Physical Development in
Children
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Physical Development:Growth
Motor Skills
Puberty  maturity
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Growth
Changes in
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size,
body weight
height
head & arm circumference
Body muscles
teeth
bones
Etc.
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Changes in Body Size
 Body grows more rapidly
– Growth occurs in small spurts
 Length
– 50% greater at age 1
– 75% greater at age 2
 Weight
– Doubled by 5 months
– Tripled by 1 year
– Quadrupled at 2 years
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Changes in Body Proportions
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Body weight
 Changes in body weight is more dramatic
– New born  2.7 – 3.6 kg.
– 5 mths  body weight 2 x weight at birth)
– 1 year old  3 x
– 2 year old  4 x
 2-3 yr. old  rapid change in weight (spurt)
 After 3 yr. old  slower rate
 The first 6 mths  changes focused > on muscle growth.
 6-12 mths  dev. focused > on movement
 2 yrs – pre puberty  body weight increase 2.5 kg per
year
 Girls slightly shorter and lighter
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 Ethnic differences
Growth Trends
Cephalocaudal trend
– proceeds from head to tail
– head and chest develop/grow first before
trunk and legs.
Proximodistal trend
– Center of the body outward
– arms and legs before hands and feet.
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Body Fat/Appearance
 Subcutaneous fat  begin to form in the fetus about 6
weeks before birth.
 First 9 mths  Sub. Fat continue to accumulate rapidly
 making baby look rounded & filled up.
 Gain “baby fat” until about 9 months  After 9 mth, fat
accumulation slows down.
 1 yr old – middle childhood  less fat accumulation
Toddlers become more slender (slimmer)
 Muscle tone increase
 Helps maintain constant temp.
 Muscle tissue increases slowly  Peaks in adolescence
 Girls= more fat than boys
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Body fat and muscle  contributes to the
development and body structure:
– Ectomorph  small/tall, slim, skinny
– Endomorph  flabby, obese
– Mesomorph  tough, musculine
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Height
 Child of same age may differ in height.
 Baby  length increase 30% until 5 mths old
 By age 1 yr  length increase to 50%
 5 years old  height doubles/triples
 2yrs old - puberty  height increase 2-3 in. per
year.
 Adolescent  sudden changes in height &
weight (growth spurt)
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Head circumference
 Baby
– Brain mass of a newborn  about 2/3 of adult size
– Head circ. of a new born  30-38 cm
– 6 mths old baby  42.5 cm
 Head circ/size increase  parallel to brain
development.
 Newborn head bigger than body size  due to
rapid brain development during pre natal period.
 5 yrs. Old brain weigh about 90% of adult
brain.
 6 yrs. old brain  equivalent to adult weight. 11
What is brain?
 Body most vital organ.
 Each person is born with over 100 billions brain cells
(neurons).
 Brains can send signals to thousands of other cells in
the body at speed of more than 200 miles per hr.
 Brain growth before &after birth is fundamental to
future development.
 Sensitive Periods in Brain Development
– Several growth spurts in first 2 years
– Rich and varied experiences stimulate brain development
• Experience-expectant growth
– Ordinary experiences
“expected” by brain to grow normally
• Experience-dependent growth
– Specific experience, varies widely
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1 organ with 3 mini brains:
Brainstem (inner core)
– Breathing, heartbeat
muscle movement,
reflex behavior
Limbic system
– Covers the brainstem
– Motivation, emotions,
& long term memory
– Cerebellum – control
automatic movements
& balance
Cerebral cortex
– Higher mental process.
– Learning, memory,
Thinking, Language
– Last to develop
Structure of the
Brain
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Regions of the Cerebral Cortex
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Skeletal Growth
Embryonic skeleton
– Soft, pliable tissue (cartilage)
– Beginning at week 6
 At birth babies have soft bones  cartilage.
 Changes is bones structure:
– Lengthen
– Harden
– Increase
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Lengthened
– Bones become longer, bigger & thicker
– Bones will stop growing when it harden
(reach maturity)
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Hardened
 At birth/baby  soft bones (cartilage)  water content is
high.
 During the process of ossification, bones harden 
calcium deposited.
 Eg. As baby skulls harden & fuse  Fontanel gradually
close (about 2 years old).
 Ossification occurs before birth and ends when a
person reach maturity.
 Nutritious food  calcium, phosphorous & vitamins
helps ossification
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Increase
– Number of bones increases  parallel to its
function
– Eg. Number of bones in the wrist & ankle
increases with age
• 1 yr. 3 wrist bones;
• adult  9 wrist bones
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Growth of the Skull
(Rapid during first 2 years)
At birth
– Bone of the skull separate
– These gaps are called
fontanels
– Sutures = seams of the
skull
By 2 years  Gaps filled
in
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Motor Skills
Motor skills are
– Voluntary movements of the body or parts
of the body.
– Controlled development of body movement
through the coordination of central nervous
system , sensory system and body muscles.
A child motor skill contributes to child
further development  able to control
movement  assist adaptation in the
environment.
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Motor Development
 Gross motor development
– Large movements
• Eg. Crawling, Walking, Running, Jumping
– Head proceeds arms and trunk
– Improves dramatically during preschool years
 Fine motor development  The ability to carry out smoothly small
movements that involve precise timing but not strength.
– Smaller movements
• e.g. Reaching and grasping
– Sequence the same
– Large differences in rate of motor progress
– Eg. Reaching, grasping, pinching, writing, drawing
– Involves the coordination between hand control and vision
(Eye-Hand coordination)
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Voluntary Reaching
 Vital role to cognitive development
 New ways for exploring environment
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Fine motor skill development
Steps in fine motor skill development: Prereaching (newborn) - Palmer grasp (reflex
grasp)
 Ulnar Grasp (3-4 months)
 Changing/passing object from one hand to the
other (5-8 mths)
 Pincer grasp (9- above)
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Reaching and Grasping
Pre-reaching (0-2 months) (Palmer grasp)
Ulnar grasp (3-4 months)
Pincer grasp (9 months)
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Reaching and Grasping
 Prereaching (0-2 months)
– Uncoordinated, primitive reaching
– Palmer grasp (reflex grasp)
– Hand grasping & movement without
coordination.
– Often fail to grasp object successfully
 may make contact with object but
fail to enclose it in their fingers
 The grasp reflex should disappear in
2 -3 months
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Reaching and Grasping
 Ulnar grasp (3-4 mth)
– Clumsy grasp
– Fingers close against the
palm
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Reaching and Grasping
 Pincer grasp (9 mth)
– Well-coordinated
grasp
– Oppositional use of
the forefinger and
thumb
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Early Experience and Reaching
Trying to push infants beyond their current
readiness to handle stimulation can
undermine the development of important
motor skills.
As infants’ and toddlers’ motor skills
develop, their caregivers must devote more
energies to protecting them from harm.
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Influences on Early
Growth
Heredity
Nutrition
– Breast v. Bottle Feeding
– Malnutrition
Emotional Well-Being
– Problems can cause Failure to
Thrive
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Benefits of Breastfeeding
 Correct fat-protein balance
 Nutritionally complete
 More digestible
 Better growth
 Disease protection
 Better jaw and tooth development
 Easier transition to solid food
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Malnutrition
Marasmus
Types
Kwashiorkor
Iron-deficiency anemia
Food insecurity
Physical symptoms
Growth and weight problems
Consequences
Poor motor development
Learning, attention problems
Passivity, irritability, anxiety
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MOTOR-PHYSICAL
DEVELOPMENT By 3 MTHS
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lift head when held at your shoulder
lift head and chest when lying on his stomach
turn head from side to side when lying on his stomach
follow a moving object or person with his eyes
often hold hands open or loosely fisted
grasp rattle when given to her
wiggle and kick with arms and legs
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MOTOR-PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
By 6 Mths Old:
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hold head steady when sitting with your help
reach for and grasp objects
play with his toes
help hold the bottle during feeding
explore by mouthing and banging objects
move toys from one hand to another
shake a rattle
pull up to a sitting position on her own if you grasp
her hands
sit with only a little support
sit in a high chair
roll over
bounce when held in a standing position
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MOTOR-PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
By 12 mths old
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drink from a cup with help
feed herself finger food like raisins or bread crumbs
grasp small objects by using her thumb and index or forefinger
use his first finger to poke or point
put small blocks in and take them out of a container
knock two blocks together
sit well without support
crawl on hands and knees
pull himself to stand or take steps holding onto furniture
stand alone momentarily
walk with one hand held
cooperate with dressing by offering a foot or an arm
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MOTOR-PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
By 18 months:
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like to pull, push, and dump things
pull off hat, socks, and mittens
turn pages in a book
stack 2 blocks
carry a stuffed animal or doll
scribble with crayons
walk without help
run stiffly, with eyes on the ground
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MOTOR-PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
By 2 years old:
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drink from a straw
feed himself with a spoon
help in washing hands
put arms in sleeves with help build a tower of 3-4 blocks
toss or roll a large ball
open cabinets, drawers, boxes
operate a mechanical toy
bend over to pick up a toy and not fall
walk up steps with help
take steps backward
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MOTOR-PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
By 3 years of age:
- feed himself (with some spilling)
- open doors
- hold a glass in one hand
- hold a crayon well
- wash and dry hands by himself
- fold paper, if shown how
- build a tower of 54 blocks
- throw a ball overhead
- try to catch a large ball
- put on shoes (but not tie laces)
- dress herself with help
- use the toilet with some help
- walk up steps, alternating feet
- walk on tiptoes if shown how
- walk in a straight line
- kick a ball forward
- jump with both feet
- pedal a tricycle
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MOTOR-PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
By 4 years old:
- feed
herself (with little spilling)
- try to use a fork
- hold a pencil
- try to write name
- draw with the arm and not small hand movements
- draw a circle & a face
- try to cut paper with blunt scissors
- sometimes unbutton buttons
- try to buckle, button, and lace, even though she probably needs help
- completely undress herself if wearing clothes with simple fasteners
- brush teeth with help
- build a tower of 7-9 blocks
- put together a simple puzzle of 4-12 pieces
- pour from a small pitcher
- use the toilet alone
- try to skip
- catch a bouncing ball
- walk downstairs using a handrail and alternating feet
- swing, starting by himself and keeping himself going
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Motor Skills
 4-5 years old  Child able to control most of
his movement (jump, run, walk, climb).
 Above 5 yrs. Old  good fine motor
development  able to do more complex
coordinated movement (throw & catch ball,
writing, hold object with care)
 The sequence in motor skill development also
follows cephalocaudal, proximodistal and mass
to specific principle.
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MOTOR-PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
By 5 Years old:
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hops and skips
dresses without help
good balance and smoother muscle action
Skates
rides bicycles and scooter
prints simple letters
ties shoes
 girls small muscle development about 1 year
ahead of boys.
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MOTOR-PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
By 6-8 Years old:
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skilled at using scissors and small tools
shows development of permanent teeth
enjoys testing muscle strength and skills
has good sense of balance
can tie shoelaces
enjoys copying designs and shapes, letters and numbers
may have gawky awkward appearance from long arms and legs
throwing at targets,
running,
jumping rope,
tumbling
aerobics may be of interest
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MOTOR-PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
By 12 Years old
 (Boys  80% adult height; Girls  90% of adult
height)
 Growth is slower than in preschool years, but
steady.
– Eating may fluctuate with activity level.
– Some children have growth spurts in the later stages of middle
childhood.
 Transition towards adolescent
– Pre puberty period  Body changes (hips widen, breasts bud,
pubic hair appears, testes develop) indicate approaching puberty.
– Beginning of Puberty  menstruation in girls (menarch) 12-14
years old First ejaculation in boys  12-13 years old
(semenarch)
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– Recognize differences between boys and girls.
(con’t) By 12 Years old
– Children find difficulty balancing high energy activities and quiet
activities.
– Intense activity may bring tiredness Children need around 10
hours of sleep each night.
– Muscle coordination and control are uneven and incomplete in the
early stages, but children become almost as coordinated as adults
by the end of middle childhood.
– Small muscles develop rapidly, making playing musical
instruments, hammering, or building things more enjoyable.
– Baby teeth will come out and permanent ones will come in.
– Permanent teeth may come in before the mouth has fully grown,
causing dental crowding.
– Eyes reach maturity in both size and function.
– The added strain of school work (smaller print, computers, intense
writing) often creates eye-tension and leads some children to
request eye examinations.
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