- Physical development is affected by the "chronological age, rate of maturation, and individual experiences" of children (Wortham 135).
- Physical development encompasses children's sensory and motor skills, physical growth, and the general abilities necessary to explore and interact with the world around them.
- Comparing child's physical growth and individual progress with appropriate milestones and developmental stages
- Providing appropriate experiences according to their interests and areas of need
- Identifying delays in the child's sensory or motor development in order to provide the appropriate intervention
- Misdiagnosing a delay in a child's sensory or motor development
- Failing to recognize a delay, which can lead to a child falling even further behind
- Inappropriate environment for the progression of physical development to improve
- Insufficient amount of informal assessments
Observing Physical Development
Activity Time!!
Fine Motor Skills
- Child's ability to coordinate and have control of small muscles
- These skills refer to small movements of the hands, wrists, fingers, feet, and toes
- Activities involve manipulating small objects or tools
Observation
Sources
Several reasons to observe physical development include:
- To learn how children develop fine and gross motor skills
- To identify specific physical activities in which the mastery of fine and/or gross motor skills is required for children's participation
- To become familiar with individual differences in physical development and be able to identify developmental delays
(2010). California preschool learning foundations. (Vol. 2). Sacramento: California Department of Education.
NAEYC. Desired Results Development Profile - Preschool© (2010) retrieved from www.cde.ca.gov
Nicolson, S., & Shipstead, S. (2002). Through the looking glass. (3 ed.). Columbus, Ohio: Pearson Education.
Wortham, S. (2012). Assessment in early childhood education. (6th ed.). Texas, San Antonio: Pearson Education.
Gross Motor Development
- Child's general ability to move around and use the various parts of their body
- These large motor skills allow children to engage in active play
- Activities include: rolling over, crawling, walking, running, and jumping around
Examples
Disadvantages
- Teacher observational tools include checklists, DRDP assessments in certain preschool programs, etc.
- Most importantly, teachers should use a variety of informal assessments
- Examples of informal assessments are running records and observing performance objectives
Advantages
Description