From the time a child is born, parents enthusiastically wait for
the day that they witness the "Developmental Milestones" of their child.
The joy that parents experience the first time that their child rolls
over, crawls and then begins to walk will most likely be shared with
everyone they know. These milestones are all signs of a child's physical
development as well as the maturation of their brain.
The
physical development of children is divided into two main areas, Gross
Motor Skills and Fine Motor Skills. Motor skills are actions that
involve the deliberate and controlled movements of muscles in the body.
Gross motor skills are the large body movements that involve legs, arms
and the entire body, these activities include crawling, walking,
running, jumping, climbing, etc. Fine motor skills involve more precise
and smaller movements that involve hands, fingers, wrist, feet, toes and
eyes, these activities include eye-hand coordination, grasping objects,
stacking objects, writing, etc.
Keeping in mind that the
following is not meant to be all inclusive, below is an overview of some
of the physical development milestones that parents can begin to notice
in their child from infancy to six years of age...
- Newborn: Reflex motions such as sucking, limited hands, arms and leg movement
- 3 - 12 Months: Lifts head while lying on stomach, rolls over,
grasps rattle, sits without support, rocks on hands and knees, pick up
small objects, move objects from one hand to another, sits up with
out help, crawls and can walk holding on to someone or something
- 12 Months - 2 Years of Age: Walks and runs, climbs stairs,
throws, feeds self usually with hands, builds with blocks, imitates
adults, begins using utensils to feed self, scribbles
- 2 - 3 Years of Age: Jumps in place, hops, balances on one foot,
helps in getting dressed, uses spoon and fork properly, uses toilet,
draws stick people, rides tri-cycle, begins using scissors
- 3 - 4 Years of Age: Runs, skips, hops on one foot, throws and
catches various size balls, dress self, shows dominance in hand usage
- 4 - 5 Years of Age: Builds with smaller objects, colors within
the lines, rides a two wheel bike cycle with training wheels, bounces,
catches and throws balls with more accuracy
- 5 - 6 Years of Age: Ties shoelaces, cuts with a knife, jumps rope
A CBS News Report
entitled "Baby Toys Have Lasting Effects" reveals that a Stanford
University School of Medicine researchers studies indicate, "the brain
regions that help children sense and interpret the world are
dramatically affected by early childhood experiences, and educational toys that stimulate young minds and encourage them to explore the world in a new way may help build their brain for future tasks".Although
both areas of motor skill development is a continuous progression over
time, educational toys can play a major role in the development of fine
motor skills for children from infancy to 6 years of age. The various
shapes, colors and design configurations stimulate and challenge
eye-hand coordination, visual tracking, shape and color recognition,
depth perception as well as language development, all while having fun.
But isn't that a parents desire for their child in a seemingly stressful
complex world? To learn and grow while having fun which will prepare
their child to be a successful, productive adult?
APlusEducationalToys is committed to helping children have fun
while they learn and grow. With over 30 years of experience in child
development, early childhood education and over 25 years in children,
youth, family and adult ministry, we offer you expert advice and
guidance choosing age appropriate, creative educational toys for your
child. For more information and to view our products, come visit us
at...
