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Physical Development - Coggle Diagram
Physical Development
Play and Outdoor Learning and general health and wellbeing
Benefits of Outdoor Play
While all play is valuable, there are additional benefits of outdoor play
Exercise and motor skills
Helps increase body awareness
Encourages respect for nature
Better understanding of risk
Calming effect of green spaces
Supports self-confidence
And much more…
Outdoor Learning
Strong evidence that outdoor learning results in better:
Physical health, including motor skills, being more active, developing balance, coordination,
Mental health, including sense of wellbeing, feeling calm, and feeling joy
Learning outcomes including better executive function and problem solving, attention, and short-term memory, leading to improved test scores
Improved engagement and enthusiasm for learning
Sense of connection to and responsibility for nature
The United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) specifically gives every child the right ‘to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities’
What's the problem?
74% of children in the UK get less than an hour of outdoor play a day (Muddy Hands Report)
Why is this the case?
Risk averse norms and parental concerns about safety
Lack of access to safe spaces for play, especially in deprived areas
Restrictions placed on children to travel independently
More time spent with indoor technologies
Need for appropriate outdoor clothes and equipment
Linking outdoor play and learning
Schools can play a role in getting kids outdoors
As noted in Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence Through Outdoor Learning, opportunities for outdoor learning exist across all curricular areas
Literacy ideas - telling a story, spelling objects found outside, being a character such as a bird, starting a nature book
Numeracy ideas - finding shapes outside, recording observations outside and making graphs, exploring directions, estimating heights
Benefits pupils as well as teachers!
Physical Development across infancy and childhood
Areas of Physical Development
Height and weight
•At birth, most full-term newborns weigh between 2.6-3.8 kg and are around 46-60 cm in length
Growth does not occur at a consistent rate
-Huge changes at first which then
slow down over time
-Growth spurts very common
-Usually, girls’ height stops around 14-15
years old and boys’ height stops around 16-17
•World Health Organisation (WHO) has population ‘norms’ for weight and height – listed in children's 'red book'
•50th percentile weight/height at different ages
Influences on height and weight
Nutrition
Sleep Pattern
Physical Activity
Overall Health
Gender
Genetics
Gross motor skills
Definition
Gross motor skills refer to large movements that require whole body movement and involve the core muscles of the body as well as eye-hand coordination
Includes balance, coordination, strength, endurance, and sports participation
Important for the ability to participate actively at school, home, and the community; for one’s general health; as well as a child’s self-esteem and social life
Milestones in first year of life (0-12 months)
Rolling over from front to back, and back to front
Sitting (initially with support, and then independently)
Pushing body off ground with arms when lying on tummy
Crawling (initially on belly, then on all fours)
Pulling self into standing position
Standing without support, and eventually taking a few steps
Milestones in second year of life (12-24 months)
Walking independently
Changing direction while walking
Rolling a ball
Milestones for ages 2-3
Running with control (but tend to have wide gait)
Climbing up and down from furniture
Walking up and down steps (With support)
Rolls a ball
Milestones for ages 3-4
Runs with control
Climbing on ladders and soft play independently
Pedalling a tricycle or using a scooter
Jumping with two feet together multiple times in a row
Walking up and down stairs with alternating feet
Can catch a ball
Milestones for ages 4-6
Milestones for ages 4-6
Walking straight along a line
Throwing a ball overarm
Catching a ball that has been bounced
Jumping ten times in a row
Able to run around obstacles
Milestones for ages 6-8
Jumping over an object and landing with both feet together
Safely performing a forward roll
Moving across monkey bars without support
Walking on a balance beam, skipping rope, and riding a bicycle
Fine motor skills
Definition
Fine motor skills refer to smaller movements, largely involving the small muscles in hands, wrists, and forearms
Involves coordinated effort of brain and muscles and also builds on the gross motor skills
Important for a range of tasks at school and home
Writing, drawing, using scissors, physically using computers/tablets
Stacking blocks, playing with Lego, or stringing beads
Tying shoes, getting dressed, and brushing one’s teeth
Milestones in first year of life (0-12 months)
Reach for and hold toy
Pincer grasp (thumb and one finger together)
Transfer object from one hand to another
Pick up small foods (like a Cheerio)
Milestones in second year of life (12-24 months)
Turn pages of cardboard books
Put objects in a container
Point using index finger
Build a tower of 3-4 blocks
Self-feed with a little assistance
Milestones for ages 2-3
Turns pages of a paper book
Can string large beads
Holds crayons or writing utensils with thumb and fingers
Eats without assistance
Milestones for ages 3-4
Can copy shapes
Able to manipulate playdough/clay into a number of different shapes
Able to snip paper with scissors
Milestones for ages 4-5
Copies drawing basic shapes and letters
Writes own name and numbers up to five
Dresses and undresses independently
Milestones for ages 5-6
Can cut simple shapes from papers
Draws basic pictures, uses glue paste appropriately
Can build Lego or similar blocks independently
Milestones for ages 6-8
Forms most letters and numbers correctly
Demonstrates endurance for writing and legibility of handwriting
Sensation and perception
Definition
Sensory processing is when children are able to register and interpret sensory information through the five senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch)
Important for child’s interaction with their environment
Sight – recognise objects and others in the environment, map out the world
Hearing – language, music, awareness of danger in our environment
Taste and smell – recognise likes/dislikes, protects us from danger
Touch - recognise and respond to pain, understand textures
Milestones in first year of life (0-12 months)
Tracks objects with eyes
Responds to sounds and voice
Opens mouth to be fed and can tolerate different textured food
Drinks from a cup
Milestones in second year of life (12-24 months)
Distinguishes between edible and inedible objects
Enjoys messy play
Copies sounds made by caregivers
Looks for objects that fall out of sight (object permanence)
Bothered by soiled nappy
Milestones for ages 2-3
Uses toilet with assistance
Can pay attention for 3 minutes
Can point to 5-6 different body parts
Milestones for ages 3-4
Can differentiate between pretend and real
Can feed without difficulty
Knows most colours
Milestones for ages 4-7
Understands concepts of time and space
Develops longer attention span
Changes in health and nutrition
Atypical Physical Development
Children’s physical development may sometimes be atypical
Different physical conditions and developmental disorders can impact the quantity and quality of children’s height and weight, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and sensation and perception
Intervention and support
Physical therapists can help with gross motor skills
Occupational therapists can help with fine motor skills
Other specialists are available based upon the needs of the child (optometrists, audiologists, speech pathologists, nutritionists, and more)
Play and Physical Development
The importance of play
Play can be defined as engaging in activities that are carried out for pleasure and enjoyment
Play is freely chosen, personally directed, intrinsically motivated, and diverse in form
Play has many functions! Natural way to help support physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development
Benefits especially for physical development
Gives children opportunities to use the different muscle groups in the body
Hones gross-motor skills such as coordination, balance, climbing
Helps develop fine-motor skills and senses
Develops body awareness and confidence in basic movement skills
Supports development
Fine motor skills
Playdough, blocks, water play, gardening, puzzles, Lego, making jewellery, finger painting, drawing, sorting shells or stones, stacking cups
Gross Motor skills
Playgrounds, dancing, trampolines, obstacle courses, scooters, climbing hills, hula hoop, pretending to be different animals, playing with a ball
Sensation and perception
Sensory box, texture sorting, helping to cook, hidden picture games, matching, dot-to-dot sheets, construction-type activities, sound safari
Implications for teaching
Create time and space for play in the classroom, both inside and outside
Look online for ideas and supports for how to take learning outdoors and how to safely support ‘risky play’
Take advantage of the natural landscape available near you (city parks, forests, farms, lochs, rivers, wetlands)