18.

Elucidate the meaning of motor development in childhood. Discuss in detail about various factors affecting motor development.

Motor development refers to changes in children’s ability to control their body’s movements like walking, jogging, running, climbing, jumping, throwing etc.

Factors affecting motor development:

1. Biological Factors: Biological factors are related to the genes. These factors are also known as heredity or genetic factors. The genes which we get from our parents are responsible for various types of development including motor development. The percentage of fast twitch fibres and slow twitch fibres depend on biological factors. In fact, these factors are likely to affect the rate and ability of motor development. These factors are related to body weight, size and strength’ Research studies show that the children with proportionately longer legs, who are not overweight, usually walk earlier than the children with shorter legs.
2. Environmental factors: Environmental factors such as physical and social factors are likely to affect the motor development of children, Research studies indicate that motor development takes place at faster rate in children who are encouraged to explore their surroundings. Generally it is observed that boys are expected to be involved in sports in comparison to girls in most of the society. Boys are encouraged to take part in motor activities. They are given more opportunities to take part in sports activities. Those children, who are not encouraged or motivated towards motor activities have slow rate of motor development. In fact, encouragement, love and security help the child to take risk to explore fearlessly which leads to better motor development.
3. Nutrition: Nutrition is also liable to affect the motor development. Indeed, nutritious food promotes good motor development. Sensory motor development is dependent upon nutrition. If children get nutritious food they get stronger which ultimately leads to good motor development. On the other hand, if children do not get proper nutrition they are found to be less energetic and owing to that their motor development takes place slowly.
4. Physical Activities: Performing regular physical activities’ enhances the motor development at a faster rate. However, the physical activities must be according to the capabilities of children. Those children, who do not perform or practise physical activities regularly their motor development becomes slow lf they do not perform even minor activities, their motor development also becomes so slow that they take a long time for motor development.
5. Opportunities: It is a well-known fact that the children who get ample opportunities to perform more and more physical activities or motor activities are likely to have better motor development. In fact, opportunities to take part in motor activities give a better chance for developing sensory motor activities. If proper opportunities are not given to children the motor development cannot take place in those children properly or there can be slow process of motor development in such children.