Chapter = Children and Sports

Motor Development in Children

Motor Development: Motor development is the development of movement. The ability to move is essential
to human body. Motor development refers to the development of childs bones, muscles and ability to move
around and manipulate his or her environment. Many motor skills are necessary for everyday life activities
like sitting, walking, running, climbing stairs, picking up objects etc. Basic motor skills can be further divided
into two parts:
1. Gross Motor Development
2. Fine Motor Development
Gross Motor Development: Gross motor skills are large movements of the body including sitting, walking,
running, and climbing stairs. Gross motor skills needs coordination and balance.
Fine Motor Development: Fine motor skills are the small movements of fingers and hands. They include
picking up objects, using cups, Knives, Dressing, Holding and using pencils, Scissors and Keyboards.
Motor Movement in Children
Gross motor skills are the skills we use to move our whole body, arms and legs. They include running,
jumping, walking and balance. The development of these skills begins when the child is in the womb and
continues throughout the life. Motor development only happens when the child is biologically and mentally
ready for it. Motor development progresses from gross motor skills to fine motor skills.
There are three stages of motor development in children:

Cognitive Phase
During this initial stage of motor learning, the aim is to develop an overall understanding of the skill.
The child picking the things, stepping voluntary walking.
At the age of 2 months, the infant starts lifting arms. They start rolling from side to back at the same
age.
At the age of around 6-7 months, the infant start sitting and crawling.
Then the infant start pulling to stand at the age of 8 months.
Infant start standing and walking at the age of about 11 months .Although the sequence of motor
development is uniform in infants but difference may exists individually in the rate at which motor
skill develops.
Associative Phase

During this stage, the learner begun to demonstrate a move refined movement. It is the period 2-6
years of most rapid development of motor skills.
The motor skill developments in this period are basic locomotion, ball handling and fined eye-hand
coordination.
By the age of 3 walking is automatic.
By 4 years the child has almost achieved an adult style of walking
By the age of 4-5 years the child has more control over running and can start, stop and turn.
At an age of 5 they become more adventures.
In this stage improvements are more gradual and movements become more consistent.
The duration of this stage is longer than cognitive stage.
In this phase children learns self-care skills like dressing, undressing independently.
They also develop writing, communication with expressions, drawing and colouring etc.
Autonomous Phase
Running: This will become faster depending on the length stride and tempo.
Jumping: The ability to jump higher will become greater due to body size, weight, age and strength.
Throwing: Boys began to throw further with a better technique and accuracy.
Balancing and Coordination: This increases as the child become older and control is perfection
over balance. In this stage balance and coordination are more in children.
Factors affecting Motor Development in Children

Factors affecting
Motor
Development

Age
and
Gender

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Nutr
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Cult
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1. Heredity/Genetic: Every child gets various qualities from their parents. Generally, motor development
of the child follows the same pattern as that of their parents. Some children inherent certain genetic
and physical trait from their parents which affects the overall development of the children, physical and
intellectual development of the child is the result of the heredity characters. Certain diseases or
genetic disorders pass from parents to children like quality and quantity of muscle fibre, mental
retardation, postural diseases etc. This will affect the level of motor development of the child.

2. Environment: Environment plays an important role in the motor development of the children. The birth
of a child in a polluted and dirty environment affects the health as well as motor development of a child.
A healthy and fresh environment develops the proper growth and motor skills of the child.
3. Social factors: Society affects a lot of the childs social and cognitive development. A childs school,
family and culture are all the social factors that affect the childs motor and social development. A child
learns inter-action when communicating with parents, siblings, relatives and neighbours.
4. Cultural factors: Culture also plays an important role in the development of motor development in the
child. The culture of parents and society encourage children to develop these values to allowing them
to practice motor skills. The cultural opportunities and motivation influence the motor development of
the children.
5. Nutrition: Nutritional food promotes good motor development. Healthy children who continuously get
nutritional food develop excellently their mental skills, while malnourished child may suffer a lot of
problems in physical, mental, behavioral development.
6. Immunization: The proper and timely immunization of child and mother leads to good sensory motor
development. Without immunization your child is at risk of catching infections and other life threatening
diseases, which may hinder the proper development of the child.
7. Exercise: Exercise promotes healthy physical development and physical fitness which leads to healthy
motor development in other domains as well. To develop and enhance the motor skills of one child,
moving with outdoor activities like walking, running is very good. The refresh the mind and promote
good motor development.
8. Opportunities: The children who get more opportunities to do more activities have better motor
development. These opportunities to play and to gain knowledge give abetter chance of developing
sensory motor skills.
9. Age and Gender: Age and gender also affect the motor development of the child. Boys are better than
girls in gross motor skills while girls are better at fine motor skills. Similarly, an adolescent is better than
a child in motor skills.

Physical and Physiological benefits of exercise in children

Regular exercise which can involve nature walks, unstructured play, bicycling, planning tag or participating
on sports teams, benefits children in significant ways. When someone physically fit feels and looks better
and he/she stays healthier.
Benefits of exercise for children
Exercise and physical activities make the children active. The active children enjoy additional health
benefits. The physical and Physiological benefits of exercise among children are:
1. Blood Flow: Exercise increases the blood flow of all body tissues, including the brain. Greater blood
flow transport more oxygen and nutrients to the body cells. Exercise increases the blood circulation

which promotes the bodys metabolism and toxins back from cells for elimination, recycling. The
children who exercise feel filtered and energetic.
2. Bones and Muscles: Exercise helps childrens bones to become strong. Having strong bones is
especially important for growing children. Childrens muscles also become stronger through
exercise.
3. Lungs and Heart: Exercise makes your lungs and heart stronger to increase energy and endurance
that means you can play, walk or jog longer without feeling tired. Exercise can reduce your risk of
heart disease and stroke.

4. Mental Health: Exercise enhances the brains metabolism. Active children have improved memory
as a result of better brain function. Exercise improves the concentration ability of children as a result
active child has better concentration even at the end of long school day.
5. Healthy weight: Exercise and physical activities help the children to keep a healthy weight. Children
burn calories and maintain a healthy body weight.
6. Flexibility: Various stroking exercises improve the flexibility of the children. These exercises help
the muscles and joints to bend more easily.
7. Strength and Stamina: Exercise helps to increase the strength and stamina of the children.
8. Immune system: Exercise improves the immune system of children. Active children fight boldly with
diseases. They are less prone to cold, allergy and other diseases.
9. Self Esteem: Exercise and physical activities develop childrens self-esteem and confidence level.
10. Boldness: Exercise improves the ability of children to overcome challenging situations. They face
the problems very boldly.
11. Leadership qualities: The social skills of children are also developed through exercises. They
develop the social skills like leadership, fair play, sympathy, cooperation etc.
Miscellaneous benefits of exercise: It improves digestion, body shape and posture, appetite for
healthy food, range of motion, glycogen storage, body fitness, purifies arteries and veins.

Advantages and Disadvantages of weight training and food supplement for children
Weight Training: It is a common type of physical exercise used for developing the strength and size of
skeletal muscles. Generally it is called strength training. Weight training is mandatory in sports like weight
lifting, Body building, power lifting, short put, discus throw, javelin throw etc. Many other sports also use
weight training as a part of their training schedule like football, wrestling, and hockey etc. weight training is a
system of conditioning involving weight lifting especially for strength and endurance. It may include the use
of bar bells, dumb bells. It is used to improve performance, conditioning, body building or for rehabilitation
program to recover from injury.
Weight training for children: this is common misconception that children shouldnt do any type of weight
training. But the fact is that proper strength training can offer many benefits to the children. The bodies of

children are in developing stage, so lifting excessive amount of weight is stressful for their young muscles.
The cartilage which turns to be bone and tendons can also suffer and damage due to improper techniques
and excessive weight lifting. The best way is that children should stick to strength training with light
resistance ore low weights.
Advantages of weight training for children: Wight training is a great way to get your whole body in
shape. Many people associates weight training with your upper body and arms. However if you have the
right equipment then you can easily exercise the lower part of your body, such as your chest and legs.
There are many advantages and disadvantages of weight training of children.
Advantages
1. Keep body toned and in shape- One of the advantage of using weight training is strengthen your
body. We all know that weights are used by the person using them standing still and then performing
an action using the weights. Training is a perfect solution to keep your body toned and in a good
shape.

2. Keeps body fit- Bones in your body becomes active as they are trying to support you as you are
doing the exercises so you are in a effect working out the entire body every time that you use
weights to exercise.
3. It helps to reduce weight- Even though there are different opinions about how many calories a
pound of muscles burn in a day and also burns fat. Muscles are metabolically active tissues. If
weight loss is a part of your fitness goal then add weight training to your fitness program.
4. Increases bone density-Studies have shown that the risk of osteoporosis is lower for children who
are active and specially those who do load- bearing or weight bearing activities at least three times a
week.
5. Increases athletic performance- The proper weight training program can increase the athletic
performance of children. The benefits of strength training to athletic performance are of enormous
range. It is an integral conditioning component for power athletes such as football and rugby players.
Performance in the pure endurance events can be improved with a well- structured strength routine.
6. Improves self esteem- When we observe or see our body changes and changes in our
performance, our self esteem increases.
7. Increases physical work capacity- Strength training not only increases the children physical work
capacity but it also improves their ability to perform activities of daily life. He will be able to work
harder and longer with the proper weight training activities.
8. Reduces stress- Weight losing is a great way to release our stress.
9. Increases strength- It increases the strength of connective tissues, muscles and tendons. This
leads to improved motor performance and decreased injury risk.
10. Improves quality of life- It improves your life quality as you are gaining confidence strength training
will not make you strong, but will also help with managing your weight
Disadvantages
1. Disadvantage of safety: There are many disadvantages of using weights for exercising. You should
never exercise alone when you are dealing with heavy weights. You should have a partner to
support you in case the worst happens. The most common safety concern is using barbell. There is
a possibility of being trapped under the barbell if you are unable to do a repetition due to the amount
of weight on barbell.
2. Increased risk of injuries: Another disadvantage while using the weights is causing damage or any
injury to ones own body. As stated above, your whole body needs to coordinate while using
weights. If you cannot keep complete control of your body when you are working, then you can pull

or even torn a muscle of your body. Using heavy weights when you are not ready will always cause
an injury to your body parts. Always remember to start slowly, with less weight, and then increase it
further if you feel to do so.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Food Supplements for children
Dietary supplements are often promoted for their health benefits. But you need only limited amount of the
vitamins, minerals and other substances that supplements provide, and excessive amount of some vitamins
can be harmful. Food supplements, also known as dietary supplements, are meant to improve your diet by
providing vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, enzymes, and other beneficial substances. Those who do
not take enough vitamins and minerals daily through the consumption of food may suffer from vitamin
deficiency and may have a higher risk of developing illness. Supplements can contribute to improve
muscular strength, endurance and overall physical performances. For this reason, they are commonly taken
by outlets to improve their performance. Food supplements can also prevent a variety of diseases and
health conditions. Advantages and Disadvantages of food supplements:

Advantages
1 Multi vitamins are used to treat simple deficiency diseases.
2 Food Supplements can also prevent a variety of diseases and health conditions.
3 Food supplements also help in muscle recovery after an instant workout.
4 They can contribute to improve muscular strength, endurance and overall physical performance.
5 Individual vitamins are also beneficial to treat deficiency diseases like iron deficiency or anemia.
6 Combination of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fat supplements provide nutrients and calories to
the body.
7 Vitamins and minerals supplements when taken in low quantity help to maintain optimal health and
well-being.
8 Macro-nutrient protein helps to support growth, tissue maintenance and immune health.
9 Proteins are also beneficial for promoting body fitness.
Disadvantages
If food supplements are not taken as per recommendation of your doctor, it may be harmful and can have
the following disadvantages:
1 Use of protein supplements more than required will add extra calories to your body and can be a
cause of weight gain.
2 Consumption of too much fat soluble vitamins or minerals may cause liver abnormalities and birth
diseases.
3 Excessive use of iron, Magnesium, or zinc can cause digestion problem.
4 Use of too much calcium supplements can cause kidney stones.
5 Large amount of vitamin-c may cause diarrhea.
6 Consumption of large amount of vitamin-A can cause liver damage, headache, bone pain, swelling,
and drowsiness.
7 Use of Supplements with medicines can cause unwanted side effects and decrease the efficiency of
the medicine.
8 Natural supplements such as green tea pills may damage liver and can cause liver transplant,
hepatitis and deaths.
9 Body building food supplements often involve health problems like blindness, liver damage etc.

Consideration: Except in special circumstances, balanced diet and whole food are the healthiest choice for
getting your daily nutrients. IN case there is heed of food supplements, consult doctor about the right dietary
supplements. Never combine supplements with the medicine or other supplements without your doctors
recommendations.
Activities and Quality of life
Daily physical activity is essential to childs development and it is important to the children of all age groups.
By involving the children in sports and physical activities, we can give children a strong foundation for a life
time of health. By providing regular opportunities to the children to participate in various physical activities, a
healthy platform can be provided.
The schedule of young children can be filled with various co-scholastic and co-curricular activities. A few
activities for children like discussed ahead:
Tag Games
Organizing games with friends
Water sports
Bike riding
Indoor sports activities
Racing

Quality of Life Generally quality of life refers to well-being of an individual. Children from a young age start
to formulate ideas, belief and attitudes about their health and well-being. According to WHO (World Health
Organization), the health of young people is significant for the well-being of this age and also for future
public health.
The Quality of life of children includes the following main dimensions:
a

Physical well-being: This dimension explores the physical activities of the child in terms of their
energy and fitness. It focuses on sports and other physical activities, exercises which promote the
strength, stamina, endurance, fitness and overall physical health.
Psychological well-being: It stresses on the psychological well-being of the children including
positive emotions and satisfaction with life. It specially reveals the positive perceptions and emotions
experienced by the individual. Psychological well-being means how much a child is experiencing
positive feelings, happiness, joy and cheerfulness. It also reflects on the individuals view of his
satisfaction with life so far.
Moods and Emotions: This aspect of life includes how much the child experiences depressive
moods, emotions and stressful feelings. It is revealed by negative feeling like loneliness, sadness,
sufficiency, insufficiency and resignation. Children need to keep away from the negative emotions to
keep a good quality life style.
Parent relation and Home life: It reflects the relationship of child with his parents and the
atmosphere in the home. It explores the quality of interaction between the child and the parents or
caregivers as well as feeling of the child towards his parents. The children have a good quality of life
if they are loved and supported by the family and they have a motivational and comfortable
atmosphere at home.
Social support and Peer: This dimension reflects the nature and his relationship with other
children, considerably with friends and peer particularly in adolescent age. If the child feels
accepted, loved and supported by the friends and peer and he maintains good relationships, the
quality of life improves. In the same tone if the child is performing well in the school and he has
positive relationships with the teachers he develops a quality lifestyle.

Nutritious food: Children need to have right hind of eating habits. They should take nutritious
balanced diet full of green leafy vegetables, fruits, juices, nuts etc. They should say no to junk food.
They must take proper meal at breakfast, lunch and dinner with healthy refreshment in between.
Over eating should be avoided. Avoid late night eating.
Say NO to sedentary lifestyle: In the modern world of remote control most children spend hours
in front of TV, Computer etc. The have a sedentary type of lifestyle. Sedentary activities include
sitting, reading, watching TV, Playing Videogames and Working on computer and no vigorous
exercise. Sedentary lifestyle gives an invitation to number of diseases like obesity, depression,
anxiety, diabetes etc. To keep a healthy lifestyle, children should say no to sedentary lifestyle.