Motor development consists of the control of the

movements of the muscles which, at birth and shortly

afterward ,are random and meaningless. But these
movements are replaced by specific pattern responses as
the baby develops control over his muscular mechanism.
During the first four of five years of life. The most important
development along motor lines consist of the development
of the following:
1. Gross movements - movements which involve large
areas of the body( running, walking, jumping, skipping, etc.)
2. Finer coordination - involve smaller muscle groups
(writing grasping etc.)
A. Development of control over the
body parallels the development of
the motor areas in the brain. The
cerebellum or lower brain
develops rapidly during the early
years of life and the cerebrum
upper brain develops in the early
years of childhood.
B.Maturation and learning – If teaching
precedes maturation, time and energy will
be wasted. There must be adequate
maturation of the neuro – muscular
system if the child is to derive full benefit
from training.
C. Patter of the motor sequence – Its
follows a definite sequence, the head to
foot or cephalocaudal sequence and is
referred as the “law of the development
direction.” Development also proceeds in
the proximo- distal direction, which means
that -
Motor development
occurs earlier in the
structures lying nearest
to the main axis than in
those in a more remote
area. Muscle control, for
example, appears
sooner in the arms than
in the fingers.
1. It provides the child with a source of
amusement of entertaining himself.
2. Through his motor development, the child goes
from the helplessness characteristics of
the first few months of life to independence.
3. It is important to the child’s school adjustments.
4. Motor development is important for the child’s
social contacts.
5. It is important to a child’s concept of self and to
his personality development.
Sequence of development may be
considered under four headings:
1. Motor development in the head
region
2. Motor development of the arms and
hands.
3. Motor dev’t. in the trunk.
4. Motor dev’t. in the legs.
After the gross motor activities are developed,
the child begins skills or the finer
coordination in which the smaller muscles
play a major role. Skills must be learned, but
when they are learned it is important to know
as how they are learned. Children who
receive training are definitely superior to
those who receive no training, but the
training must be correlated with their
maturational readiness to learn.
 As skills develop through practice, the
improvements are:
2. Waste movements are gradually
eliminated.
3. Errors become fewer.
4. Fatigue accompanying the activity is
reduced.
5. Speed and accuracy of movement are
increased .
6. Strength increases with physical
development.
1. Self- feeding. At first, the baby can’t hold the cup
with one hand only, but later he learns to do it
and learns also on how to use spoon and fork to
feed himself.
2. Self- dressing. The child learns to remove his
clothing before he learns how to put them on.
Girls as a rule, dress themselves earlier and
more efficiently than boys owning partly to more
flexible rotation at the wrist, partly to general
motor coordination and partly to the greater
simplicity of their clothing.
3. Writing. The starts using a pencil at the age of
one year. He scribbles and later makes symbol
units.
1. Ball throwing and catching. As Gessel had
pointed out, “Skill in throwing requires fine sense
of static and dynamic balance, accurate timing of
delivery and release, good eye hand
coordination, and appropriate functioning of the
fingers, as well as the arms, trunk, head and
legs, in controlling the trajectory of the ball.” All
children start throwing balls with both hands, but
as they learn, one hand is used only.
2. Block building . The babies carries blocks form
place to place and manipulates them in irregular
masses. Next to this is the arranging or placing of
these blocks in rows to build simple structures.
Delayed motor development interferes with the social
development of the child. It keeps him away from the play
activities of the group. It develops feelings of inferiority.
Causes of delayed motor development :
3. Poor physical condition
4. Size of the body
5. Intelligence
6. Lack of opportunity to develop muscle control
7. Lack of incentive to develop muscle control
8. Emphasis on specific movements
9. Fear