Читать книгу Lifespan Development - Tara L. Kuther - Страница 352

Between the ages of 3 and 6, children become physically stronger, with increases in bone and muscle strength as well as lung capacity. Children make gains in coordination as the parts of the brain responsible for sensory and motor skills develop, permitting them to play harder and engage in more complicated play activities that include running, jumping, and climbing. Coordinating complex movements, like those entailed in riding a bicycle, is challenging for young children as it requires controlling multiple limbs, balancing, and more. As they grow and gain competence in their motor skills, young children become even more coordinated and begin to show interest in skipping and balancing. They enjoy playing games that involve feats of coordination, such as running while kicking a ball. By age 5, most North American children can throw and catch a ball, climb a ladder, and ride a tricycle. Some 5-year-olds can even skate or ride a bicycle (Gabbard, 2012).

Young children’s motor abilities are also influenced by their context. For example, young children of some nations can swim in rough ocean waves that many adults of other nations would not attempt. Advances in gross motor skills help children move about and develop a sense of mastery of their environment, but it is fine motor skills that permit young children to take responsibility for their own care.