Physical Development is one of the domains of development that focuses on a child’s

growth of skill and body. It is the basic domain that a child can learn at an early age, and as they
continue to grow, a guidance of an adult is necessary to help them develop their personal social
development with some activities. The physical domain includes the growth of the body size and
proportions, appearance, brain development and senses such as the sense of taste, touch,
sight, smell and hearing. It will become visible as a child grows.
Adaptive development refers to the ability of a child to do age-appropriate life skills. It
may refer to how a child adapts to the environment and is able to perform things independently.
Although others may consider these as motor skill, some phycologists define them self-care
skills. This might include Drinking from a bottle or cup ,feeding ,toileting, dressing or avoiding
common dangers. Children, however, may also develop other adaptive behavior that may
encompass no just the physical domain, but also the cognitive and socioemotional domains like
self-sufficiency, personal responsibility, and social skills.
Motor development refers to the increasing amount of control that a child has over
his/her body. It includes the different levels of skills that he/she can master. There are two types
of motor development: the fine motor skills and gross motor skill.
For example, an infant can develop it’s sense of sight by familiarizing the faces of the
member of the family they’re in. Infants are aware of their surroundings from birth. As they
explore the world with their senses and use motor skills, their ability to grow, develop, and learn
accelerates. During infancy and toddlerhood, gross-motor and fine-motor skills develop. The
mastery of large muscle movements, as well as the development of strength in muscle groups
such as the arms, legs, and core. Running, walking, and crawling are examples of gross-motor
skills. Fine motor skills, on the other hand, is the coordination of small muscles such as
movement using fingers hands and eyes. Brushing teeth, clapping, building puzzles, coloring
and drawing are the examples of fine motor skills. It contributes to the development of
intelligence or the brain of a child.
According to Piaget (1995) as cited by Williams D. (2022), that during a child’s first two
years, all intellectual functioning occurs through sensory and motor experience and Gallahue
(1993) emphasizes that "Movement is at the very center of young children's lives." It is an
important aspect of their development in all areas, whether in the motor, cognitive, or affective
domains of human behavior.
The emotional benefits of physical activity are well understood, and energetic running
and chasing activities outside are time-honored positive methods of releasing pent-up emotions
that arise frequently in an early years context. Creative painting, molding, and manipulating
activities, which are equally important but more nuanced, not only help to refine hand-eye co-
ordination, accuracy, spatial understanding, two-handed co-ordination, and fine motor skills, but
also provide young children with physical opportunities to express and work through their
emotions.
To encourage the development of gross- and fine-motor skills in toddlers and infants,
parents, teachers, and caregivers must stimulate them. For example, you could encourage an
infant to walk back and forth alongside a couch to stimulate physical development.
Preparing infants and toddlers for school necessitates more than just skill development;
it also necessitates physical development and health. When an infant or toddler is content and
healthy, he or she is more likely to interact with their surroundings. This enables infants and
toddlers to expand their knowledge through exploration.

REFERENCES:
Physical Development: An Introduction | Virtual Lab School. (n.d.). Retrieved September
16, 2022, from https://www.virtuallabschool.org/infant-toddler/physical-development/lesson-
1#previous
Williams, D. (2022). Physical Development. First Discoverers. Retrieved September 16,
2022, from https://www.firstdiscoverers.co.uk/the-science-of-childcare-physical-development/