©2001 Allyn & Bacon
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Chapter 11: Physical Development in Middle Childhood
The slow gains in body growth that took place during the preschool years continue in middle childhood. Large individual differences in body size that are the combined result of heredity and environment remain apparent. Bones of the body lengthen and broaden, and primary teeth are replaced with permanent ones. Because of better nutrition and health care, children in industrialized nations are growing larger and reaching physical maturity earlier than they did in previous generations.
Although many children are at their healthiest in middle childhood, health problems do occur. Vision and hearing difficulties, malnutrition, obesity, nighttime bedwetting, asthma, and unintentional injuries are among the most frequent health concerns of the school years. School-age children can learn a wide range of health information, but it has little impact on their everyday behavior. Interventions must also provide them with healthier environments and consistently reward good health practices.
Growth in body size and muscle strength supports the refinement of many gross motor capacities in middle childhood. Gains in flexibility, balance, agility, force, and reaction time underlie improvements in children's gross motor skills. Fine motor coordination also increases. Children's writing becomes more legible, and their drawings show greater organization, more detail, and the addition of the depth dimension.
The physical activities of school-age children reflect advances in the quality of their play. Child-organized games with rules become common. These games support emotional and social development. Increasingly, children are participating in adult-oriented youth sports. Some researchers are concerned that this trend may have an adverse effect on development. Rough-and-tumble play and dominance hierarchies are features of children's interaction that reflect our evolutionary past. Wide individual differences in athletic performance exist that are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Physical education classes help ensure that all children have access to the benefits of regular exercise and play.
©2001 Allyn & Bacon |