Middle Childhood UNIT 4 (The Primary Schooler) - Heidi Grace L. Borabo, PhD Physical Development of ora mopuie | 2a amet ess In this module, challenge yourself to: © describe the different physical characteristics of early school-aged children in your own words. ‘enumerate ideas on how you can apply the concepts in this ‘module in the teaching-leaming process. discuss several ways on how to encourage an age~ appropriate active physical lifestyle to primary school children. (QP LoD Physical development involves many different factors: height, weight, appearance, visual, hearing and motor abilities. Primary school children undergo many different changes as they go through this stage of development. This could be caused by different factors, both natural and environmental. 253254 ‘The Child and Adolescent Leamers and Learning Principles 43pm Paste a picture of yourself when you were an early-school age child (around Grade 1 to 3). Write a description on the given areas, ae Height ‘Weight Body Shape 1, Based on the observations you have made, what can you conclude are the general physical characteristics of vhildren in their primary school years? 2, What do you think are the necessary skills that will help them to be physically ready for primary schooling?UUnt4— The Primary Schooler Module 18 - Physical Development of Primary Schoolers Physical growth during the primary school years is slow but steady. During this stage, physical development involves: (1) having good muscle control and coordination, (2) developing eye-hand coordination, (3) having good personal hygiene and (4) being aware of good safety habits. In this developmental stage, children have started their elementary grades, specifically their primary years ~ Grades 103, These children are extremely active. Because most of the activities in traditional schools are sedentary, they often release their unusual amount of energy in some forms of nervous habits including fidgeting, nail biting and pencil chewing. Primary-school age children get fatigued more easily because of physical and mental exertions both at home and in school. Hence, activities should be alternated between strenuous one and relaxing or quiet activities (example: storytelling time after the Math period). Height and Weight This period of gradual and steady growth will give children tire to get used to the changes in their bodies. An average increase’ in height of a little over two inches a year in both boys and girls will introduce them to many different activities that they can now do with greater accuracy. Weight gain averages about 6.5 pounds a year. Most children will have slimmer appearance compared to their preschool years because of the shifts in accumulation and location of their body fat, although girls tend to develop additional fat cells relative to muscle cells. A child’s legs are longer and more proportioned to the body than they were before, A number of factors could indicate how much a child grows, or how much changes in the body will take place: = genes + exercise = food medical conditions = climate + diseases / illnesses *256 ‘The Child and Adolescent Learners and Leaming Principles Bones and Muscles 4 Childhood years are the peak bone-producing years - bones grow longer and broader. This is the best time for parents and teachers to educate children of good dietary and exercise habits to help them have strong, healthy bones throughout their lives. Replacement of primary teeth, also known as baby teeth, with permanent teeth occur around ages 6 to 7 years and up until age 12, most children will have all their primary teeth replaced. Many lifestyle factors, like nutrition and physical activity, can substantially influence the increase of bone mass during childhood. Because children’s bones have proportionately more water and protein-like materials and fewer minerals than adults, ensuring adequate calcium intake will greatly help them in strengthening bones and muscles, Large muscle control is at bigger play over fine motor. Some may still have difficulty holding a pencil properly or coloring inside the lines, We have to limit writing time, since children may develop a negative attitude towards writing. Bone and muscle growth are still not'complete during this stage. Most activities which use heavy pressure will be very difficult for growing bones, muscles and ligaments. If students are engaging in too much strenuous activities to test their strengths, teachers may suggest or provide more coordinated physical activities or competition or rotate players during sports or games. Motor Development Young school-aged children are gaining control over the major muscles of their bodies. Most children have a good sense of balance, ‘They like testing their muscle strength and skills. They enjoy doing real- life tasks and activities. They pretend and fantasize less often because they are more in tune with everything that is happening around them, Children during this stage love to move a lot ~ they run, skip, hop, jump, tumble, roll and dance. Because their gross motor skills are already developed, they can now perform activities like catching a ball with one hand and tying their shoelaces. They can manage zippers and buttons. Performing unimanual (requiring the use of one hand) and bi-manual (requiring the use of two hands) activities becomes easier. Children’s graphic activities, such as writing and drawing, are now more controlled but are still developing. They can print their names and copy simple designs, letters and shapes. They hold pencils, crayons, utensils correctly with supervision. ' Motor development skills include coordination, balance, speed, agility and power.Unit 4 ~The Primary Schoolor Module 18 — Physical Development of Primary Schoolers Let us look into the definitions of the different motor skills. Coordination is a series of movements organized and timed to occur in a particular way to bring about a particular result (Strickland, 2000). ‘The more complex the movement is, the greater coordination is required. Children develop eye-hand and eye-foot coordination when they play games and sports. Balance is the child’s ability to maintain the equilibrium or stability of’ his/her body in different positions. Balance is a basic skill needed especially in this stage, when children are very active. During this time, children have improved balancing skills. Static balance is the ability to maintain equilibrium in a fixed position, like balancing on one foot. Dynamic Balance is the ability to maintain equilibrium while moving (Owens, 2006). Speed is the ability to cover a great distance in the shortest possible time while agility is one’s ability to quickly change or shift the direction of the body. These skills are extremely important in most sports. Power is the ability to perform a maximum effort in the shortest possible period. All these motor skills are vital in performing different activities, games and sports. Development of these skills may spell the difference between success and failure in future endeavors of the child. Large scale body movements are key in this stage. Most of the time, boys develop motor skills slightly faster than girls except for skills involving balance and precise movements. Here are some motor milestones of primary school-age children: (Bergin and Bergin, Child and Adolescent Development in Your Classroom, Third Edition: 2018, Boston, Md, USA) Fine Motor Skills ‘Gross Motor Skills = Zip zippers and lace shoes = Hop + Able to lear piano or violin + Skip on alternating feet Control pencil with the finger and | * Jump rope thumb. Movement comes from the }* Walk on a balance beam elbow. + Throwing, catching, and + Write and draw with more control, kicking become smoother but writing looks choppy and = Bogin to participate in uneven, Letters are getting smaller. organized games (e.g, Uppercase letters are somewhat hopscotch) and sports (eg. mastered, but lowercase letters basketball) continue to be challenging through | * Skate, ski, bike and other 3% grade, especially letters with specialized skills with slants and curves. training 251‘The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles Some Issues Affecting Physical Development [V] Obesity This is becoming a major concern for parents and health care providers, since it seems its becoming a trend. According to the World Health Organization — Wester Pacific Region, “. the Philippines is not spared from this scenario, and the results of national nutrition surveys are showing slow but increasing childhood overweight and obesity rates. Prevalence of overweight among children 5 — 10 years old has risen from 5.8% in 2003 to 9.1% in 2013.” Childhood obesity may be linked to a number of health-related consequences. Evidence also shows that overweight and obese children are likely to stay obese well into their adulthood and are ‘more prone to develop non-communicable diseases like diabetes and some cardiovascular diseases at a much younger age. (A chitahood Nutrition | Malnutrition remains a major health issue in the Philippines. This has been proven to have serious effect on the physical and mental development of children. For most Filipino children, poverty is the chief reason why they do not get the nutrients and energy required for their age. School-age children’s diet should include a good supply of vitamins, minerals and protein found in most fruits and vegetables to combat the trend of eating out and eating too much which puts children at risk of increased consumption of soft drinks, sugary and salty snacks like crackers and chips. Study the illustration below presented on the 7* National Nutrition Survey, Food and Nutrition Research Institute in 2008, nisinUnit 4— The Primary Schooler Module 18 — Physical Development of Primary Schoolers Figure 4: (Sourca: The Nationa Nuton Survey. Food and Nuon Research, 2008) Y Sleep Primary school-age children need 9 to 11 hours of sleep every day (including daytime naps). Sometimes, due to their schedule in school, midday naps or siesta is not possible anymore. Because of this, children may need to go to bed earlier rather than nap. Children’s increased sports affiliation, extra-curricular activities, TV, internet, computers and sometimes, intake of caffeinated products could result to difficulty in falling asleep, disruptions in their sleep and sometimes eveit nightmares. Poor and inadequate sleep may result to mood swings, behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and cognitive problems. which may impact their ability to concentrate in school. 259‘The Child and Adolescent Leamers and Leaming Principles Implications to Child Care, Education and Parenting ‘Two major ways to help primary school-age children to be physically healthy is to (1) provide them with good nutrition and (2) involve them in coordinated and age-appropriate physical activities. Specifically, health- care providers, teachers and parents must do the following: ‘© Encourage children to join or enroll them in related programs during summer or their free time, if children show interest in a particular activity or sport. ‘© Advocate better nutrition in foods provided in the school canteen by providing healthier options and accessible healthier products. ‘© Provide a balance between rigorous physical play activity and quiet activities in designing classroom activities. © Create an exercise plan for children, Not only does it promote motor skills but also improves strength and endurance, builds healthy bones and muscles, and increases positive emotions, ‘© Maintain a daily sleep schedule and consistent bedtime routine ‘© Make children’s bedroom conducive for a peaceful sleep. If possible, keep computers and TV out of the bedroom, 1. Answer the following questions with a learning partner and write your product of collaboration on the provided space. a. What are the general physical characteristics of children in the primary school-age?Unit 4—The Primary Schooler Module 18 ~ Physical Development of Primary Schoolers bb. What are the factors affecting physical development? c. Compare the motor skills of a pre-school child with a primary school-age child. Preschool Child Primary School-Age Child Fine motor skills Gross motor skills SYMAPSE STRENGTHENERS Using the internet, type in this URL address in the address box ‘https://www,youtube,com/watch?v=utzv66KBRZec. This is a YouTube video of kids doing some physical activities for a summer program. View the video and answer the following questions. 1. Are the activities age-appropriate? Justify your answer. 2. How does the execution of the movements of the big kids differ from that of the smaller ones? 261‘The Child and Adolescent Leamers and Learning Principles 262 3. What physical characteristics do the exercises develop? fy /TEM Research on the advocacy with a #hangryabouthunger. Fill in the matrix below. #HANGRYABOUTHUNGER ‘What is the advocacy about? | What programs are they doing | What are your insighs about tomove the advocacy forward? this advocacy?Units — The Pay Schooler Module 18 ~ Physical Development of Primary Schoolers uf TT) To ensure that you are promoting your students’ physical well- ‘being, ask yourself the following questions: 1. Do I understand that children have different physical needs in order to devélop properly? 2. Do I provide a stress-free environment in the classroom by being adaptive and accommodating? 3. Do I balance my activities between active and quiet ones? 4, Do I appreciate the physical milestones that happen in this stage of physical development? 5. Do I model healthy eating and encourage my leamers to do so? 6. Do I advocate maintaining a consistent sleeping routine and inspire my students to do the same? 7. Am [an excellent example of someone who lives a healthy and active lifestyle that my students can emulate? CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING Read the statements carefully. Choose the best answer and write them on the blank 1. Why does a primary school-aged child look slimmer than a pre-school child? — Analysis ‘A. Because the location and accumulation of body fats shift B. Because they have less muscle tissues C. Because their bones are leaner D. Because their appetite is poor 2. What is the general physical characteristic of a primary- school child? — Understanding A. Prefers to sit than play. B. Starts to walk and sit without being supported. C. Has difficulty balancing and often falls down. D, Are extremely active.‘The Child and Adolescent Leamers and Leaming Principles 3. Primary school-age children use their large motor muscles over the fine motor ones. Knowing this, teachers should — Application ‘A. offer highly active and strenuous activities in school : B. allow children to pretend and fantasize and also enjoy real-life tasks and activities . practice them by holding a pencil using their thumb and fingers. D. make them do fine embroidery activity