Physical Development

Early physical development follows two well-established principles. The first is the cephalocaudal trend — development proceeds from the head (cephalic) region toward the tail (caudal) region — which is why children gain control over the upper part of the body before the lower part; this is also why an infant's head looks proportionately larger than the rest of the body during early infancy, and why an infant who is crawling will typically use the arms first before shifting to using the legs. The second is the proximodistal trend — growth proceeds from the centre of the body outward toward the extremities, or more distal regions — meaning children gain control over the torso before they gain control over their extremities. Infants initially reach for objects by turning their entire body toward the object, and only gradually learn to extend just the arm to reach for things. These changes result from a maturing nervous system rather than from any physical limitation, since even children who are visually impaired show the very same developmental sequence. …