Physical and Motor Development

Physical and motor development are two similar but different areas that describe child development. Physical development encompasses all of the various changes a child's body goes through. Those changes include height, weight, and brain development. Motor development is the development of control over the body. This control would involve developing reflexes such as blinking, large motor skills like walking, and fine motor skills like manipulating their fingers to pick up small objects like Cheerios. It is important to objectively study physical and motor development in children to gain knowledge on what characteristics are considered typical for each age and stage of development. This will enable me to be aware of when a child or children are developing at an irregular pace, and devise recommendations or find experiences and other resources that can aid in stimulating their development and to work towards closing achievement gaps. This particular assignment was to observe the selected child and reaffirm the importance of studying physical and motor development, and to develop ideas on how to involve it in my work as an early childhood professional.

Introduction to the Child and Family

The child that I selected to observe through the course of this semester is a Caucasian female. Her name is “R.” She was born on April 24, 2013. She is currently 10 months old, but will be turning one year old at the end of the semester. “R” is a child who is very active. She has an independent but outgoing personality. At this stage, she exhibits uncertainty with strangers and other people she recalls but has not physically seen in a period of time. Some of “R”'s favorite activities include tossing objects, mirroring actions and movements, music, a...

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... in my daily work and in my future classrooms by including diverse activities that challenge different aspects of physical and motor development, such as safe outdoor activities like climbing, encouraging motor development through an art station, and developing fine motor skills through the use of finger plays. It will encourage me to always be aware of the uniqueness of each child's developmental abilities so my teaching methods are inclusive and in-depth.

Works Cited

Santrock, J. W. (2013). Children (12th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Office of Head Start by the University of Cincinnati. (2012). Physical and Motor Development [Video]. Available from the University of Cincinnati.

Zawilinski, K. (n.d.). Ways to help baby learn to walk. Parents Magazine. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://www.parents.com/baby/development/walking/help-baby-learn-to-walk/