Growth and Motor Development – Vocabulary Flashcards (PowerPoint Notes)

A vocabulary-style set of flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Growth and Motor Development notes.

Cephalocaudal development

Growth and motor control progress from the head downward to the feet.

Proximodistal development

Growth and motor control progress from the center of the body outward toward the limbs.

Growth

A measurable change in body size, quantity, or functioning.

Maturation

The extent to which a characteristic resembles a mature biological state.

Motor development

The study of how motor behavior changes over time due to biological and environmental influences.

Physical literacy

Integrating a wide range of movement abilities with other important aspects and applying them to a long-term lifestyle for health and participation in sport.

Readiness (critical periods)

Being prepared to acquire a particular behavior or skill, with internal motivation to learn.

Parental support enabling practice

A parent’s encouragement and provision of resources enable a child to practice and develop in a sport.

Sex differences at birth

In infancy, males are typically heavier and longer than females at birth.

Infant rapid growth (3x birth weight; ~50% height increase)

In infancy, birth weight may triple by 1 year and height may increase about 50%.

Early childhood

Ages 1–6: loss of baby fat, rapid growth, good flexibility, abundant muscle development.

Mid childhood

Ages 7–10: slower, more constant growth with improvements in coordination and motor functioning.

Late childhood

Ages 10–13: growth spurt preceded by fat accumulation.

Puberty

Ages 12–14: height spurt, reproductive maturation, redistribution of body weight.

Ectomorph

Linear body shape with delicate bone structure, little fat, and long limbs.

Mesomorph

Well-muscled, little fat, broad shoulders, narrow waist.

Endomorph

Rounded appearance with heavier bone structure and higher fat; less muscle definition.

Peak height age – males

Around 18–20 years.

Peak height age – females

Around 16–18 years.

Infancy weight gain

Weight doubles by about 5 months and triples by 1 year.

Fall weight gain

The season in which humans typically gain the most weight.

Heart rate in children vs adults

Children generally have faster resting heart rates than adults.

Resting heart rate for trained athletes

Approximately 40–50 beats per minute.

Stroke volume

Amount of blood pumped by the heart in a single contraction; lower in children and in women; resting athlete values around 100–110 ml, untrained around 70–80 ml.

Cardiac output

Total volume of blood pumped per minute; lower in children, untrained, and women; higher in trained athletes (e.g., 30–35 ml/min for athletes vs 20–25 ml/min in untrained, per notes).

Male birth fat content

About 13% body fat at birth.

Female birth fat content

About 15% body fat at birth.

Flexibility

Range of motion about joints.

Stretching guidelines

Stretching should feel tight but not painful; hold for 5–20 seconds per stretch.

Muscular strength

Maximum force a muscle can exert in a single contraction.

Peak muscular strength timing

Females peak in the late teens; males peak in the twenties.

Cerebellum functions in infancy

Fine-tunes reflexes with age; supports balance, motor coordination, speech, standing, crawling, catching when falling, grasping and releasing.

Three fundamental movement skills

Stability (balancing, spinning, rolling, bending, twisting); Locomotor (running, galloping, hopping, chasing, leaping); Manipulative (dribbling, throwing, kicking).