Between the ages of 3 and 5, children are still growing quickly, and are continuing to practice their large and small motor skills. Child care providers can support preschoolers’ physical and motor development by ensuring that children eat well-balanced meals and snacks, by building in plenty of time for active play and by planning a wide variety of activities to encourage motor development. The lists below give an idea of what to look for in the physical development of preschool-age …
Six- to 8-year-olds are continuing to grow and develop their large and small motor skills. As they enter elementary school, children may begin participating in organized sports, dance, and other activities that require well-developed motor skills. Child care providers in out-of-school child care programs need to know the basic milestones of physical development in school-age children in order to plan challenging but realistic physical activities. The following lists detail some common physical milestones in 6- to 8-year-olds.
Child care providers play an important role in promoting toddlers’ physical development Young children grow and develop so quickly between the ages of 12 and 36 months. In two short years, toddlers move from just learning to walk to being able to run, climb and jump with confidence. Toddlers explore their environments by touching, handling and tasting everything around them. They move from very basic fine motor skills to being able to turn pages of a book and draw with …
Play is crucial to the development of children’s gross and fine motor skills. Through play, children practice and perfect control and coordination of large body movements, as well as small movements of hands and fingers. Child care providers can support young children’s motor development by planning play activities that provide children with regular opportunities to move their bodies.
Gross motor skills involve control of the arms, legs, head, and trunk. Child care providers can …
If you are a child care provider working with infants, you may be amazed by how quickly the babies in your child care program grow. By the time they are 1 year old, babies have almost tripled their birth weight. They learn to control their head, arms, hands, legs and feet, eventually start crawling and may even take a few first steps.
Child care providers help infants develop physically. Providing nutritious foods, encouraging their growing motor skills and providing safe …
