Early Childhood & Physical Development

Infants: Newborns

• The neonatal period is the first four weeks of the child's life after birth. At this stage children are commonly referred to as newborns. As a newborn, an infant has little control over movement and poor coordination with many movements being reflexive. Early reflex movements that disappear during the first year of life include the Moro reflex, which causes an infant to extend the legs and arms and arch the back upon hearing a sudden loud sound, the grasping reflex, the rooting reflex, which causes the infant to turn the head and make a sucking movement if the cheek or lip is touched, and the Babiniski reflex in which the infant will fan the toes out and as the foot twists as the sole of the foot is touched. Physical growth during this period occurs based on the cephalocaudal principle (growth from the top down), which means that infants develop starting at the head, moving downward, and the proximodistal principle, which means that the child develops the use of closer (or inner) body parts first.

Infants: One to Twleve Months

• Physical development in the first year of life is marked by many quickly progressing changes. In addition to gaining body weight and height, infants demonstrate a steady progression of physical milestones. Fine, or small, motor physical development includes purposeful grasping of objects and reaching. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, by twelve months an infant should develop the large muscle coordination to sit unassisted, crawl forward, be able to move from a sitting to a crawling position, and pull the body up to a standing position. By the age of one year, some infants may have the physical capabilities to stand unassisted or even walk a few steps in a row.

Young Toddlers

• Young toddlers, one to two years of age, will further refine physical development that began during the first year of life. Children of this age will start to walk completely unassisted by an adult, without the need to hold onto furniture or other items (i.e., cruise). By the time a child reaches two years, her large muscle development and physical coordination will allow her to walk quickly and/or run. Fine motor (small physical) development is marked at this stage by a beginning refinement of hand coordination skills that may be seen as a child starts to scribble with a crayon or play with toys using both hands.

Older Toddlers

• The developmental period between two and three years of age finds the toddler making strides in physical development. According the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, toddlers should have the physical control to kick a ball, walk with alternating feet, and even ride a tricycle. Refinements in small motor skills at this time allow a toddler-aged child to hold a writing utensil such as a marker or thick crayon, turn pages in a picture book, and build with blocks.

Preschool

• Between the ages of three and five (the preschool period), physical development is being further coordinated. Skill-building in other domains such as cognitive, emotional, and social development, allows a preschooler to demonstrate a greater degree of control in large motor movements, as well as refinements in small or fine motor capabilities. Preschoolers stand on one foot, jump, begin to walk down stairs with alternating feet, and possibly make skipping leg movements. Additionally, a child of this age has developed the physical ability and coordination to use eating utensils, such as a spoon or fork, draw shapes with a writing tool, cut with children's safety scissors, and get dressed with minimal adult assistance.

Early Elementary School Years

• The last years of the early childhood developmental period are from ages five to eight. By this time children have typically begun kindergarten and moved in to the elementary school years. Physically, children of this age are taller and stronger than their younger preschool-aged peers. Motor coordination is much more refined, and young grade-school-aged children can write letters and words with a pencil, cut well with scissors, draw pictures of people and objects, and dress themselves with no adult assistance. Large motor physical abilities progress significantly throughout this period and include walking well down stairs with alternating feet, running at a fast speed, throwing and catching a ball with accuracy, hitting a ball with a bat, and jumping. By this point in physical development children are generally ready to begin team sports such as T-ball, soccer, and basketball.