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Childhood

Motor development in childhood

Childhood; baby movements Childhood; infant crawling Human walking is a very complex process, the result of a long evolution leading to our present body shape with its innate possibilities directed by our present nervous centre guided by the brain.

Motor development in childhood: the beginning of movement
How did movement in living organisms begin? Bacteria turn away from a one degree of acidity or are drawn to another. This may be called the simplest type of movement, which is always related to environment. More complex organisms developed noses, eyes and ears, usually at the front of their bodies, close to their brain. Fish have grown fins and tails to move fast in flight or to catch a prey. The same or other tasks are performed by flying and stalking, running and slithering , swinging, jumping or walking. Childhood; toddler, learning to walk

Motor development in childhood: evolutionary stages
Individuals pass through various evolutionary stages from conception to maturity: in the mother's womb a foetus floats like a water creature, developing and then shedding fins. A few months after birth we turn around on our bellies and move ourselves forward with bent knees and elbows like lizards, then we crouch like mammals on hands and knees and finally we walk upright like apes, gradually developing a better balance and falling less often. Newer layers (or programs) of evolutionary development build on top of the older layers, in our brain as well as in every other part. The newer layers are usually more complex than the older ones.
Childhood; young girl standing up The skill of walking is learnt through the continuous feedback between senses, muscles and the brain. But equally essential are the interaction with parents, or others, who encourage and help the baby to take its first steps.

Motor development in childhood: the use of hands
The use of our hands develops in a similar way as the use of our legs and feet. The infant is very eager to practise grasping, throwing, hitting, clapping, and so on. In the beginning those movements are not very precise. Later, they get more refined, and the toddler can build a block tower, hold a felt pen or brush and draw or scribble, zip and button its clothes. Later it will learn to string its shoes, use a vending machine and the telephone, surf on the internet and play a musical instrument.

Motor development in childhood: differences between boys and girls
The individual differences in capacity for gross and fine motor development are considerable. Generally speaking, boys and girls show marked differences in every aspect of their behaviour, so also in their motor skills, which are already sexually Childhood; boys playing biassed at a very early age. For instance, boys are better at, and more interested in, gross motor activities like sports, while girls generally prefer fine motor skills like dressing a doll. However, to unders Childhood; girl playing mother tand the differences between males and females we must take many more differences into consideration. Ultimately the differences are all related to the baby-bearing function of the female in all life forms preceding us
Toilet training, learning to eat and talk all follow the same pattern of interaction between the senses, the nervous system and the muscles.

Motor development in childhood: the general pattern
We can distinguish the following general pattern:

A genetic blue print is present from the moment of conception. The embryo interacts constantly with its immediate environment. The foetus can feel its mother's heart beat and is probably affected by her emotions. The older foetus can hear voices and music. So even before birth a human being is influenced by its environment, inside the woman as well as outside.
After birth the parents and others interact with the baby and help to develop or frustrate its inborn potential.
There are certain ages, called sensitive periods, in which children are naturally inclined to learn certain skills. Learning to walk after the second birthday is much more difficult than before; learning to speak after the tenth, if the child has never heard a language spoken, is even harder: the brain area that is responsible for speech has by then deteriorated seriously.
Development continues to the point where it reaches its full-grown potential. After that it can still change, but only to a small extent.

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