Physical Activity & Development Part 1

Physical Activity & Development David Crowe PSY-1360 Professor Hejhal Terra State Community College May 3rd 2015

Introduction Everybody needs physical activity. Physical activity has a strong & positive effect on a person’s development. Motor skills, muscle growth, and healthy bones are all important aspects of a person’s physical activity especially early on in a person’s life. Physical activity can reduce diseases and promote protein metabolism such as amino acids. Physical activity is especially important because, to be fully healthy and live a long satisfying life this needs to be addressed at a very young age. Physical therapy is very important to teach healthy eating and get the right amount of exercise to maintain a healthy heart. Poor exercise habits can lead to conditions like heart disease. Children can be behind in one category or another such as motor development, muscle development, and the development of strong bones. Being behind at that age can cause underdeveloped muscle resulting in children who are physically weaker and not as far along compared to their peers. Children can also be obese or overweight. People tend to hold onto these unhealthy habits long-term. That’s why overweight parents often tend have overweight children. Therefore, physical activity is very important to a child’s growth. Physical benefits to body structure & composition First of all, children usually progress in a natural, predictable sequence from one developmental milestone to the next. Each child grows and gains skills at his or her own pace though. Some children may be advanced in one area, such as language, but behind in another, such as sensory and motor development. Milestones usually are grouped into five major areas: physical growth, cognitive development, emotional and social development, language development, and sensory and motor development. “This article shows the importance of physical activity in development to ensure your child progresses at an appropriate rate. “Most children by age 7 are becoming more coordinated in activities that use the large muscles, such as swimming or climbing.” (WebMD, 2015) Bones become stronger when you put stress on the bones. Activities such as swimming, running, playing, and climbing for example establish bone structure. These interventions can advance the motors skills from smaller things such as moving the arms, legs, crawling, and jumping. Children learn through practice, development is all hands on. Picking up objects, throwing objects like a ball, produces muscle growth. Coordination, muscle strength and tone can be developed at a young age. Keeping a child active is very important to develop physical attributes.