The developmental domains: physical development

It’s May already? Where has the time gone?!

As we make our way into this month, let’s recap all that we have learned about since January. First, we learned that YOU are your child’s first and most important teacher, then in February we discussed just how important play is for our children. In March we learned about the science of early childhood and those first 5 years, and last month, April, we talked about all things social development.

Any guesses on what we will be talking about this month? You guessed it! Physical development!

Here at Norwood, we get so many questions about physical development. Is my child developing typically? What is typical for my child’s age? What does physical development look like? That is why this month, we want to support YOU – your child’s first and most important teacher – to not only further your understanding of physical development, but also how you can support your child in this growth.

Physical development is the way your child’s body grows and increases their skills specific to how the body moves. This includes whole body coordination, muscular control, balance, fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and so much more!

The Stages of Physical Development:

All children develop at different rates and in their own unique ways, but we do know that most development happens in sequences with children reaching specific milestones around the same age. Knowing these stages and milestones can help you recognize where your child is in their physical development, so that you can support them in the exact way they need!

Health and Well-Being:

Health and well-being includes everything from getting enough sleep to eating a well-balanced, nutrient rich diet, to how much physical activity our children need at all ages, to getting proper vitamin D from the sun.

Healthy Boundaries and Risk Taking:

Children learn how to move and coordinate their bodies through taking risks and experimenting with how they move their bodies. Without healthy risk taking a child may never experience climbing to the top of the slide or getting to the top of the stairs all by themselves. Children also need to learn how to set boundaries and to recognize their limitations and how to ask for support in trying new things that may be scary sometimes!

Learning Through our Senses:

Children experience the world through their physical movements and the stimuli to their senses when they do so. When a child crawls, they feel the ground below their hands, they see a change in perspective, and they can hear the soft taps their hands make on the ground, or the sounds their pants make as their legs move.

We are so excited to use this month as a way to build on the knowledge you already have of this topic, and take this opportunity to learn together and come up with new ways to support our young children!

From head to toe, one centimetre at a time!