Essay Example on Tracking Physical Growth: Key to Understanding Children's Cognitive Development

Introduction

Physical development is an essential aspect of human development; it also tells much about cognitive development. Parents or caregivers need not underestimate the necessity to track physical progress for their children. Various studies indicate the existence of a connection between physical growth and cognitive development. Thus, caregivers might find it beneficial to learn and understand their children by tracking their physical progress. Physical development occurs in stages and may be subdivided into either Gross motor development or fine motor skills. The two sets of skills usually take place during middle childhood (Gracepointwellness.Org., 2020). During this age group, both fine motor and gross motor skills are developed in detail. The capability to coordinate hand and eye capacitates children to advance in sporting and other activities that require coordination between motor and cognitive activities. This paper shall illuminate how advancement in physical development relates to children's cognitive development, a demystification of physical development in learning, and justification of physical education in learning institutions. The paper will discuss how children in the middle age develop both physical and cognitive skills naturally. There is a connection between physical development and acquisition of learning skills.

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Basic Movement Skills

During the middle childhood age group, children are still developing mostly their gross motor skills. During this particular stage, children walk and run more, relative to earlier stages. Activities at this stage improve two dimensional, on and off the ground. Children at this age jump high at an average of “four to twelve-inch” off the ground; they also run at an average speed of more than “eighteen feet per second." Children of the male gender are presumed to outperform their female counterparts in the development of walking and running activities. While it is prudent for the caregiver to be mindful of the physical development of their children, it is also crucial for them to understand that children develop differently. Thus, growth could not be consistent for every child. The walking and running activities are only enhanced at this stage, after being developed in the earlier stages. At this stage, children should be capable of walking by themselves. The enhancement of walking and running skills is deemed a vital developmental aspect of growing children as they prepare for involvement in more complex activities in later stages (Gracepointwellness.Org., 2020). Walking and running are essential activities necessary for activities such as sporting which require more of the latter. Running is, therefore, an essential activity in the learning curve of sportspersons. Another aspect that is a prerequisite for sportspersons is the optimization of their potential. Children in the middle age run the fastest they can, probably to test their full potential.

The Link Between Motor and Cognitive Skills

As the child progressively grows in complexity, which happens naturally, they tend to orient their gross motor skills with cognitive activities by mostly relating various activities. Towards the end of the middle age group, middle-childhood-aged children improve the complexity of their activities through refining and coordination. At this stage, children gain more control over movements in the earlier step. Apart from just walking, running, and jumping, children at the advanced stage of middle age start learning how to control their movement through activities such as “hop, skip, throw, and jump." The coordination and control of the movements come naturally through increased flexibility, balance, and agility. Most importantly, children in the middle age understand how to synchronize changes of their numerous body parts, a key aspect of sporting. The hop, throw, jump, and skip activities are vital for sports such as baseball and basketball, all professional sports (Gracepointwellness.Org., 2020). It is, however, necessary for one to note that other than in the earlier stages where most developments involved only body movement, in the later stages of the middle age, childhood is usually characterized by additional coordination between the hand and eye coordination. A sport like basketball, for example, requires one to walk, run, use hands and also eyes for better performance. Coordination of cognitive capabilities and physical development is necessary and of a must for any child insofar as learning and sporting activities are concerned. Utilization of hands and eye follow the progress of walking and running activities because they operate in tandem with each other. A basketballer needs to move through either walking or running, before scoring using hands. Using hands and eye does not only affect sportspersons but also determines other learning activities such as writing and also learning to use technology. The use of hands and eyes in the middle age of childhood encourages physical development by introducing a link between motor and cognitive-oriented activities. Children who are not capable of coordinating various activities exemplified by the middle age childhood may not make a successful career in sports, potentially the best stage to identify and coach talents.

Conclusion

Physical development is a critical factor during the tracking of a child's development progress. Physical development follows an order that exemplifies an increase in children's complexity as they move from one stage to another. Some physical activities preside others. Walking and running are seemingly the necessary activities for children as they become potential sportspersons. Children develop and stabilize leg movements before later using hands and eyes to form a link between physical movements and learning. As children grow in complexity, they become more suited for sporting activities, an aspect that develops with time, via coordination of activities concentrated on the legs and those focused on hands.

References

Physical Development: Motor Development - Child Development Theory: Middle Childhood (8-11). (2020). Gracepointwellness.Org. https://www.gracepointwellness.org/1272-child-development-theory-middle-childhood-8-11/article/37676-physical-development-motor-development