H. Williams, Eva V Monsma
Sep 25, 2017
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Influential Citations
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Abstract
Motor development can be defined as the gradual acquisition of control and/or use of the large and small muscle masses of the body (neuromuscular coordination). Motor development is also often referred to as “perceptual-motor development” and/or “physical or motor coordination” in part because both the brain/nervous system and the muscles interact in intricate ways to allow the child to move the body skillfully in manipulating objects and exploring the physical world around him/her. Motor development is known to be an important dimension of child development and is a universally recognized means for assessing the overall rate and level of development of the child during the early months and years after birth (Butcher & Eaton, 1989; Dewey, Kaplan, Crawford & Wilson, 2002; Gesell, 1973; Illingworth, 1975). The years from 2 to 6 are considered the “golden years” of motor development (Hayes, 1994; Williams, 1983). During this period, most children acquire a basic repertoire of manipulative and locomotor skills, develop goal-directed motor behaviors, and learn to put together two or three movement sequences to accomplish specific end goals (Bruininks, 1978; Piaget, 1963; Sporns & Edelman, 1993). All of these behavioral achievements are forerunners of important aspects of adult functioning and are contingent upon the child’s acquiring an adequate base of motor development. The early years of motor development set the foundation for neuromuscular coordination that will be used by the individual throughout life to deal with a multitude of mental, social, emotional, and recreational dimensions of living. The learning process in the early years is a physically active one, which often centers around play, physical activity, and the use of a variety of motor skills (Butcher & Eaton, 1989; Keough & Sudgen, 1990; Martin, 2002). Most children have a natural tendency to seek stimulation and to learn about themselves and their environment. They spend hours upon hours actively exploring and examining both their bodies and the physical environment that surrounds them. Such activities necessarily involve and rely upon the use of fundamental motor skills. Adequate motor development is important in optimizing this early concrete and sensorimotor-based learning. A process instrumental in the child’s progress from early primitive levels of thinking to those of higher abstraction is that of the symbolization of objects and events and the relationship between the two (Piaget, 1963). Physi-