Physical and Motor

Development of Children and

Adolescents
Early Childhood (The Preschooler)

“A child reminds us
that playtime is an
essential part of our
daily routine.”
Anonymous
 Big Ideas About the Physical Development of
Preschoolers
1. There are significant changes in physical growth of
preschoolers.
• Physical growth increases, but slower in pace than
in infancy and toddlerhood.

• Preschoolers have their center of gravity at a lower

level that gives them more ability to be stable and
balanced than the toddler.
• By the time the child reaches three years old, all
primary or deciduous teeth are already in place.
2. The preschooler’s physical development is marked
by the acquisition of gross and fine motor skills.
Gross motor development Fine motor development

 refers to acquiring skills  refers to acquiring the ability to

that involve the large use the smaller muscles in the
muscles. arm, hands and fingers
purposefully.
• Locomotor skills
• Non-locomotor skills
• Manipulative skills
Preschoolers are generally physically active. Level of activity is
highest around three and becomes a little less as the preschooler
gets older.
3. Preschoolers can express themselves artistically at a
very early age.
• At the heart of the preschooler years is their interest to
draw and make other forms of artistic expressions. This
form of fine motor skills is relevant to preschoolers.

Viktor Lowenfeld’s stages of drawing in early

childhood:
Stage 1. Scribbling Stage
Stage 2. Preschematic Stage
Stage 3. Schematic Stage
• It is important to remember that the
preschooler’s representations or drawings
does not only involve fine motor skills, but
also cognitive skills.
4. Proper nutrition and the right amount of sleep are
very important for the preschoolers.

• The kind of nutrition a preschooler gets has a far-

reaching effect on physical growth and development.
The preschooler’s nutritional status is the result of what
nutrients he or she actually takes in checked against the
nutritional requirement for his age.
• Preschooler’s benefit from about 10-12 hours of sleep
each day. It is during sleep that vital biological
processes that affect physical and cognitive
development take place.
5. Caregivers and teachers can do a lot in maximizing the
growth and development of preschoolers.
• Optimum physical development of preschoolers is largely
influenced by the supportive caregivers (parents and
teachers) who provide a stimulating environment and
appropriate activities for the children.

6. Preschoolers with special needs in inclusive classrooms

can thrive well with the appropriate adaptations made in
classroom, materials, and activities.
Middle Childhood (The Primary Schooler)

“There is always one

moment in childhood
when the door opens and
let’s the future in.”
Deepak Chopia, Indian
Physician and Author
• Physical development during the
primary school years is slow but steady.

• At this stage, physical development

includes:
• (1) having good muscle control and
coordination,
• (2) developing eye-hand coordination,
• (3) having good personal hygiene and
• (4) being aware of good safety habits.
Height and Weight
• An average increase in height of a little over two inches a
year in both boys and girls will introduce them to many
different activities that they can now do with greater
accuracy.
• Weight gain averages about 6.5 pounds a year.
• A number of factors could indicate how much a child
changes grows, or how much changes in the body will
take place:
Genes Food Climate Exercise

Medical Conditions Diseases/illness

Bones and Muscles
• Childhood years are the peak bone-
producing years.
• Skeletal bones and muscles broaden and
lengthen. Skeletal growth in middle
childhood is also associated with losing the
deciduous teeth, or baby teeth.
• Throughout middle childhood girls are
smaller than boys and have less muscle
mass.
Motor Development
• Young school-aged children are gaining control over
the major muscles of their bodies.
• Most children have a good sense of balance .
• Children at thus stage love to move a lot.
• Performing unimanual and bi-manual activities
becomes easier.
• Children's graphic activities are now more controlled
but still are developing.
• Motor development skills include coordination,
balance, speed, agility and power.
Late Childhood ( The Intermediate Schooler)

“The period of late

childhood is the period of
calm before the growth
spurt of adolescence.”
Anonymous
Physical Changes
• On the average, girls are generally as much as
two years ahead of boys in terms of physical
maturity.
• Puberty may begin early.
• Many of the bodily structures like the liver,
muscles, skeletons, kidneys and face follow a
normal curve of development for both boys and
girls.
• Other structures like the brain, intestines and other
organs and bodily systems mature at their own
time, thus, affecting growth patterns.
• Children gain an average of 7 pounds in weight, and
an average of 2 ½ inches in height and an average of
an inch in head circumference each year.
• Children at this stage have growth spurts which are
usually accompanied by increase in appetite and food
intake.
• Increase in body fats also occurs in preparation for the
growth that occurs during adolescence.
• This stage is also characterized by advanced
development of their fine and gross motor skills.
• Children may become more interested in physical
activities where they can interact with friends and
family.
Adolescence ( The High School Learners)

“Adolescence is just one

big walking pimple.”
Carol Burnett
Pubertal Changes

 Biological change comprises

the major transition from
childhood to early
adolescence, manifested by
change in physical
appearance and a more
rapid rate of development.
The Growth Spurts
• Hormone flooding occurs causing growth acceleration.
• Body changes include change in body dimensions (leg length,
shoulder width, trunk length).
• In girls, the growth spurt generally begins at age 10 reaching its
peak at age 11 and-a-half, and decreasing at age 13, while slow
continual growth occurs for several more years. Boys begin their
growth spurt at around age 12, reaching its peak at 14 and
declining at age 15 an-a-half. At age 16 and ¼, girls reach 98
percent of their adult height, while boys do so at the age 17 and
¼.
• The muscles also grow in terms of size and strength, while similar
spurts occur for weight, muscle size, head and face maturation,
and especially the development of the reproductive organs.
Sexual Maturity
The triggering by hormones of the hypothalamus glands on hormones of
the pituitary gland signals the entire process of sexual maturation.
FEMALE MALE
Primary sex
characteristics the growth of the ovaries testis
Second
growth of pubic hair growth of pubic hair
changes development of breasts growth of facial hair
• Menarche is the • Spermarche is the first
beginning of the menstrual ejaculation of semen
cycle for female. containing ejaculate for
the males.
• The most dramatic sign • The principal sign of
of sexual maturation for sexual maturation in
girls is the menstruation. boys is the sperm in the
urine.
Adolescent Sleeping Habits
• Adolescent sleeping habits
 Studies show that teenagers are not getting
enough sleep, and would want more sleep.

 Shorter sleep contributes to increased levels

of depression, daytime sleepiness, and
problems with sleeping.
Exploration
•Instinctively , adolescents become
aware of changes in sexuality, thus
undergoing a period of exploration
and adjustment.
Adolescents and Nutrition
• Necessary for adolescent years are
sufficient amounts of vitamin
B12(found in animal proteins),
calcium, zinc, iron, riboflavin and
vitamin D.
References:

Corpuz, Brenda B., et. al.,(2010), Child and Adolescent Development,

pp.186-197, 239-243, 263-267, 291-297.
Acero, Victorina D., et. Al., Child and Adolescent Development, pp.12-15.