Growth of the body, brain, sensory capacities, health, and motor skills are all part of physical development. Physical development involves the increasing skill and functioning of the body whereas growth relates to a child’s increasing height, weight and general size. Both growth and development depend on suitable nourishment, including a balance of the right foods and sufficient water to drink. Increasing control and co-ordination is enabled by the maturing brain and nervous system, growing bones and muscles, exercise and physical activity. They exert a major influence on both intellect and personality.
Genetic factors play a major role in determining the growth rate, and particularly the changes in proportion characteristic of early human development. However, genetic factors can produce the maximum growth only if environmental conditions are adequate. Poor nutrition and frequent injury and disease can reduce the individual's adult stature, but the best environment cannot cause growth to a greater stature than is determined by heredity. Population differences in growth are largely related to adult stature. Ethnic groups that are quite tall in adulthood are also longer at birth and throughout childhood, as compared to groups that have short adult stature. Males are also somewhat taller, although this is more apparent in ethnic groups with strong sexual dimorphism in adulthood. Populations that are characteristically malnourished are also shorter throughout life. However, there are few population differences in growth rates or patterns, except that poor environmental conditions may delay puberty and the associated growth spurt. Individual differences in height and weight during childhood are considerable. Some of these differences are due to family genetic factors, others to environmental factors, but at some points in development they may be strongly influenced by individual differences in reproductive maturation. For example, much of an infant’s knowledge of the world comes from the senses and from motor activity. Also, a child who has a hearing loss is at risk of delayed language development.
Physical growth in stature and weight occurs over the 15-20 years following birth, as the individual changes from the average weight of 7 1/2 pounds and length of 20" at full-term birth to full adult size. As stature and weight increase, the individual's proportions also change, from the relatively large head and small torso and limbs of the neonate, to the adult's relatively small head and long torso and limbs. The speed of physical growth is rapid in the months after birth, and then slows, so birth weight is doubled in the first four months, tripled by age 12 months, but not quadrupled until 24 months. Growth then proceeds at a slow rate until shortly before puberty (between about 9 and 15 years of age), when a period of rapid growth occurs. Growth is not uniform in rate and timing across all body parts. At birth, head size is already relatively near to that of an adult, but the lower parts of the body are much smaller than adult size. In the course of development, then, the head grows relatively little, and torso and limbs undergo a great deal of growth.
The Development of Physical Skills
The sequence of physical development involves firstly gross motor skills that involve control of large muscles in the body, arms and legs. This is followed by development of fine manipulative skills, which depend on small muscle coordination.
As children progress and become more confident, improvement in co-ordination of gross and fine movements will continue to develop and new skills will be learnt. Children cannot learn a new skill until the muscles are sufficiently developed and the activities and resources provided should be suitable for their developmental needs. The ages at which children accomplish particular physical skills can vary considerably. Most children will progress through the same stages of development at their own rate. The timing of this development can depend on different influencing factors such as, eating habits, emotional development and confidence in tackling new activities. Physical skills, body and spatial awareness contribute to a child’s personal and social development by enhancing confidence and self esteem. Young children are active learners who enjoy learning through play and physical activities. During play, children engage in learning experiences that require them to use a range of physical skills whether playing indoors or outdoors.
Gross Motor Skills: Children’s control and co-ordination of their gross motor skills develop through movement that involves the use of muscles in the body, legs and arms. As they develop, most children will acquire the following skills: walking, running, stopping, jumping, climbing, pushing and pulling wheeled toys, pedaling a bike, rolling a ball, throwing / catching a beanbag or ball and balancing. As they progress, children will continue to refine their movements and apply their skills in new situations, for example: hopping and skipping, following games marked on the ground or the wall, gaining awareness of space, height and distance as they move around, use climbing equipment or ride wheeled toys.
Children should also be able to engage in rolling, striking, skittles, throwing / catching balls, balls of different sizes, quoits, hoops and other developmentally appropriate resources. As they become more skilful, children should develop skills in order to use the floor and apparatus for climbing and swinging, learn to lift, carry, place and use apparatus safely, respond with gesture and stillness as appropriate, improve their control, use different shapes, levels and create their own patterns of movements that combine some of the above actions collaborate in pairs and small groups to produce a sequence of movements following instructions and applying new skills, use mime and gesture to respond creatively to a stimulus, use their body movements expressively to reflect and to have opportunities to participate in gymnastics and dance from various cultures.
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