1. Early Childhood Development Jeffrey Trawick-Smith Sixth Edition © 2014, 2010, 2006, 2003, 2000 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. A Multicultural Perspective

2. Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Physical Growth and Motor Development in the Primary Years Chapter 14

3. 14-2 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. KEY QUESTIONS How do physical appearance and stature change during the primary years, and how do such changes vary across cultures? How do poverty, health problems, and violence threaten the physical development of primary-grade children? What motor abilities are acquired in the primary years, and how are these related to brain growth?

4. 14-3 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. KEY QUESTIONS How do the motor play activities of primary-age children vary across cultures? What are some threats to children’s motor play in modern society? What classroom adaptations can be implemented to meet the needs of children with physically challenging conditions and attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

5. 14-4 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. How do physical appearance and stature change during the primary years, and how do such changes vary across cultures?

6. 14-5 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. PHYSICAL GROWTH  Slows – children gain on average only about 2” and 4 lbs each year.  Limbs elongate, torsos lengthen, faces thin  Baby teeth in front are replaced  High degree of individual variation in physical growth

7. 14-6 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. PHYSICAL GROWTH AND CULTURE Both average height and weight vary by culture:  Southeast Asian/Asian American children shorter on average than Euro-American and African American children.  African and African American children longer limbed and heavier than European American and Asian American children on average. Differences mostly due to genetics but also other factors related to home environment, nutrition, number of siblings (in certain areas of the world).

8. 14-7 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. CRITICAL CONCEPT #1 Children grow at a slower rate in the primary years than they did in earlier periods of development, but still show significant physical development and acquire important motor skills during this time. Physical appearance, stature, and rate of growth vary across cultures.

9. 14-8 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Regularly assess height, weight, muscle tone and coordination, and overall health status. Refer those that show atypical growth for further evaluation. Differentiate between cultural differences and deficits.

10. 14-9 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. How do poverty, health problems, and violence threaten the physical development of primary-grade children?

11. 14-10 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. POVERTY AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT Children in poverty are at increased risk for a variety of conditions that impact physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. These include, illness, poor nutrition, obesity, injury, violence, abuse, and homelessness.

12. 14-11 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. CHALLENGES TO GROWTH  Illness causes missed school days, leading to difficulty keeping up in school.  Poverty increases risk of chronic illness; impoverished families less likely to have health insurance and get the care that they need.  Poor nutrition a concern in American and around the world.  Protein deficiency, anemia, and starvation have significant negative influence on both physical and cognitive development; increase susceptibility to illness.  Obesity is an increasing problem– due to poor nutrition as well as lack of physical activity.  Disproportionally affects impoverished children and children of certain historically underrepresented groups.

13. 14-12 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. CHALLENGES TO GROWTH  Injury is leading cause of death among primary grade children.  Major cause = poor adult supervision  Constant or near-constant supervision (checks every 5 min) recommended  Children living in poor urban neighborhoods disproportionately affected.  Violence  Gun violence and child abuse persist in the US and around the world.  Both have devastating effects physically, emotionally, and on school achievement.  Homelessness  Children are the fastest growing homeless population in the US. Increases risk for anxiety, depression, poor health and unsafe conditions.

14. 14-13 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. CRITICAL CONCEPT #2 Poor health status and poverty can inhibit growth. Illness, poor nutrition, injury, violence, and homelessness are all more prevalent among children who live in poverty. These factors can have a devastating effect on physical development.

15. 14-14 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Help families find housing, health, and nutritional services for children so they can learn in school. Write to legislators to advocate for family and child services. Advocate for safe and affordable before- and after-school care. Advocate for comprehensive and culturally sensitive health education programs in classrooms.

16. 14-15 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. What motor abilities are acquired in the primary years, and how are these related to brain growth?

17. 14-16 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. GROSS MOTOR SKILLS  Basic large motor skills from preschool years are refined, combined, and coordinated  Children gain greater control over bodies’ movement.  Motor advances in the primary years include: Learning to ride a bike Using whole body in catching and throwing Striking a ball with a bat Performing jumping jacks Play games requiring the coordination of several skills

18. 14-17 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. FINE MOTOR SKILLS Fine motor abilities are also refined:  Better at manipulating pencils, pens, crayons, and markers  Proficient at using buttons, zippers, and snaps  Can cut accurately with scissors  Can coordinate motor and perceptual skills required for drawing representational pictures, writing, and turning the pages of a book. Advances are the result of increases in muscle tone, strength, and coordination as well as significant brain development.

19. 14-18 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. BRAIN-BODY CONNECTION  Dynamic systems theory motor action, cognitive development, and behavior = a single, constantly changing system in the brain. Motor, cognitive, and neural growth are deeply interrelated.  As child moves, brain cells (neurons) are activated and coordinated to produce movement  With repetition, these become a neural cluster  Neural clusters connect over time to form organized neural maps  This organization increases ability to think and learn new motor skills.  Movement promotes brain organization and learning

20. 14-19 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. What are some threats to children’s motor play in modern society?

21. 14-20 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. MODERN THREATS TO MOTOR PLAY Technology  Computer and television use related to decreases in physical activity and play.  Common and increasing in all families where technology is available  Less common among children involved in after-school and summer programs, and among children with siblings. School Policy  Decreased priority placed on motor development in school environments.  Reduced or eliminated recess becoming more common in US schools  Decrease in availability of physical education, amount of time spent engaging in physical activity during PE class

22. 14-21 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. CRITICAL CONCEPT #3 New motor skills are acquired and refined in the primary years. There are important connections between motor development, brain growth, and learning. Children who exercise during school may achieve greater brain organization and may be better able to attend to learning tasks. Motor play has declined over time and school reform efforts have reduced outside play time.

23. 14-22 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Increase outdoor play and motor activity during school hours. Incorporate a quiet-active-quiet pattern in the classroom, including stretching and short outdoor minibreaks. Integrate large and fine motor activities into the curriculum in collaboration with physical education teachers.

24. 14-23 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. How do the motor play activities of primary-age children vary across cultures?

25. 14-24 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. CULTURE and MOTOR PLAY Specific ways children use their motor skills vary greatly across cultures, but certain features of motor play are common across most cultures. In general, physical activity becomes oriented around real- world competencies and more:  organized with role assignments and turn-taking  rule-governed  realistic  skill-centered Most cultures include the following types of motor play: functional – rough-and-tumble – pretend – games with rules – teasing – rituals

26. 14-25 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. CULTURE and MOTOR PLAY Cultures differ in motor play in terms of:  Level of functional play, rough-and-tumble play, and teasing play  Acceptability of rough-and-tumble play and teasing play, and perception of the relationship between these behaviors and aggression  Topics reflected in make-believe  Level of competition in games with rules  Specific nature of rituals and rhymes

27. 14-26 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. CRITICAL CONCEPT #4 Motor skills are developed through play in all cultures. Types of play vary in different cultures – may be competitive, cooperative, ritualistic, rough-and-tumble, functional, or teasing.

28. 14-27 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Understand and appreciate different forms and styles of play, levels of activity, and whether competitive or cooperative. Adapt forms of motor play to accommodate individual preferences and rates of development. Provide a variety of play experiences to appeal to all cultures. Do not interpret teasing and rough-and- tumble play as inappropriate or aggressive.

29. 14-28 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Interview parents to help design a multicultural motor play curriculum, including traditional games of various community cultures to promote cultural understanding and sensitivity.

30. 14-29 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. What classroom adaptations can be implemented to meet the needs of children with physically challenging conditions and attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

31. 14-30 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. SPECIAL MOTOR NEEDS All require adaptations of indoor and outdoor environments to permit necessary motor play. Cerebral palsy  Most common disability in primary grades, severity varies widely  Adaptations: Allow opportunities for out-of-wheelchair movement, provide adapted writing materials, accommodate speech and motor delays in classwork Duchenne muscular dystrophy  Hereditary, slow weakening of muscles  Adaptations: Provide ramps and other adaptations for wheelchair accessibility in the classroom and on outdoor play equipment Spina bifida  Congenital damage to spinal cord and nerve roots  Adaptations: Provide wheelchair accessibility, be aware of the complex task of coordinating medical, educational, and social services for families of children with Spina bifida

32. 14-31 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. ADHD Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)  A disorder characterized by high activity level, impulsiveness, and difficulties focusing and holding attention.  Greater need for motor activity throughout the school day.  Can impact both school performance and peer relationships.  As activity levels vary across cultural groups, some children (e.g. African American children) more likely to receive a diagnosis and more at risk for overdiagnosis compared to other children (e.g., Japanese American children.)

33. 14-32 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. MEETING NEEDS OF THOSE WITH ADHD Several classroom adaptations can improve the learning experience and ability of children with ADHD:  Cozy, soft, partitioned learning centers  Separate quiet and active learning centers  Preparation for transitions between activities  Predictable routine without sudden changes  Choice of physical learning position  Special breaks in quiet activities  More time to complete projects  Agenda / checklists of tasks to check off  Long active play periods  Warmth and attention

34. 14-33 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. CRITICAL CONCEPT #5 Children with physically challenging conditions and those identified with ADHD may have difficulty engaging with peers in a typical classroom. Accommodations can allow all children to play actively with others.

35. 14-34 Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective, 6e © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Adapt indoor and outdoor play spaces to allow access for children with special needs. Adapt classroom activities to allow children with ADHD to learn and interact positively with peers. Allow more moving around and limit long periods of sitting. Intervene to help children play together well. Suggest activities that all can play.