UNIT 2.

Biological Development

PHYSICAL & MOTOR

DEVELOPMENT
PED101 - BEED1-A
TEACHER
What is Physical & Motor
Development?
Physical development is the process that
starts in human infancy and continues into late
adolescent concentrating on gross and fine
motor skills as well as puberty.
Physical development involves developing
control over the body, particularly muscles and
physical coordination.
 Physical development refers to child’s
rate of growth and control over muscles,
coordination, and ability to sit, stand,
walk, and run.
Motor development is part of physical
development, and refers to the growth in
the ability of children to use their bodies
and physical skills.
Motor development can be divided into gross
motor skills and fine motor skills.

• Gross motor skills refer to a child’s ability to

control larger parts of the body, including
balance, coordination, purposeful control,
locomotion, and stability.

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• Fine motor skills refer to the level of
coordination of and ability to manipulate
smaller body parts (such as using thumb and
forefinger to pick up a raisin)
Motor Development

Along this aspect of

motor development,
infants and toddlers
begin from reflexes, to
gross motor skills and
fine motor skills.
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REFLEXES
REFLEXES

Sucking Reflex:
 The sucking reflex is initiated when
something touches the roof of an
infant’s mouth. Infants have a strong
sucking reflex which helps to ensure
they can latch unto a bottle or
breast. The sucking reflex is very
strong in some infants and they need
to suck on a pacifier for comfort.
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REFLEXES

Rooting Reflex:
 The rooting reflex is most evident
when an infant’s cheek is stroked.
The baby responds by turning his or
her head in the direction of the
touch and opening their mouth for
feeding.

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 REFLEXES

Gripping Reflex:
 Babies will grasp anything that is
placed in their palm . The strength
of this grip is strong, and most
babies can support their entire
weight in their grip.
 REFLEXES

Curling Reflex:
 When the inner sole of a baby’s foot
is stroked, the infant respond by
curling his or her toes. When the
outer sole of a baby’s foot is
stroked, the infant will respond by
spreading out their toes.
REFLEXES

Startle/Moro Reflex:
 Infants will respond to sudden
sounds or movements by throwing
their arms and legs out, and
throwing their heads back. Most
infants will usually cry when
startled and proceed to pull their
limbs back into their bodies.

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REFLEXES

Galant Reflex:
 The galant reflex is shown when an
infant’s middle or lower back is
stroked next to the spinal cord. The
baby will respond by curving his or
her body toward the side which is
being stroked.

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 REFLEXES

Tonic Neck Reflex:

 The tonic neck reflex is
demonstrated in infants who are
placed their abdomens. Whichever
side the child’s head is facing, the
limbs on that side will straighten,
while the opposite limbs will curl.
Early Childhood

• Age range of 2-6 years

• Known as “pre-school age”
Physical Development during
Early Childhood
• The rapid increase in body of the first two years
tapers off into a slower growth pattern
• Large muscles develop before small muscles
• The center of the body develops before the outer
regions.
• Development goes from the top down, from head
to the toes.
Motor Development during
Early Childhood
As a child grows, his/her nervous
system becomes more mature. As this
happens, the child becomes more capable
of performing increasing complex
actions.
Motor Development during Early Childhood

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.
Motor Development during Early Childhood

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.
HANDEDNESS
Handedness is established between 3 to 6
years. During this period, children abandon the
tendency to shift from the use of one hand to
the use of the other hand. They begin to
concentrate on learning skills with one hand as
the dominant hand and the other as auxiliary
hand.
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HANDEDNESS
Parents and teachers are advised to train
and encourage the child to use his right hand
because he is born into a right-handed world.
(Gines, et al., 1998)

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Middle childhood

• Age range of 6-12 years

• Known as “Grade 1 to 6
pupils”
Physical Development during
Middle Childhood

Children’s bodies
change a lot during this development. Bones
broaden and lengthen dramatically. In general,
children will grow an average of 2-3 inches
taller each year throughout this stage.
 As young children enter to
this period, boys are generally taller than girls,
but at the end of middle childhood, the growth
trend in height will reverse. Furthermore, both
boys and girls are building muscle. Generally,
children will gain 6 to 7 pounds a year each
during the period. Girls tend to retain more fatty
tissue than boys in preparation for puberty.
Motor Development during Middle Childhood

Gross (or large) motor skills

During middle childhood, children can do
large-scale body movements. Typically, boys
develop these skills slightly faster than do girls,
except for skills involving balance and precise
movements such as skipping, jumping and
hopping.
 Children in this stage also
refine their control over gross motor skills. They
are able to gain this improved control and
coordination due to increases in their flexibility,
equilibrium, and agility. They also learn how to
synchronize the movement of their body’s
various parts, allowing for the development of
smoother, more coordinated whole-body
movement routines such as are needed for
participating in organized sports.
Motor Development during middle Childhood

Fine (or small) motor skills

Children in middle childhood also continue to hone
their fine motor skills. Contrary to gross motor skills
development, girls tend to develop fine motor skills slightly
faster than do boys.
Specifically, middle-childhood-aged children show
dramatic improvements with their penmanship. Their artistic
ability to draw complex and detailed pictures incorporating
depth cues and 3D elements and they become more
imaginative.
 During this stage,
children also learn how to use their hand to
successfully complete manual activities other
than drawing or writing. For example, they
become capable of executing complex detail-
oriented craft projects involving beading,
sewing, scrap booking, building models, and
good at using simple tools.
Physical Development during
Adolescence
• Adolescence or Pubertal Growth Spurt – refers
to the rapid acceleration in height and weight.
• Puberty – this is the emergent of primary and
secondary sex characteristics and the point which
the individual becomes physically capable of
sexual reproduction.
Puberty

• Primary sex characteristics include development

of gonads (testes for boys and ovaries for girls), and
production of sex hormones.

• Secondary sex characteristics include

development of body form (triangular for boys and
hourglass for girls), growth of pubic hairs, and
menarche (first menstrual period for girls) and penis
growth for boys. (Gines, et al., 1998)
Motor Development during
Adolescence
Gross and Fine Motor Skills
improve continuously during
adolescence. Adolescence can do more
complex and strenuous activities compare
when they were in their middle
childhood.
Physical Developmental
Milestones
 Physical Developmental Milestone
Infant Gross Motor Skills Fine Motor Skils
0-18months
Birth – 6
months

6-12 months
 Infant Gross Motor Skills Fine Motor Skils
0-18months
12-18 months
 Toddler Gross Motor Skills Fine Motor Skils
18m – 3y
18-24 months

6-12 months
Preschooler Gross Motor Skills Fine Motor Skils
3y-5y
3-4 years

4-5 years
Preschooler Gross Motor Skills Fine Motor Skils
3y-5y
5-6 years
 9-12 years 9-12 years

School Age
6y-12y
 12-15 years 15-18 years
• Puberty: Rapid growth period • Secondary sexual characteristics
• Secondary sexual characteristics advanced
appear: grow body hair, increase • 95% of adult height reached
perspiration and oil production in hair • Puberty is completed
and skin. • Physical growth slows for girls,
 Girls – breast and hip
Teens development, the onset of continues for boys
13-18 y/o menstruation • Body Image
 Boys – growth in testicles and  Less concern about physical changes
penis, wet dreams, deepening of but increased interest in personal
voice tremendous physical growth: attractiveness
gain height and weight  Excessive physical activity alternating
with lethargy
• Body Image
 Preoccupation with physical changes
and critical of appearance
 Anxieties about secondary sexual
characteristic changes
 Peers used as a standard of normal
appearance (comparison of self to
peers)
 Thank you
for listening!
Physical & Motor
Development BEEd 1-A