You will notice remarkable changes in a child's physical skills during the pre-school years. The most obvious milestone is her first step. That very moment when she surges forward on her own two feet without any support whatsoever - often within a few months either side of her first birthday - signals a new stage of independence for her. Now she can move around on her own whenever she wants. The infant realises she is less dependent on others and she thoroughly enjoys this new-found skill.
But walking is not the only physical skill that develops in this area.There are lots of other aspects of locomotion that show progress too. For example, a child has increasingly better balance when she moves, she is more adept at climbing over furniture or across any obstacle in her path, she enjoys playing with large outdoor equipment, she learns to hop, skip and jump, and she loves swaying her body round in time to music. This vast range of movement abilities makes her day a lot more interesting for her. True, these skills continue to develop throughout later childhood, but it is in this early part of her life that most locomotion characteristics begin to emerge.
Direction of progress
Detailed research studies have shown that although every child is different in terms of the rate of movement development, in general, the ability to gain control over the body advances in two distinct directions:
* From the top downwards. A child gains control at the top of her body before gaining control lower down. For example, she will be able to hold her head up independently before her spine is strong enough for her to sit up on her own; she will be able to sit upright a long time before she can take steps on her own; and she will walk before she is able to jump.
* From the centre outwards. A child gains control over the centre line of her body (her head and chest) before the furthest away parts of her body (her hands and feet). For example, she can raise her chest off the floor before she can reach out accurately with her hands; and she is able to pick something up with her fingers before she can kick a ball with her toes.
Scientific research also suggests that these two directions in movement development match the sequence of the child's brain development. In other words, the part of the brain that is responsible for her head and chest control grows faster than the part of the brain responsible for her arm and leg movements, and hence the two-directional pattern in movement progress.
Building blocks
The foundation for the development of a child's movement stems from three sources:
* First, she has an 'internal blueprint' for acquiring skills of locomotion. Although there is huge variation among children in their rate of physical development, the majority pass physical milestones at roughly the same age (for example, most can sit up on their own by the age of six months, most are walking by 15 months, and so on). This similarity is almost universal and therefore cannot be coincidence - virtually every child is born with a similar genetic plan to become physically active.
In fact, you can demonstrate that the blueprint for walking is present almost at birth. If you hold a new baby firmly under her arms (gently supporting her head with your thumbs) and lower the soles of her feet on to a smooth flat surface, she automatically moves her legs in a reflex stepping action. This looks as though she is walking but she is not. Yet within the next year or so, this inborn involuntary reaction becomes part of her deliberately controlled movements.
* The second source is the stimulation and encouragement she receives from her parent or carer.
Movement stimulation is an essential part of the pre-school curriculum. But stimulation alone won't always achieve the effect you want. Take walking, for example. No matter what you do to encourage an infant to walk early she won't achieve this until she is physically and neurologically ready. Walking is one of those movement skills that can't really be hurried along. No matter how much walking practice you give a baby who is, say, three months old, she won't be able to co-ordinate her leg and body movements at that age.
Yet there is evidence that practice in other aspects of movement does have an impact. A child who is allowed lots of opportunities to skip will probably be better at skipping than a child who is denied this form of activity. The same applies to most athletic activities. Perhaps the best strategy to take when it comes to encouraging a child's movement is to remember that the pace of her physical and neurological development has a big impact and that this will limit the effect of practice in some areas.
* The third major source of a child's ever-improving physical skills is her constantly-changing body. She makes gains in height and weight all the time, growing taller and leaner with stronger arm and leg muscles. And her brain grows at a rapid rate - at birth, it was approximately 25 per cent of its eventual adult weight, while at the age of seven years it has increased to almost full adult size. This increased brain growth is accompanied by maturation in part of the lower brain (the cerebellum), giving her more control over her balance and posture. Neurological changes in the spine and nervous system also take place as well. NW
Further reading
* Your Child's Development (1991) by Richard Landsdowne & Marjorie Walker. Published by Frances Lincoln: ISBN 0711206465 * From Birth To Starting School (1997) by Richard C Woolfson. Published by Caring Books: ISBN 0952346913 * Ready to Use Fundamental Motor Skills & Movement Activities for Young Children (2000) by Joanne M Landy & Keith R Burridge. Published by the Centre for Applied Research in Education: ISBN 0130139416
