environmental hazards

– Ethnicity linked to child’s health; lack of English proficiency is problem

– Caregivers influence children’s behaviors• Competent care is important• Best parenting strategies: most effective




• Contexts of Young Children’s Health– Eliminate:

• Tobacco smoke exposure – causes respiratory problems, vitamin depletion

• Lead exposure – causes ADHD, lower IQ and achievement, memory problems

• UNICEF: Under-5 mortality rate – U.S. has a lower rate

• Causes: poverty, inadequate health care



The State of Illness and Health of the World’s Children

• UNICEF: Under-5 mortality rate – Other countries’ causes:

• Poverty, hunger, and malnutition• Illness, inadequate access to health care• Unsafe water, lack of protection from harm

– Leading childhood deaths in poor countries• Dehydration caused by diarrhea• Acute respiratory infections• HIV/AIDS


The End

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© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Children Physical Development in Early Childhood 8