The course of Educational Psychology

1. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMNET
by SMOEURN PONG

2. Outline
 Prenatal Development
 Germinal, embryonic, fetal stages
 Babies and Children Development
 Reflexes, motor and muscle development
 Sensory, perception and learning development
 Adolescence Development
 Puberty and Brain development
 Health in adolescence

3. Learning Objectives
 Describe the prenatal development.
 Explain the infancy development.
 Describe stages of infancy development.
 Describe the adolescent development.
 Explain the feeling and impacts during
adolescence stage.
 Reflect the insights of physical/ biological
development in the education settings.

4. Concept of Physical Development (PD)
 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.
 The peak of physical development happens in
childhood and is therefore a crucial time for
neurological brain development and body
coordination to encourage specific activities.

5. PD in prenatal stage
 Germinal stage
 The 2-week stage when the zygote travels to the uterus
and attaches itself to the uterine wall; this is also when
rapid cell division occurs
 Embryonic stage
 When the embryo develops all of the systems, organs,
and structures of the body
 Lasts from the beginning of week 3 through week 8
 Fetal stage
 Lasts from the end of week 8, when bone cells form, until
birth
 Several studies of newborns have shown that they
remember sounds to which they were exposed in utero

6. PD in Babies and Children
 Reflexes and motor
 Neonates’ movements are dominated by reflexes.
 Inborn, unlearned, automatic responses to certain
environmental stimuli.
 Most motor milestones result from maturation
 Development proceeds from the body outward.
 Motor Skills : include gross motor skills (coordination of
large muscles and skills like walking, sitting and running)
and fine motor skills ( skills like holding, picking up and
scribbling...)

7. PD in Babies and Children
 Vision : is the ability to see near and far, and to
interpret what’s seen.
 Newborns focus best on objects about 9 inches away, and
they can follow a slowly moving object
 By 2 to 3 months of age, most infants prefer human faces
to other visual images
 Hearing : is the ability to hear, listen to and interpret
sounds, whereas speech is the ability to produce
sounds that form words.
 At birth, the newborn’s hearing is much better developed
than her vision
 Newborns also prefer their own mother’s voice to that of
an unfamiliar female.

8. PD in Babies and Children
 Emotional and social behavior : is ability to learn
and interact with others, including skills for play
and communicating with other people.
 Depth perception : After children beginning
crawling, become aware of depth
 Memory : 3-day-old newborns could retain in
memory for 24 hours a speech sound that had
been presented repeatedly the day before.

9. Milestones of physical
development
 Physical development by six months : Baby will show
basic distinctions in vision, hearing, smelling, tasting,
touching, temperature and perceiving pain. He will also
lift his head when on his stomach and possibly show
squeals of delight as well as grasp objects and roll over.
 Physical development by 12 months : Baby can control
his hands, sit without support, crawl and has growing
control of legs and feet. He may stand or creep across
the floor.
 Physical development by 18 months : Baby can crawl
up stairs, possibly walk, draw lines on paper with crayon
and will show growing physical independence.

10. Milestones of physical
development Physical development by age two : He can go up and down
steps, run, sit self on chair, use a spoon and fork, turn single
pages in a book, kick a ball, attempt to dress himself, build a
tower of six blocks, kick a ball and has bowel and bladder
control.
 Physical development by age three : He can run well,
march, stand on one foot briefly, ride a tricycle, feed himself
(with a bit of mess), put on his own shoes and socks (though
not tie laces!), unbutton and button.
 Physical development by age four : He can skip on one
foot, cut with scissors, wash and dry his own face, dress
himself, throw a ball overhand and other skills to show
growing independence.

11. Milestones of physical
development
 Physical development by age five : He can hop and skip,
dress without help, has good balance and smoother
muscle action, skate or ride a scooter, print and write
simple letters, establish whether he is left or right
handed. Girls' fine motor skill development is likely to be
about one year ahead of boys.
 Physical development by age seven : He can stand on
one foot with eyes closed for three seconds, walk on a
line in heel-toe fashion, skip on both feet, possibly ride a
bicycle without training wheels, jump rope, catch and
bounce a tennis ball and tie shoelaces.

12. Milestones of physical
development
 Physical development by age nine : He has the
capability to roll, bat, kick and throw a ball, which makes
him able to play organised sports such as soccer, cricket
and basketball. His strength and coordination will
continue to develop with practice.
 Physical development by age 12 : Puberty can start to
appear at this age, which is why you’ll see kids
developing at different rates between the ages of eight
and 18.With growth spurts come clumsiness and a lack
of coordination. If your child is not athletic, help him find
a sport or physical activity he enjoys. At this age, kids
who don’t excel athletically are tempted to avoid all
physical activity.

13. Stages of Infancy Development

14. Stages of Infancy Development

15. Adolescent Development
 Three Phases of Adolescence
 Early adolescence (11 or 12 – 14 years)
 Middle adolescence (14 – 16 years)
 Late adolescence (16 – 20 years)
 Emerging Adulthood
 Later age for adolescence

16. Adolescence Development
 Puberty is a biological concept
 Attaining sexual maturity and ability to reproduce
 Puberty is controlled by feedback loop
 Hypothalamus – Pituitary gland – Gonads –
Hormones
 Sex hormones trigger development of
 Primary sex characteristics
 Secondary sex characteristics

17. Adolescence Development
 Girls begin their growth spurt earlier than boys
 Reach peak growth in height about 2 years after spurt began
 Continue to grow at a slower rate for another 2 years
 Weight spurt begins about 18 months after height spurt
 Boys catch up to girls and eventually are taller and
heavier
 Body shapes differ by sex
 Boys have broader shoulders
 Girls gain almost twice as much fatty tissue

18. Spurts in Growth

19. Pubertal Changes in Boys
 Average age of 11½ – first visible sign of puberty
 Growth of testes accelerates testosterone production
 Body hair growth
 Voice deepens – growth of larynx
 Acne
 Increase in penile erections : Nocturnal emissions
 Gynecomastia – enlargement of breasts
 About age 20 to 21 – puberty ends
 Epiphyseal closure

20. Pubertal Changes in Girls
 Increased estrogen production
 Stimulates breast buds
 Promotes fatty tissue in hips and buttocks
 Production of androgen
 Simulates pubic and underarm hair growth
 Estrogen causes labia, vagina, and uterus to
develop
 Androgens cause clitoris to develop

21. Pubertal Changes in Girls
 Menarche
 May begin as early as 9 or as late as 16
 Body weight may trigger menarche
 Hormonal Regulation of Menstrual Cycle
 Ovulate 12 to 18 months after menarche
 Average menstrual cycle is 28 days
 May be irregular during first 2 years
 Psychological Impact of Menarche
 Rite of passage
 Educated and prepared – more positive

22. Brain Development
 Increase in gray matter
 Gains in thickness of cerebral cortex based on
learning – sensory and motor activities
 Synaptic pruning
 “Use it or lose it”
 Genes and environment play role in shaping
the brain

23. What Happens to the Brain When an Adolescent
Practices Piano Several Hours a Day?

24. Health in Adolescence
 Sleeping Need of Adolescents
 Need 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep per night
 Sleep deprivation
 6 or fewer hours per night
 Reasons for insufficient sleep
 Hectic schedules and commitments
 Brain developments – phase delay

25. Health in Adolescence
 Nutritional Needs for Adolescents
 Rapid growth
 Average girl – 1,800 to 2,400 calories
 Average boy – 2,200 to 3,200 calories
 Need for calcium – bone growth
 Females need to build up bone density and prevent
osteoporosis
 Nutritional deficits
 Irregular eating habits
 Fast food or junk food

26. Importance of Physical
Activities
 Build strong bones and muscles
 Improve balance and develop skills
 Maintain and develop flexibility
 Achieve and maintain a healthy weight
 Improve cardiovascular fitness
 Help relaxation
 Provide opportunities to make friends and
improve social and emotional development
 Improve self-esteem

27. Review
 Prenatal Development Stages : Germinal,
embryonic, fetal growth.
 Infancy Development Stages: motor, reflexes,
sensory, perception and learning.
 Adolescent Development stages : puberty,
body, brain and health.
 What are benefits of physical activities?

28. THANK YOU