Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Age-level Characteristics: Physical Development

Physical Development
Preschool

  • high activity levels
  • protruding abdomen characteristic of toddlers disappears as legs and body trunk grow longer -> centre of gravity become lower, increase control
  • enjoy physical activity, jumping, skipping etc
  • need rest periods,... naps
  • motor activites: large muscles more developed than fine muscles in hands
    fine motor coordination, small puzzle, colouring tie shoelace- difficult
    -> choose thick crayons, wide handle brush, big puzzles
  • visual focus: difficult focus on small objects-> choose large print

Primary Grades

  • 6-9 years old
  • need rest periods, sitting still for long periods (20-60mins) is difficult
  • large muscles better developed than fine muscles
  • may have difficulty adjusting eye focus between near and far objects
  • vigorous and accident prone
  • increased fidgeting (fingernail biting, hand tapping)
  • need to learn social behaviour, variety of activities, eg half reading, half colouring
  • allow for physical activity
  • visual problems: shape of lens shallow, difficult adjust focus

Elementary Grades

  • age 9-12
  • fine motor skills fully developed, therefore arts, craft, music are popular, utilise newly acquired skills
  • sex difference in growth: girls- growth spurt at 11, boys- growth spurt at 13
  • onset of puberty: girls- 9-16 (averaging 12,13) boys- 11-18 (averaging 14)

Junior High

  • Puberty: appearance of secondary sex characteristics
  • Maturation differences: some students benefit from early maturation (independent and self confident), while some find it a dificult problem to handle.

Secondary Grades

  • age 16-18

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