Children gain strength, coordination and dexterity by using their muscles during play and other physical activities. A child's healthy physical development depends on freedom of movement, opportunities for indoor and outdoor play and access to a variety of activities. Encouraging babies, toddlers and children to move and to try new activities helps them develop at a timely and healthy rate.
Identification
Physical development refers to a child's growing ability to use his muscles to participate in and interact with his environment. Children develop physically from the head down, meaning that they gain control of their heads, faces and upper bodies before their legs and feet, according to the Minnesota Department of Education. Physical development consists of the acquisition of both gross and fine motor skills. Gross motor development refers to the control of larger muscles such as those in the torso, arms and legs. Fine motor skills involve smaller muscles such as those in the wrists, hands and fingers.
Significance
Healthy physical development depends on opportunities for movement. Children benefit from an environment that provides plenty of space for exploration and movement, according to PBS's The Whole Child. The freedom to crawl, scoot, climb, roll and run fosters healthy gross motor development, while access to smaller objects such as rattles, crayons, sorting toys and puzzles promotes fine motor skills.
Indicators
Physical developmental milestones help parents and caregivers gauge a child's progress. Developmental timelines indicate normative physical development and provide a guideline for measuring typical expectations for a child's development based on her age, according to the North Dakota State University Extension Service. The University of Michigan Health System provides milestone checklists on its website, noting that some variations in development are normal.
Benefits
Children learn through play. Movement not only promotes physical development, but also contributes to a child's language, social and emotional development. According to author and child care trainer Lisa Murphy, "97 percent of all learning takes place from the neck down." When children move, they get opportunities to interact, to learn by doing and to strengthen their bodies. Movement allows children to participate in group games, to master hand eye coordination and improve problem solving skills. Opportunities to dance, run, skip and hop also help children develop control for activities that involve sitting for an extended period, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.
Considerations
Children need plenty of supervised free play with access to open spaces, as well as to materials that involve problem solving and dexterity, according to the Minnesota Department of Education. Opportunities for movement enable younger children to discover how to reach, grasp, sit, roll over and crawl. As children grow, movement not only fosters timely development, but also enhances fitness. Physical activity promotes a healthy weight and lifestyle, both of which contribute to healthy physical development.
References
- Minnesota Department of Education: Motor Development
- The Whole Child: By Leaps and Bounds: Physical Development
- North Dakota State University Extension Service: Understanding Physical Development in Young Children
- University of Michigan Health System: Developmental Milestones
- "Play"; Lisa Murphy; 2009
