Assignment: Activity enhances physical development

This week we begin working on elements that will become part of your final assignment: a Community Child Development Center Proposal. If you have not already done so, go to the week five assignment tab and thoroughly review the instructions for creating the proposal. This week, you will be creating three activities that will become part of the Infant Room, the Toddler Room, and the Middle/Late Childhood Room of your center.

Prior to beginning this assignment, read Modules 4 and 5, the Oswalt article, and watch the two assigned videos on physical development: Physical Development; The First Five Years. (2009) and Physical Development; Ages 7 – 12. (2009).

Physical development, especially in infancy and toddlerhood but also into middle/late childhood, is primarily focused on the development of fine and gross motor skills. But the milestones and activities for each age group are very different. For example, coloring or playing with clay would not be an appropriate activity for an infant to improve fine motor skills, but it would be for the early childhood room. And in middle/late childhood, children are developing the muscle mass to greatly improve their abilities to run and jump and play organized games that would be not be appropriate for infants or toddlers. There are lots of website aimed at both parents and educators that describe activities to promote development. The activities you select do not have to be complex, but they do need to be age appropriate and grounded developmental theory. Focus on the primary developmental tasks of each age period. For each of the three activities, write a paragraph that addressed the following:

Describe the activity in some detail (provide more than just the name of the activity).

Describe the theory and/or research which supports the use of this class or activity.

Identify how the activity enhances physical development. (Note it might also promote cognitive, and/or socioemotional development as well. For example, organized team-based games not only promote physical development in middle/late childhood but also promote psychosocial development by teaching team work and fair play.)

Remember that this will be completed for an Infant Room, a Toddler Room, and a Middle/Late Childhood Room.

The Physical Development Activities paper

Must be three double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Must include a separate title page with the following:

Title of paper

Student’s name

Course name and number

Instructor’s name

Date submitted

Must use at least one credible source in addition to the course text. Be sure to integrate your sources rather than simply inserting them.

The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.

Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined here and here.

Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.