Module 02
Typical Motor Development
You cannot see atypical until typical is in your bones. This week is the atlas: what usually unfolds from 18 months to 10 years, how wide 'usual' really is, and why progress over time beats a single date on a poster.
You will be able to
- Explain cephalocaudal and proximodistal development with a child example.
- Sort observed movements into locomotor, stability, and manipulative.
- Describe a typical band (not a point) for five ages.
- Name three reasons two typical children look different.
How development actually proceeds
Head to tail (cephalocaudal). Center to fingertips (proximodistal). Gross before fine. Simple before complex. And always at an individual rate.
Development is not a ladder you climb on schedule. It is more like a mountain path: similar route, different weather, some switchbacks. Prematurity (use adjusted age), culture, temperament, and opportunity all change the picture.
- Look for progression over weeks, not a single missed date
- Opportunity matters: a child who never sees a ball cannot be 'behind' at catching yet
- Asymmetry that persists, pain, or regression is a different conversation (Week 10)
Fundamental movement skills
Locomotor: walk, run, jump, hop, gallop, skip, leap, slide. Stability: bend, twist, turn, roll, balance, land, dodge. Manipulative: throw, catch, kick, strike, bounce, roll, dribble.
These are the alphabet. Sport is sentences. If you only teach games, some children never get the letters.
The wide range of typical is not an excuse to ignore a child who is stuck. It is a reason to watch longer before you panic — and to act when the pattern is clear.
Theories that change what you see
Maturation says wait for the nervous system. Dynamical systems say the room is part of the body. Gallahue's hourglass says fundamental skills have to pass through before sport. Seefeldt's proficiency barrier says children who never own the letters bounce off the games.
What you believe changes the session. If you only wait, underserved children look delayed. If you only drill sport, the barrier stays up. Skill themes plus play is how this path holds both.
- Gesell: do not ask a body for a skill it has not organized yet
- Thelen / Newell: change a constraint before you lecture a joint
- Gallahue: fill the fundamental chamber before you pour in sport
- Seefeldt: a child who cannot land, throw, or skip is not lazy — they hit a wall
Open theoriesOpen Theories (Go deeper). Read how each lens changes development, then use one on the floor tomorrow.
A field snapshot (not a test)
Open the Age atlas and sit with one band at a time. 18–24 months: walking, climbing, stiff running, stacking. 3–4 years: hop, gallop, catch with arms, pretend as the engine. 5–7: mature run emerging, jump rope, throw with rotation. 7–10: combining skills, self-consciousness arriving — protect joy.
Your lab this week is to watch a real child for 30 minutes and only then open the chart. Observation before the label.
Age
18–24 mo
Gross motor snapshot
Walks, climbs, stiff run, kicks
Balance snapshot
One foot with a hand
Age
2–3 yr
Gross motor snapshot
Runs, two-foot jump, tricycle
Balance snapshot
One foot 1–2 seconds
Age
3–4 yr
Gross motor snapshot
Hop, gallop, catch with arms
Balance snapshot
One foot 3–5 seconds
Age
4–5 yr
Gross motor snapshot
Skip emerging, playground ball
Balance snapshot
One foot 5–8 seconds
Age
5–7 yr
Gross motor snapshot
Mature run, bike (wide range)
Balance snapshot
One foot 8–10 seconds
Age
7–10 yr
Gross motor snapshot
Refined, combined, sport-ready
Balance snapshot
Unstable surfaces
Reading notes
First notes of 24+ characters: +10 each.
Developmental Physical Education for All Children
Part II
- Sequences are predictable; rates are individual.
- Fundamental skills are the cornerstone of physical education.
- Children need both repetition and variety.
“The development of fundamental movement skills is the cornerstone of physical education.”
Motor Learning and Development
Ch. 1–3
- Individual, task, and environment constraints interact.
- Development is nonlinear — plateaus and leaps are normal.
- The 'mountain of motor development' is a path, not a stopwatch.
“Motor development is a dynamic process involving the interaction of the individual, the task, and the environment.”
Lab & assignment
30-minute observation
- Watch a child in free play. Do not coach.
- Jot every movement. Tag it locomotor, stability, or manipulative.
- Note what they chose and what they avoided.
- Log it in the Observation tool using only objective sentences.
Assignment: Milestone chart
One page: 18 months, 3, 5, 7, 10 years. One gross, one fine, one balance milestone each. Add a footnote: 'typical is a range.'
Draft 40+ characters to bank +25.
Your notes
What surprised you about the range of typical?
How would you explain individual rates to a worried parent?
Which fundamental skill is thinnest in the children you see?
Tomorrow
What will you watch for tomorrow that you used to overlook?
One honest sentence · +15
Play this week
Small games and puzzles that only use what this module taught. First complete +50; perfect +25.
Floor call
A random objection this week actually raises. Multiple choice. First correct answer banks +20. Shuffle for a new voice.
Week 2 objection
Drawing a live one…
Knowledge check
0/4 correct · 0 answered · +25 each