Early Childhood Motor Development

1. Early Childhood Motor Development Gross Motor Fine Motor Art in Development

2. Definitions • Gross Motor - whole body movement, movement from large muscle groups • Fine Motor – coordination of small muscle movements (i.e. fingers/eye coordination)

3. When can I… Pedal and steer a tricycle?

4. When can I… Pedal and steer a tricycle? 3-4 years Gross Motor Skill

5. When can I… Zip and Unzip large zippers?

6. When can I… Zip and Unzip large zippers? 2-3 years Fine Motor Skill

7. When can I… Draw a person with six parts?

8. When can I… Draw a person with six parts? 5-6 years Fine Motor Skill

9. When can I… Walk downstairs – alternating feet?

10. When can I… Walk downstairs – alternating feet? 4-5 years Gross Motor Skill

11. When can I… Tie shoes?

12. When can I… Tie shoes? 5-6 years Fine Motor Skill

13. When can I… Use scissors?

14. When can I… Use scissors? 3-4 years Fine Motor Skill

15. Early ChildhoodGross Motor Development • Gravity shifts downward greatly improving balance. • Children are steadier on their feet, freeing arms and torsos to experiment with new skills: • Throwing and Catching Balls • Pedaling Tricycles • Swinging on horizontal bars

16. Early ChildhoodGross Motor Development • Then, upper and lower body skills combine into more refined actions • Pedal and steer a tricycle

17. Early ChildhoodGross Motor Development Changes in Catching • Age 2 – Children extend arms rigidly, ball bounces off body. • Age 3 – Children flex elbows in preparation for catching, trap ball against chest. • Age 5-6 – Children involve whole body, catch ball with just hands and fingers

18. Early Childhood Fine Motor Development • Fine motor skills grow rapidly during preschool years. • Growth most apparent in 2 areas: • Children’s care of their own bodies • Drawing/Painting

19. Fine Motor DevelopmentSelf-Help Skills • Young children gradually become self-sufficient at dressing and feeding: • Age 2-3 – put on and take off simple items of clothing, use spoon effectively • Age 4-5 – dress and undress without supervision, adept with fork • Age 5-6 – use knife to cut soft foods

20. Fine Motor DevelopmentSelf-Help Skills • Age 6 – Tying Shoes • Shows the connection between cognitive and motor development • Requires long attention span • Memory for intricate series of hand movements and dexterity to perform them

21. Fine Motor DevelopmentDrawing • Other factors combine with fine motor control in the development of children’s artistic abilities: • Realization that pictures can serve as symbols • Improved planning and spatial understanding • Emphasis that the child’s culture places on artistic expression

22. Fine Motor DevelopmentDrawing Drawing typically progresses in the following sequence: • Scribbles • First Representational Forms • More Realistic Drawings La Casa Fantastica, Marker, Alice F., Age 5, Fano, Italy

23. Fine Motor DevelopmentScribbling • Western children begin to draw during 2nd year. • First, intended representation is contained in gestures rather than resulting marks. • Children experimenting with holding pencil (left or right-handed) Choo Choo, Microsoft Paint, Alex H., Age 2, Oklahoma, USA

24. Fine Motor DevelopmentFirst Representational Forms • Age 3 – scribbles start to become pictures • Often, children notice they made a recognizable shape after making a mark through gesture and label it. • Children begin to use lines to represent boundaries of objects enabling 3-4 year olds to draw the first pictures of a person. Yorin Dancing with Mama, Marker, Yorin B, Age 4, The Netherlands

25. Fine Motor DevelopmentMore Realistic Drawings • As cognitive & fine motor skills begin to improve, children start to desire greater realism. • More complex drawings • Start to represent depth, art contains perceptual distortions Dancing Mice, Marker & Crayon, Megan B., Age 7, Canada

26. DrawingCultural Variations • In cultures with rich artistic traditions, children create elaborate drawings reflecting cultural conventions. • In cultures with little interest in art, even older children/adolescents produce simple forms.

27. DrawingJimi Valley of Papua New Guinea

28. Fine Motor DevelopmentPrinting • First, preschoolers don’t distinguish between drawing and writing • Age 4 – writing shows features of print • Separate forms aligned on a page • Often includes picture-like devices • Age 4-6 – children realize writing stands for language

29. Motor DevelopmentIndividual Differences • Wide individual differences exist in the ages when children reach motor milestones • Sex differences in motor skills evident in early childhood • Social pressures for boys to be physically active and for girls to play quietly exaggerate small genetically based sex differences

30. Enhancing Children’sMotor Development • Formal lessons during preschool years have little impact on motor development • Children master motor skills naturally as part of everyday play • Physical environment of informal play affects mastery of motor skills • Supported by daily routines • Social climate – focus on “fun” rather than winning or correct technique

31. Art in Development Lion Dance, Oil Pastel, Lisa C., Age 10, Sabah, Malaysia

32. Why Art? • Human Right? • UN International Convention • Jewish Ghetto of Treason, Czechoslovakia – I Have Not Seen a Butterfly Around Here • Means of enhancing everyday life • Means of expression • Means of understanding culture

33. Why Not Art? • Realm of the “gifted” • Emotional rather than serious thought • Less obvious utility • Expensive La Maison de Reve, Watercolor, Leonie V., Age 5, Boulogne, France

34. Art & Children’s Programs • Employed parents have less time for traditional craft and cooking activities • Early childhood educators have greater responsibility to provide range of sensory experiences • Exploration of different media • Developmentally appropriate practice

35. Contemporary ModelsReggio Emilia • 1940s – Loris Malaguzzi – journalist/psychologist decided to rebuild war-ravaged school system in town close to Bologna, Italy Municipal Infant-Toddler Centers and Preschools - Reggio Emilia, Italy

36. Contemporary ModelsReggio Emilia • Philosophy based on belief that art is a natural form of symbolic expression, central to the education process, and integral to the rest of the curriculum • Problem-solving approach to learning • Develop projects over a long period of time • Allows for expansion of ideas, achievement of ambitious goals

37. Contemporary ModelsReggio Emilia • Teachers: • Act as facilitators of children’s development • Challenge preconceived ideas, provoke new competencies • Act as collaborators with students by alternating leadership Reggio Emilia precepts at work at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Day School

38. Contemporary ModelsMia Mia Program • Macquarie University, Australia • Demonstrates how successful art program can be mounted at campus child-care center • Day care for children 6 months – 5 years • Unique collaboration between center’s staff and Ursula Kolbe, artist-in-residence • Parallel philosophy of Reggio Emilia though developed independently

39. Communicating About Art • Development of verbal language to talk about art • Color, texture, line, patterns, mass, space, shape • Increase observation skills – children become more perceptive • Increasing awareness of visual environment • “stretch” visual understanding of cultural symbols through authentic visual forms Navajo Weaving

40. Sustaining Creativity • Studies* show creativity rapidly diminishes over time • Age 3-5 – 98% think divergently • Age 8-10 – 32% • Age 13-15 – 10% • Age 25 – 2% • Where elementary age children continue to experience artistic guidance/stimulation, art production continues to flourish *Scottish Book Trust Conference, Glasgow, March 2005

41. Horace Pippin’s Interior

42. Art in DevelopmentSummary of Key Skills • Increase problem-solving and critical thinking skills • Increase visual perception • Increase verbal skills through discussing art • Appreciation of cultural diversity • Collaboration • Sustain creativity throughout life

43. Resources • Global Children’s Art Gallery - http://www.naturalchild.org/gallery/ • NGA Classroom for Teachers & Students - http://www.nga.gov/education/classroom/index.mhtm