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decorative star graphic  The School Years
Biosocial Development
- Motor Skills -

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Ψ  Hand-eye coordination, balance, & judgment of movement as well as reaction time are key activities that are all still developing during the school years.

Ψ  Reaction time - is the time it takes to respond to a particular stimulus & is a good measure of readiness to acquire athletic skills.

Ψ  Gender related skill development - boys and girls are about equal in physical ability, although boys tend to have greater upper-arm strength and girls have greater overall flexibility.

Ψ  Culturally related skill development - national policy affects motor development; depends on the national number of hours required for physical education.

Ψ  Genetically related skill development - heredity plays a role; some children are unable to master motor skills as well as others, no matter how hard they try.

Ψ  Programs are counterproductive to learning motor skills when they are too

        1. competitive
            2. lack excitement
                3. foster disparaging comparisons

Ψ  Heredity also plays a role in fine motor skills; some children naturally write better than others.

Ψ  Motor habits develop as repeated connections are formed in the brain due to the growth of the corpus callosum. i.e. "practice makes prefect".


Growth & Development
Robert C. Gates
 
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