2. Social
Emotional
Physical
Intellectual
Human beings
develop in 4
different aspects
of growth. The
areas are all
inter-connected,
so when one is
affected it may
influence the
others.
Physical development involves both the growth
and motor (movement) skills of the child.
3. Growth refers to a measurable change in size, such as height and weight.
Development refers to an increase in physical, emotional, social, or intellectual
skills. Boys may lag behind girls in growth and development as much as 2 years.
The satisfactory growth of a child is measured in
“percentiles” on a chart. A percentile is a statistical
value on a scale of one hundred that indicates whether
a distribution is above or below it. If a child’s weight
falls on the 50th percentile for his age, that means 50%
of all other children his age weigh more, and 50% of all
other children his age weigh less. If a child’s height
falls on the 90% percentile for his age, it means that
10% of all children his age will be taller than he is, and
90% of all children his age will be shorter than he is.
Factors influencing how
children grow: genetic
potential, medical problems,
and nutritional status
An additional factor influencing
development: practice
4. Development follows an orderly,
step-by-step sequence in three
different patterns:
Cephalo-caudal development is a
“head-to-foot” pattern. Prenatally
and at birth the newborn’s head is
proportionately larger; development
continues downward.
Proximal-distal (proximodistal)
development is an “inward-to-
outward” pattern. Development
starts at the trunk of the body and
moves further outward.
Simple-to-complex development is
a pattern relating to the difficulty
of tasks. Babies start with simply
eating and sleeping and progress
from there. Tasks involving a
combination of motions is more
complex.
5. As the muscles of the eye
strengthen in the newborn,
eyesight improves rapidly.
Along with that comes an
improvement in two abilities
that influence physical
development.
Depth Perception is the ability to
recognize that an object is three-
dimensional, not flat. This ability
is not present at birth, but
appears sometime during the
second month and improves over
a number of years.
Hand-eye coordination is the ability to move the hands and fingers precisely in
relation to what is seen through vision. This helps in the satisfactory
performance of many skills , including eating, catching a ball, coloring, tying
shoes, writing, threading a needle, playing a keyboard, and playing sports.
6. Motor skills, often referred to
as locomotion, are abilities
that depend on the use and
control of muscles. Mastering
these skills, although
seemingly just a physical
development skill, relies
heavily on intellectual, social,
and emotional development.
The first motor skills to be developed
are the “gross” motor skills. These
involve the use of larger muscles in
the body such as the trunk, neck,
arms, and legs. Skills might include
running, jumping, hopping, skipping,
throwing, and catching.
7. Balance is the ability to maintain a position.
Coordination is the capacity to move through a set
of movements, from simple to complex, as well as
repetition. Both balance and coordination are
necessary for performance of gross motor skills.
Balance and
coordination depend
on the interaction of
multiple body organs
and systems including
the eyes, ears, brain
and nervous system,
cardiovascular system,
and muscles.
9. Continuous steps alternating feet.
Arms are in opposition to legs:
If the right foot is forward, swing the left arm forward.
This pattern of right leg
forward – left arm forward
was first seen in crawling.
As the right hand moved
forward – the left leg moved
forward. As speed, balance,
and coordination improve,
the child will run.
Walking involves a smooth
transfer of weight from the
heel to the toe. When a child
walks toe first, they appear to
have a light, bouncing
motion. (Runway models do
this deliberately to add sway
to their walk.)
10. Until the child can
climb up and
downstairs without
assistance, a gate
may be used at the
top and bottom of
the stairway to
prevent falls.
The crawling infant simply crawls
upstairs on hands and knees, and
comes back down backwards.
There are two patterns of stair-climbing:
1. Marking time – the child will step up
with one foot, then bring the other foot
up to the same step; repeat (this
occurs first)
2. Alternating feet – the child will step up
on one step with one foot, then bring the
next foot up to the step above the first;
repeat (this follows marking time)
