Physical and motor development are two similar but different areas that describe child development. Physical development encompasses all the different changes a child's body goes through. These changes include height, weight and brain development. Motor development is the development of control over the body. This control would involve the development of reflexes such as blinking, large motor skills like walking, and fine motor skills like manipulating their fingers to pick up small objects like Cheerios. It is important to objectively study the physical and motor development of children in order to gain knowledge about the characteristics considered typical for each age and stage of development. This will allow me to be aware of when one or more children are developing at an irregular rate, and to make recommendations or find experiences and other resources that can help boost their development and work to close the gaps of success. This particular assignment involved observing the selected child and reaffirming the importance of studying physical and motor development, and developing ideas on how to involve him in my work as an early childhood professional.Introduction to the child and familyThe child I chose to observe during this semester is a Caucasian female. His name is “R”. She was born on April 24, 2013. She is currently 10 months old, but will be one year old at the end of the semester. “R” is a very active child. She has an independent but outgoing personality. At this point, she displays uncertainty around strangers and other people she remembers but hasn't seen physically in a while. Some of "R's" favorite activities include throwing objects, mirroring actions and movements, playing music, a...... middle of paper ...... in my work daily and in my future classrooms by including various activities that challenge different aspects of physical and motor development, such as safe outdoor activities like climbing, encouraging motor development through an art station and developing motor skills fine thanks to the use of finger plays. This will encourage me to always be aware of the uniqueness of each child's developmental abilities so that my teaching methods are inclusive and thorough. Works Cited Santrock, J.W. (2013). Children (12th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. University of Cincinnati Office of Head Start. (2012). Physical and motor development [Video]. Available from the University of Cincinnati. Zawilinski, K. (nd). Ways to help baby learn to walk. Parents review. Accessed February 27, 2014 from http://www.parents.com/baby/development/walking/help-baby-learn-to-walk/