early childhood motor development gross motor fine motor art in development
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Early Childhood Motor Development
Gross MotorFine Motor
Art in Development
Definitions
• Gross Motor - whole body movement, movement from large muscle groups
• Fine Motor – coordination of small muscle movements (i.e. fingers/eye coordination)
When can I…
Pedal and steer a tricycle?
When can I…
Pedal and steer a tricycle? 3-4 years
Gross Motor Skill
When can I…
Zip and Unzip large zippers?
When can I…
Zip and Unzip large zippers? 2-3 years
Fine Motor Skill
When can I…
Draw a person with six parts?
When can I…
Draw a person with six parts? 5-6 years
Fine Motor Skill
When can I…
Walk downstairs – alternating feet?
When can I…
Walk downstairs – alternating feet? 4-5 years
Gross Motor Skill
When can I…
Tie shoes?
When can I…
Tie shoes? 5-6 years
Fine Motor Skill
When can I…
Use scissors?
When can I…
Use scissors? 3-4 years
Fine Motor Skill
Early ChildhoodGross Motor Development
• Gravity shifts downward greatly improving balance.
• Children are steadier on their feet, freeing arms and torsos to experiment with new skills:– Throwing and Catching Balls– Pedaling Tricycles– Swinging on horizontal bars
Early ChildhoodGross Motor Development
• Then, upper and lower body skills combine into more refined actions– Pedal and steer a tricycle
Early ChildhoodGross Motor Development
• Age 2 – Children extend arms rigidly, ball bounces off body.
• Age 3 – Children flex elbows in preparation for catching, trap ball against chest.
• Age 5-6 – Children involve whole body, catch ball with just hands and fingers
Changes in Catching
Early Childhood Fine Motor Development
• Fine motor skills grow rapidly during preschool years.
• Growth most apparent in 2 areas:– Children’s care of
their own bodies– Drawing/Painting
Fine Motor DevelopmentSelf-Help Skills
• Young children gradually become self-sufficient at dressing and feeding:– Age 2-3 – put on and take off simple items of
clothing, use spoon effectively– Age 4-5 – dress and undress without
supervision, adept with fork– Age 5-6 – use knife to cut soft foods
Fine Motor DevelopmentSelf-Help Skills
• Age 6 – Tying Shoes– Shows the connection between cognitive and
motor development– Requires long attention span– Memory for intricate series of hand movements
and dexterity to perform them
Fine Motor DevelopmentDrawing
• Other factors combine with fine motor control in the development of children’s artistic abilities:– Realization that pictures
can serve as symbols– Improved planning and
spatial understanding– Emphasis that the child’s
culture places on artistic expression
Fine Motor DevelopmentDrawing
Drawing typically progresses in the following sequence:
1.Scribbles2.First Representational Forms3.More Realistic Drawings
La Casa Fantastica, Marker, Alice F.,Age 5, Fano, Italy
Fine Motor DevelopmentScribbling
• Western children begin to draw during 2nd year.
• First, intended representation is contained in gestures rather than resulting marks.
• Children experimenting with holding pencil (left or right-handed)
Choo Choo, Microsoft Paint, Alex H., Age 2, Oklahoma, USA
Fine Motor DevelopmentFirst Representational Forms
• Age 3 – scribbles start to become pictures
• Often, children notice they made a recognizable shape after making a mark through gesture and label it.
• Children begin to use lines to represent boundaries of objects enabling 3-4 year olds to draw the first pictures of a person.
Yorin Dancing with Mama, Marker,Yorin B, Age 4, The Netherlands
Fine Motor DevelopmentMore Realistic Drawings
• As cognitive & fine motor skills begin to improve, children start to desire greater realism.
• More complex drawings• Start to represent depth, art contains
perceptual distortions
Dancing Mice, Marker & Crayon,Megan B., Age 7, Canada
DrawingCultural Variations
• In cultures with rich artistic traditions, children create elaborate drawings reflecting cultural conventions.
• In cultures with little interest in art, even older children/adolescents produce simple forms.
DrawingJimi Valley of Papua New Guinea
Fine Motor DevelopmentPrinting
• First, preschoolers don’t distinguish between drawing and writing
• Age 4 – writing shows features of print– Separate forms aligned on a
page– Often includes picture-like
devices• Age 4-6 – children realize
writing stands for language
Motor DevelopmentIndividual Differences
• Wide individual differences exist in the ages when children reach motor milestones
• Sex differences in motor skills evident in early childhood
• Social pressures for boys to be physically active and for girls to play quietly exaggerate small genetically based sex differences
Enhancing Children’sMotor Development
• Formal lessons during preschool years have little impact on motor development
• Children master motor skills naturally as part of everyday play
• Physical environment of informal play affects mastery of motor skills
• Supported by daily routines• Social climate – focus on “fun”
rather than winning or correct technique
Art in Development
Lion Dance, Oil Pastel, Lisa C., Age 10, Sabah, Malaysia
Why Art?
• Human Right?– UN International Convention– Jewish Ghetto of Treason,
Czechoslovakia – I Have Not Seen a Butterfly Around Here
• Means of enhancing everyday life
• Means of expression• Means of understanding
culture
Why Not Art?
• Realm of the “gifted”• Emotional rather than serious thought– Less obvious utility
• Expensive
La Maison de Reve, Watercolor, Leonie V.,Age 5, Boulogne, France
Art & Children’s Programs• Employed parents have less
time for traditional craft and cooking activities
• Early childhood educators have greater responsibility to provide range of sensory experiences
• Exploration of different media
• Developmentally appropriate practice
Contemporary ModelsReggio Emilia
• 1940s – Loris Malaguzzi – journalist/psychologist decided to rebuild war-ravaged school system in town close to Bologna, Italy
Municipal Infant-Toddler Centers and Preschools - Reggio Emilia, Italy
Contemporary ModelsReggio Emilia
• Philosophy based on belief that art is a natural form of symbolic expression, central to the education process, and integral to the rest of the curriculum
• Problem-solving approach to learning
• Develop projects over a long period of time– Allows for expansion of ideas,
achievement of ambitious goals
Contemporary ModelsReggio Emilia
• Teachers:– Act as facilitators of
children’s development
– Challenge preconceived ideas, provoke new competencies
– Act as collaborators with students by alternating leadership
Reggio Emilia precepts at work at Madison AvenuePresbyterian Church Day School
Contemporary ModelsMia Mia Program
• Macquarie University, Australia• Demonstrates how successful art program can
be mounted at campus child-care center• Day care for children 6 months – 5 years• Unique collaboration between center’s staff
and Ursula Kolbe, artist-in-residence• Parallel philosophy of Reggio Emilia though
developed independently
Communicating About Art• Development of verbal language
to talk about art– Color, texture, line, patterns, mass,
space, shape• Increase observation skills –
children become more perceptive• Increasing awareness of visual
environment– “stretch” visual understanding of
cultural symbols through authentic visual forms Navajo Weaving
Sustaining Creativity
• Studies* show creativity rapidly diminishes over time– Age 3-5 – 98% think divergently– Age 8-10 – 32%– Age 13-15 – 10%– Age 25 – 2%
• Where elementary age children continue to experience artistic guidance/stimulation, art production continues to flourish
*Scottish Book Trust Conference, Glasgow, March 2005
Horace Pippin’s Interior
Art in DevelopmentSummary of Key Skills
• Increase problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Increase visual perception• Increase verbal skills through discussing art• Appreciation of cultural diversity• Collaboration• Sustain creativity throughout life
Resources
• Global Children’s Art Gallery - http://www.naturalchild.org/gallery/
• NGA Classroom for Teachers & Students - http://www.nga.gov/education/classroom/index.mhtm