Physical and Motor Development

Physical development refers to the growth and development of

body parts to make the body have the ability to perform certain
functions for certain skills. Physical development includes large
muscle movements as well as small movements. It involves the
changes in the body, brain, motor skills, senses, and the wellness of an
individual. Childhood is the period when most of the physical
development takes place. When a child goes through physical
development, they gain self-confidence which boosts their emotional
and social development.

Characteristics of Physical Development

The characteristics of physical development are as follows:

Physical development begins during infancy and continues till

adulthood focusing on both the gross motor skills and the fine motor
skills.

Physical development includes the development of the ability

to have body control. It specifically involves the development of
muscle control and physical coordination.

Physical development takes majorly during childhood.

Childhood is an important time for body coordination and brain
development allowing individuals to develop certain abilities such as
crawling, walking, grasping, and writing.

During youth, physical development is rapid. During this stage,

the bone and muscle size change and develop. Different body parts
grow and develop at different rates.

Physical development and abilities may vary during different

stages and it may happen at different rates but it takes place in a
sequential manner. For instance, a child first learns to crawl, then
learns to walk, and then learns to stand.

Motor skills continue to develop in children through activities

such as sports, playing musical instruments, and the like. These
activities allow children to develop an awareness about their body,
direction, and space.
 Physical development is also related to social and emotional
development. When children gain control over their body and become
aware of their body’s functions, they start gaining self confidence. This
promotes emotional and social development among children.

Factors influencing Physical Development

The factors influencing the physical development of a child are as

follows:

Heredity

Heredity refers to the transfer of genes or physical traits from

parents to children. It plays a major role in influencing the physical
development of a child such as their weight, height, eye color, hair
color, body structure, and more. Diseases and illnesses are also known
to be transmitted through heredity which can affect a child’s physical
development.

Gender

The gender of the child also plays a crucial role in their

physical development. While nearing puberty, boys and girls grow and
develop in different ways. In adolescence, girls mature faster than
boys. Boys tend to have a more athletic body. Boys and girls also
develop different temperaments.

Environment

The development of a child also depends on environmental

factors. A child needs a proper and well-nourished environment for
proper development. A child who is nurtured in a caring environment
will have better physical development over a childhood who is
nurtured in a stressful environment.

Health and Exercise

In the context of childhood, exercise does not refer to working

out but to playtime activities and games that help the body develop
muscular strength. Children who engage in these activities grow
properly and have quicker physical development. These activities also
keep them healthy.

Nutrition

Nutrition is critical in influencing the physical development of

a child. Proper nutrition is necessary because it builds and repairs the
body. Lack of proper nutrition can cause a deficiency among children
affecting their physical development negatively. Therefore, a balanced
diet is important.

Hormones

Hormones have an influence over various parts of the body.

Different glands produce hormones and their proper functioning is
essential to ensure normal physical development in children. Hormonal
imbalances may cause obesity, growth defects, and other issues.

Socio-economic Status

Children require proper nutrition, nourishment, and nurture

when growing up. Without proper care, they may not be able to have
proper physical development. Children belonging to poor families may
not have the resources required for proper physical development which
may cause them to have deficiencies.

What Is Motor or Physical Development

Motor development means the physical growth and

strengthening of a child’s bones, muscles and ability to move and
touch his/her surroundings. A child’s motor development falls into two
categories: fine motor and gross motor.

Fine motor skills refer to small movements in the hands, wrists,

fingers, feet, toes, lips and tongue. Gross motor skills involve motor
development of muscles that enable babies to hold up their heads, sit
and crawl, and eventually walk, run, jump and skip.

Typical motor skill development follows a predictable

sequence. It starts from the inner body, including the head, neck, arms
and legs, and then moves to the outer body such as hands, feet, fingers
and toes.
Below you will find the typical progression of motor skills across the
development from infant to toddler for gross- and fine-motor skills,
respectively.

Roll ➨ Sit ➨ Crawl ➨ Walk ➨ Run ➨ Jump

Reach → Transfer → Pincer Grasp → Point → Stack → Scribble

Significance to Development

Motor development is important throughout a child’s early life,

because physical development is tied to other development areas. For
example, if a child is able to crawl or walk (gross motor skills), he/she
can more easily explore their physical environment, which affects
cognitive development. Social and emotional development progresses
when a child can speak, eat and drink (fine motor skills).

Importance of Physical Growth and Development

Preparing infants and toddlers for school requires more than
developing a set of skills; it includes physical development and health.
When an infant or toddler is happy and healthy, they’re more likely to
engage with their environment and surroundings. This allows infants
and toddlers the ability to further their learning through exploration.
Thus, physical development and health can help prepare infants and
toddlers for activities that support language development, social skills,
and other areas of learning, which result in later success in school.

While there isn’t a specific area of development that determines later

school success, research highlights the importance of supporting a
strong foundation for development to grow by promoting healthy
physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. During
infancy, these foundations of child development begin and continue to
be built upon as other areas of development progress. For example,
young children are able to develop the ability to sit, crawl, and walk
from their primitive reflex responses. Once infants and toddlers are
able to move on their own, they are then able to explore and expand
their cognitive development through ways that were not possible
before they were able to sit, crawl, and walk.

Think about what life might be like for a one-year-old who has not
started crawling. While sitting on their own, they struggle to coordinate
movements, such as pushing up to a crawling position and propelling
themselves forward with their arms and legs. Most objects and people
in their environment must be brought close to them by others in order
for them to explore. How might the limitations in physical and motor
development impact other areas of development for this 1-year-old?

Limited or delayed motor development and skills

Exploration can result in decreased exploration of the
environment.

Limited exploration can mean limited

experiences. For example, their learning about
Cognitive cause and effect (a contributor to cognitive
Development development) may be limited merely because
there are less opportunities to engage in
“experiments” with objects in their environment.

The one-year-old is only able to observe the play

of other children within their range of sight. This
Social may limit their ability to make eye contact with
Development peers, talk, and play with other children or adults.
All of which can negatively affect the child’s
development of social skills.

Emotional Limited interaction and play with other children

development influences a child’s emotional development. It
may be difficult for a child to develop self-
 confidence, empathy, and the ability to react and
express their emotions.

References:

https://helpmegrowmn.org/HMG/HelpfulRes/Articles/
WhatMotorPhysicalDev/index.html

https://helpmegrowmn.org/HMG/DevelopMilestone/
MotorMilestones/index.html

https://www.virtuallabschool.org/infant-toddler/physical-
development/lesson-1#next

Prepared by:

JANETH P. FLORO

MAED 1A-NEW STUDENT