Unit 8 Professional PracticePhysical Development

CACHE Level 3

Learning Outcome:-

To understand the role of the early years practitioner in relation to provision for physical development for children from birth to 7 years

Aims:-You will be able to:- Identify resources for children in relation to support Physical Development (PD)

Explain the role of physical developmentin a child’s learning

Reflect on strategies to promote PD

From the moment of birth, babies are inundated with sensory experiences that they are eager to explore. Babies watch their parents/carers with the eyes, attempt to move toward the warm touch of caregivers and move their mouths to touch and taste just about anything they can get in or to their mouths. As children grow, their abilities to control balance, movement and fine-motor skills become increasingly advanced.

What is Physical Development?

Physical development is as the title suggests, about how babies and young children gain control of their bodies, but italso includes how children learn about keeping themselves active and healthy and how they learn to use equipment and materials successfully and safely.

A child’s development is ‘measured’ in milestones. These are stages of development which is deemed as normative development for a child of their age.

•Gross motor skills involve the coordination and control of large muscles and skills like walking, sitting and running.

•Fine motor skills (or manipulation) involve the coordination and control of small muscles, and skills like holding a rattle, picking up crumbs and scribbling with a pencil.

Discuss in your groups, what resources could be offered to promote physical development?

Please use post it notes provided to write down your ideas.

Gross Motor Skills Development

BikesScootersParachute gamesPainting (outdoor-large brushes, water,wall/floor)

Add more here

Fine Motor Skills Development

ScissorsDrawing PlaydoughTweezers-riceThreading

Add more here

The large motor development that occurs in young childhood generally follows a predictable pattern, but each child has their own individual timeline.Small motor development occurs only after a toddler has gained control and coordination of his large muscles. When he can coordinate his vision and hearing along with his large and small muscles, the child can move around and explore his environment, gaining the sensory experiences necessary for cognitive development.

As the toddler moves through his environment, manipulating materials and manoeuvring his body up and down, in, and around objects, he is learning about how his body works, how it feels, what it can do, and the impact he can make on his environment. Climbing comes naturally to a toddler and experiencing the sensations of gravity and movement enable him to develop visual space perception and a sense of self.

Gross motor experiences are necessary for a child to learn, develop self control, relax, and build self –esteem. Children need opportunities to run, balance, crawl, throw, catch, climb and hop. Rocking, spinning, water play and swinging are activities that allow children to calm down and are much more effecting that the over used ‘time out’.

The fundamental movements, running, walking, jumping, climbing, reaching and kicking, lead to more complex movements and coordination. Stability movements require skills such as bending, stretching and turning. Loco motor movements include hopping, skipping and sliding, while manipulative movements include throwing, catching and rolling a ball. Gross motor activities enable children to develop coordination and control in each of these types of movements.

Children must master fundamental movements and coordination before they can develop small motor coordination, including drawing and handwriting. Once a child has mastered sensory motor and physical growth and development, he has most of the skills necessary to grow and be successful in the other developmental domains.

Have we :-Identified resources for children in relation to support Physical Development (PD) ?

Explained the role of physical developmentin a child’s learning ?

Reflected on strategies to promote PD ?

For Your Information

Next week, we will be looking at Personal, Social and Emotional Development.