Physical+Development


 * ( Click on topics in order to see the definition) **

1) [|Myelination]

Myelination is usually complete at about four years old. However, myelination in brain areas that are important in focusing attention is not complete until the end of the elementary-school. This is good to know when teaching students in their middle developmental stage. As a teacher it is important to know all the developmental stages to be able to understand things from their perspective. Because myelation in the brain areas may not be complete, the attention span will be completely different then children in middle school. Towards the end of elementary adults may recognize that students have a better attention span. One activity that is good to do with children at this age is to have them listen to a recorded story and then summarize the story to the teacher. This is helping them pay attention and then share what they learned for the story. The other thing that helps children during middle childhood is getting them involved with arts. When students are focused on painting or drawing, it is helping their attention span. Also, arts is usually it is something that young children really enjoy doing!

2) [|Gross Motor Skills]

Boys will usually out perform girls in gross motor skills.During middle childhood actions such as skipping, jumping, hopping, running and ball skills become easier. This is when you usually start to see the talents children have in different sports. Gross motor skills also improve in the capacities of flexibility, balance, agility, and force.

3) [|Fine Motor Skills]

Girls typically perform better than boys in fine motor skills. Improvement will occur in handwriting skills and drawing pictures. There will also be an improvement in organization and detail. This is a good time to have student practice writing short stories in the classroom.

4) [|Maturation and Growth]

A important type of development to know and understand that occurs between the ages of 6 and 11 is females are usually entering puberty. Today, an increasing number of nine-year-old girls are entering puberty. Because puberty occurs so early in a girl’s life, including instruction in health and sex education in the elementary-school years is very important. Girls start to have small growth spurts and boys will have them during this time period but slightly later then girls will. Between the ages of six and twelve, all twenty primary teeth will be replaced with permanent teeth.



__**//FUN FACT: //**__ The shortest children tend to be found in South America, Asia, the pacific Islands, and parts of Africa. The tallest children come from Australia, northern and central Europe, and the United States.

5) [|Obesity]

Fifteen percent of U.S. children (ages 6 to 11) are obese. Over 80 percent of obese youngsters remain overweight as adults. The average healthy weight increase during middle childhood is 5 to 7 pounds a year. The average healthy height increase is 2 to 3 inches a year. By the age of 11 years, the average girl is 4 feet, 10 inches tall, and the average boy 4 feet, 9 1/2 inches tall. As children move through the elementary-school years, they gain greater control over their bodies. Because they have greater control over their bodies, it is prime-time to take advantage of this with physical activity. Physical action is necessary for them to refine their developing skills. On top of physical activity, rest is also required. Children between the ages of 5 and 12 need 10 to 11 hours of sleep each day.Lack of sleep can also weaken the immune system, leading to weight gain.