How to Nurture Children's Physical Development

Find activities to nurture your child's physical development.

As children grow, they are continuously developing emotionally, mentally and physically. It is important for adults to nurture children's physical development to ensure they grow up to be healthy, happy, physically capable adults. Different activities are required to hone and develop different physical skills. As children go through the various stages of physical development, they acquire increasing levels of strength and skill and require more adult supervision and support. Younger children need help developing fine motor skills, while older children are developing gross motor skills.

Instructions

1. Make sure they get enough rest. One key ingredient to proper physical development is getting an adequate amount of sleep. On average, children require 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night. A good night's rest allows children's growing bodies to continue to grow and develop properly.

2. Encourage an interest in sports. Sporting activities such as swimming, bicycling, dancing, skating, basketball, soccer, football, baseball and climbing on a jungle gym are essential to the development of children's gross motor skills. Gross motor skills are those skills that involve large movements of the body. Participation in sports helps build strength, endurance, balance, speed and coordination. Parents should model a physical lifestyle for their children daily. Take them running or show them how to swing a baseball bat. Engaging in sporting activities will not only nurture their physical development, but it will also foster a love of physical fitness that they will carry with them into adulthood.

3. Perform arts and crafts activities. For younger children, the development of fine motor skills are key to their physical development. Young children are at the stage where they are developing hand-eye coordination. Artistic activities like drawing, painting, coloring and cutting are essential to the development of those skills. Take the time to do arts and crafts activities with your children: Bake cookies together, make a collage of their favorite things or teach them to make a paper-mache animal. Sewing is another way for young children to develop their fine motor skills. Doing these activities with your children will not only be quality time well spent, but you will be nurturing their physical development as well.

References

• Betty Hardwick Center: Child Development and Parenting - Physical Nuturing Fine Motor Skills
• Betty Hardwick Center: Child Development and Parenting: Physical Nurturing Gross Motor Skills
• Kids Health: What Parents Can Do