Physical Physical Development in Early Development in Early

ChildhoodChildhood

Physical Physical Development in Early Development in Early

ChildhoodChildhood

Dr. Linda Kight WinterDr. Linda Kight Winter

Age 5 • walk stairs• climb• balance• throw a ball • ride bike

Age 2• struggle to walk without falling

over

Age 3-5• reach many milestones with

increasing coordination

Developmental Milestones

• Tasks most children can perform at certain ages.

• Genetics and experience play a role in the ages on the milestones.

Physical Growth in EC

• Leads away from unsteadiness of childhood• center of gravity is high in toddlers

Cephalocaudal (head to toe) and Proximodistal (near to far)

growth

Physical Growth in EC

• torso grows longer, body lengthens

• muscles get stronger• center of gravity shifts closer to

belly button

Gross Motor Skills

• skills like running, jumping, climbing, and throwing, that require the use of large muscle groups in the arms and legs, as well as strength and stamina

Developed through…

• Running, walking, galloping, tiptoeing

• Throwing, catching • Climbing, jumping, rock walls• Balancing and Spinning

Activities that foster Gross Motor Development

• Follow the leader

• Simon Says• Obstacle

Courses• Relay Races

Activities that foster Gross Motor Development• Dancing• Running Stepping Stones• Bean Bags Balanced on Head• Pretend to be Cars, Planes etc.

Rough and Tumble Play

• Not violent• Builds Camaraderie• Relieve Tension• Uses several muscle groups at once

End of preschool/Beginning of Kindergarten

• Start, stop, and change directions while running

• Walk up and down stairs while alternating feet

• Balance while walking on a beam• Hop on one foot ten or more times• Use a swing independently

Fine Motor Development

• The coordination of small muscle groups in the arms, hands, and fingers used to complete tasks like drawing, zipping, snipping, tying, and molding with clay

Activities that foster fine motor

development• Using toys with zippers, buttons,

and buckles• Stringing pasta on yarn• Carving designs into clay• Cutting pictures from magazines• Singing songs involving finger

play (“Itsy Bitsy Spider”)

Lowenfeld’s Stages of Artistic Development

Realism

Schematic

Pre-Schematic

Scribbling

Scribbling• 15 months to 4 years• large zigzagging lines and non-

descript shapes about which they will tell stories

Preschematic

• Ages 3-7• faces, protruding arms and legs,

houses, repetitive practice, objects, people floating in space

5 year old

5 year old

Schematic• Ages 6-10• people attached to ground• Closer proportion to real world• blue sky attached to top of page

Realism• Ages 9-11• Details, style, depth and

perception appear

Fine Motor Milestones by

the end of preschool• Hold a pencil• Write letters• Draw pictures• Cut with scissors• String beads• Button large buttons• Zip a zipper• Eat with fork and

spoon

Other factors affecting physical development

• Prenatal and medical care • Nutrition• Sleep• Environment• Genetics• Disabilities• Poverty

Links

• http://www.med.umich.edu/1Libr/yourchild/devmile.htm • http://www.kidsgrowth.com/stages/guide/index.cfm

http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/abc/index.html