 |
Motor Skill Development in Five Year Olds: A Must Read for the Kindergarten Parent
Author: Don Alexander  | Posted: 13-08-2007 | Comments: 0 | Views: 117 | Rating: (98)  (?) 
Between ages two and five, most physical developments occur rapidly. The most obvious physical developments are changes in body size and shape. More crucial changes involve the maturation of the brain and central nervous system. This maturation allows the mastery of motor skills that sets the five year old apart from a toddler.
During the preschool year children become slimmer as the lower body grows and some of the fat from infancy is burned off. The five year old child no longer has the sharp stomach, round face and short limbs. Major changes are taking place in their small bodies and the astute teacher must he aware of them to enhance, communicate, and target their lessons toward the individual child.
At age five, according to the book Early Childhood by Doreen Knight, children are experiencing different physical and developmental profiles and growth patterns. These include increases in height and weight and changes in body proportions. Interestingly as well, the changes in body portions from age two through five in well fed children, shows a gain of three inches and about four pounds per year! By age five,the average child in a developed nation weighs about forty six pounds and measures forty six inches tall.
The diet during the five year olds' years should be a healthy one. One of the most common deficiencies taking place in developed countries is iron deficiency anemia, a chief symptom of chronic fatigue. This problem occurs from an insufficiency of quality meats, whole grains and dark-green vegetables.
Gross motor skills, involving large body movements such as running, climbing, jumping, and throwing, improve substantially during the five year olds' year. Most young children practice their gross motor skills wherever they are, whether at school climbing on the slide, sandboxes, or strolling sidewalk curbs for balancing. Gross motor skills are clearly important to develop in the five year old, because they encourage him/her to be focused, adventurous, and playful.
Fine motor skills, involving small body movements, of hands and fingers, are a little more challenging for a five year old to master than gross motor skills. Such skills would include pouring juice from a pitcher into a glass without spilling or cutting food with a knife and fork. Five year old children spend hours trying to tie a how with their shoelaces The reason many five year olds experience this difficulty is due to the fact that they have not developed the muscular control patience, and judgment needed for the exercise of fine motor skills.
What I have discovered about five year old children's physical development is that their energy level and readiness to move contributes to a a willingness to participate in aerobic type teaching activities. Knowing this informs me that one must not just lecture to children in rote words, but to also utilize modeling and scaffolding with bright bold pictures and words.
Some five year olds can run, climb, jump, and throw. A teacher could even teach the famous school lunch nutrition pyramid with hand/eye coordinated moves.When teaching to five year olds, one must utilize the knowledge that they must use their hands, and work and play with a wide variety of objects. Lightweight balls, beads, and other fine motor manipulative objects can enhance student learning because it makes sense to the students' cognitive and physical development at this crucial age.
Rate this Article:
Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/motor-skill-development-in-five-year-olds-a-must-read-for-the-kindergarten-parent-197700.html
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Related Articles
Four Approaches to Journal Entries in the Classroom
By: Don Alexander | 30/08/2007 | Education
Learning languages and techniques will differ according to grade level. Only half of the population in schools today is above the national average in reading and writing. Journal entries are losing ground, and if something isn't done right away, our students are going to lose ground in literacy.
History Defined: Beyond Historical Knowledge
By: Don Alexander | 14/08/2007 | Education
One must look at all the historical facts and events recorded from history, to acquire what may be penned as "historical knowledge." This is not just head knowledge and rote memorization, but an understanding of the facts, deaths, purchases, wars, business dealings...
The Six Reasons for Teaching English
By: Don Alexander | 13/08/2007 | Education
Literacy is the ability to read and write. What is so important about literacy is that it communicates the written word from one person to another in an intelligible manner. Without literacy, there is no progress in academics or any other field.
Using "Journals" to Develop Purposeful Writing in the Classroom
By: Don Alexander | 13/08/2007 | Education
I can remember when journal writing was a must do all the way up to attending high school. When I entered college, journals became non-mandatory. What a shame.
9 Simple Classroom Control Techniques From A 19 Year Veteran Teacher
By: Don Alexander | 22/11/2007 | K-12 Education
Pretend your deaf. I know this sounds funny, but oh it works like a charm most of the time. You start to use your hands and point, and you barely whisper, and so on! Teachers, you'll be amazed how much you can communicate and it's 100% engaging, versus
How A Child Thinks Regarding Moral Issues
By: Don Alexander | 13/08/2007 | Education
Children who are six years old have a vocabulary from eight thousand to fourteen thousand words. Truly, this can be very surprising to anyone who is listening to a six year old child. Not only are six year olds better conversationalists than younger ages, but they are more aware of their surroundings.
Moral Development Theory: Understanding Childhood Behaviors
By: Don Alexander | 08/08/2007 | Education
Early childhood development IS the time most moral behavior and development occur in moral reasoning.
Lake Tahoe: The Tallac Historic Site
By: Don Alexander | 01/08/2007 | Travel
The entire Tallac Historical Site encompasses a full seventy-four acre tract of land and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. It is located three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on Highway 89.
Latest Education Articles
Movado: Sports Edition Watches - Sports Yet Luxury Watches
By: Joseph Levy | 06/09/2008
Since 1981, the highly popular Sports Edition collection has played an important part in fashion, business and in the lives of the professional athletes. Movado maintains a very strong connection with the sports world.
The Various Types Of Student Loans
By: Paul Hata | 05/09/2008
There are three types of loans that are commonly found for college students. They include federal student loans, federal plus loans, and private student loans. Each type of loan has advantages and disadvantages that are unique to that particular loan.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Associate And Bachelor Degrees
By: Paul Hata | 05/09/2008
Regardless of whether a two-year degree or a four-year degree is in your personal best interest at the moment neither are a waste of time or effort. I hope that you will eventually seek a four-year degree, as this will give you a competitive edge in business, however, even the smallest improvement in your education level can mean big changes over the course of your lifetime.
The Benefits Of Community Colleges
By: Paul Hata | 05/09/2008
Add to that the fact that most community colleges offer very flexible class scheduling and even some courses online and you will find that there are many reasons to consider community college that go well beyond mere budgeting requirements.
Why Should You Get A College Degree
By: Paul Hata | 05/09/2008
There is no wrong reason to get an education. Even if you are applying for a job that won't use your specific degree, you might find that having a degree at all gives you a boost over other applicants for the same position.
How To Be Eligible For Scholarship
By: Paul Hata | 05/09/2008
If you're planning to go to college with a scholarship, you must familiarize yourself with the different requirements, how to go about your scholarship application, avoid scholarship scams, get a good help with scholarship essays, and see featured scholarship programs especially on the net.
Continuing Nursing Competency
By: ROBYN KNAPP | 05/09/2008
For those student nurses who are about to graduate, their main priority is to pass the NCLEX-RN examination. The practice of nursing is regulated according to licensing authorities in each state jurisdiction.
Each jurisdiction must ensure that each nurse has the minimum competency to practice nursing in their state. In order...
Nursing Entrance Test, Test Anxiety and Stress
By: ROBYN KNAPP | 05/09/2008
What is the Nursing Entrance Test? The test evaluates areas that are essential for academic success including basic math skills up to beginning algebra and reading comprehension. The Nursing Entrance Test must be passed with a score that is dictated by the community college or university. Some nursing schools require...
More from Don Alexander
Every 11 Seconds Someone Joins a Home Based Business
By: Don Alexander | 24/07/2008 | Home Business
What do the best home business companies do that others don't? They offer the support and guidance that helps bring a newbie into success.
Proven Investment Advice For Online Stocks
By: Don Alexander | 20/05/2008 | Investing
If you invested in the stock market and you watched the movement of that stock daily and saw that it was dropping slightly, what would you do?
Vitamins To Help You Relieve Stress
By: Don Alexander | 09/04/2008 | Supplements and Vitamins
We get natural vitamins in the foods we eat. Some times, you do not get the right amount so you have to take vitamins, which come in many ways. You can get them in a pill form, liquid, powder, etc. If the vitamins you choose do not work for you, your doctor can...
Why Teaching To The Test Is Destroying Teacher Individuality
By: Don Alexander | 26/03/2008 | Education
We need to stop making our teachers teach according to the textbook, and teach toward these state tests and nothing else. No Child Left Behind has incredible goals, but the implementation of those goals may be creating students who are more like learning robots, than those who can really deal with society at large.
The Best Free Blog Hosts On The Net
By: Don Alexander | 01/02/2008 | Advertising
By signing up with a free blogging web site, you may
find it easier to get listed in search engines that you
would if you were starting your own blog from scratch. Here are the best free blog hosts on the internet.
A Day In The Life Of An Internet Marketer
By: Don Alexander | 24/01/2008 | Affiliate Programs
Upon waking up and after having breakfast, the computer is turned on to check out new developments in the network. As far as the marketer is concerned there might be new things to update and statistics to keep track on.
Get Paid for 100% of Your Website Traffic at No Cost
By: Don Alexander | 24/01/2008 | Marketing
Over 66,000 advertisers have jumped on board and are ready to pay you for every visitor you get to you your website! There is no hype here, it is true, finally you can monetize 100% of your web traffic without anyone having to click anything, complete any forms or buy anything...
Real Work-At-Home Jobs
By: Don Alexander | 24/01/2008 | Business Opportunities
All you need to do is a quick online search for "work from home" or "making easy money". You'll instantly find millions of websites, simply click on a few and you'll notice that they all start off the same. You'll see a guy with a big house and a lot of money saying if you sign up this could be you!...
|
|
Education 
