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Module 2: Child Growth and Development

Physical Development

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Page 2


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Physical development during the school-age years is not as rapid as during the first years of life.

Between the ages of 5 and 12, children experience steady physical growth. There are gradual and consistent increases in weight and height. Heredity and environment account for most differences in physical growth. Health care and nutrition are environmental factors that can affect both weight and height. During this period, children are interested in their physical growth.  They care more about what other people think of them. Thus, their body size, shape, and physical abilities can influence how they feel about themselves.

During the seven-year span, children show continued improvement in skills learned earlier. They show gains in motor skills, agility, and physical strength. These skills are helpful for participation in games and sports.

Gross Motor Skills 

By watching school-age children on the playground, you can see how their motor skills are improving. Physical growth contributes to these changes.  Gains in height and weight help with coordination. These children possess greater speed and accuracy of movement, with faster reaction times. Movements are more refined and fluid. Moreover, balance has improved.

Younger school-age children are constantly practicing and perfecting six skills. These are jumping, balancing, throwing, catching, running, and sequencing foot movements. Their running is faster. With practice, they are more accurate in throwing, catching, and kicking.  They can throw balls greater distances.

As they grow older, both boys and girls improve their gross motor skills. Even though girls usually surpass boys in height and weight, boys have more physical strength. They have an advantage in muscle mass. As a result, boys may outperform girls in jumping, catching, throwing, and batting. They can usually run faster and for greater distances. Girls outperform boys in motor skills that require balance, coordination, flexibility, or rhythmic movement. Some examples include playing hopscotch, dancing, and skipping. Girls also have an edge in skills involving the use of the small muscles.

Fine Motor Skills 

Children show improvement of their fine motor skills throughout the school-age years. They have better control of the small muscles in their fingers and hands. Their writing is much better since they are using more wrist movement.Letters and words are more uniform and neater. Moreover, the spacing between letters and words has improved. The improvement of these fine motor skills is also reflected in their drawings. 

Improved finger dexterity allows school-age children to play musical instruments, such as a piano, guitar, or flute. Their hand-eye coordination skills are also improving. While grasping tools, they can control the motion and speed. This allows them to learn such skills as sewing and assembling models with small pieces.


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School-Age Staff 20 Hour Basic Training

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