Motor Development 1. Cognitive and Motor Development Cognition – Mental processes like perception, memory, and decision-making. Motor planning – The ability to conceive, plan, and carry out a skilled, non-habitual motor act. Executive function – High-level cognitive processes that regulate behavior and movement. Understand how motor experiences influence brain development and vice versa. Recognize how motor experiences can shape cognitive growth in children. 2. Social and Motor Development Explore the influence of peers, family, and culture on motor skill acquisition. Consider how social environments encourage or inhibit physical activity. Understand the relationship between self-concept, motivation, and motor development. Socialization – The process of learning societal norms and behaviors. Self-efficacy – Belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific situations. Social support – Encouragement and assistance from others that promote development. 3. Factors That Affect Development: Prenatal Teratogens – Harmful agents that can negatively impact prenatal development. Critical period – A specific time when development is especially sensitive to environmental input. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) – A disorder caused by alcohol exposure during pregnancy. Understand how prenatal conditions influence later motor abilities. Understand critical periods of fetal development and potential complications. 4. Effects of Early Stimulation and Deprivation Stimulation – Experiences that engage the senses and promote brain development. Readiness – A child’s developmental level at which they are prepared to learn a new skill. Catch-up growth – Accelerated growth following a period of deprivation. Evaluate both beneficial and potentially harmful early learning practices. Understand how deprivation (lack of movement opportunities) can delay development. 5. Growth and Maturation Distinguish between growth (quantitative change) and maturation (qualitative progress). Know typical growth patterns (cephalocaudal and proximodistal trends). Growth – An increase in body size or parts of the body. Maturation – Functional changes leading to adult-like function and structure. Cephalocaudal – Growth pattern from head to toe. Proximodistal – Growth pattern from the center of the body outward. 6. Physiological Changes: Health-Related Fitness Review components of health-related fitness Understand how these components change with age and impact motor ability. Cardiorespiratory endurance – Ability of heart & lungs to supply oxygen during sustained activity. Muscular strength – The amount of force a muscle can produce. Flexibility – Range of motion at a joint. Body composition – Proportion of fat to lean body mass. 7. Movement and the Changing Senses Explore how sensory systems (vision, hearing, proprioception, etc.) support motor development. Understand sensory integration and the role of perception in movement planning. Sensory integration – The process of organizing sensory input for use. Proprioception – Awareness of body position and movement. Perception-action coupling – The relationship between sensory information and motor output. 8. Infant Reflexes and Stereotypies Know key reflexes (e.g., Moro, rooting, grasp) and their developmental timelines. Understand what stereotypies are and their role in development. Primitive reflexes – Automatic responses present at birth (e.g., rooting, Moro) Postural reflexes – Responses that help maintain upright posture. Stereotypies – Repetitive, rhythmical movements that are not goal-directed. 9. Voluntary Movement of Infants Identify milestones of voluntary motor control (reaching, crawling, walking). Recognize typical sequences and variability in timing. Locomotion – Movement from one place to another (e.g., crawling, walking). Manipulation – Voluntary use of hands to explore or interact. Milestones – Significant points of development typically reached within a range of age. 10. Fine Motor Development Learn about the progression from palmar grasp to pincer grip. Understand coordination and control in tasks such as writing, buttoning, and cutting. Fine motor skills – Movements involving small muscles, especially of the hands and fingers. Palmar grasp – Grasping an object using the palm. Pincer grip – Grasping using the thumb and forefinger. 11. Fundamental Locomotor Skills of Childhood Review basic movement patterns: walking, running, hopping, skipping, jumping, and galloping. Understand developmental stages of each skill and typical age of acquisition. Locomotor skills – Movements that transport the body from one place to another. Hopping, skipping, galloping, jumping – Key gross motor milestones in early childhood. 12. Fundamental Object Control Skills of Childhood Study the mechanics and progression of skills such as throwing, catching, striking, and kicking. Be able to analyze skill components and identify developmental stages. Object control skills – Movements that involve handling objects (e.g., catching, throwing). Manipulative skills – Skills that require control of objects using the hands or feet.