Principles of Motor Development for Elementary School Physical Education

Abstract Four principles are drawn from approximately 100 years of research in the area of motor development. The principles are (1) children are not miniature adults, (2) boys and girls (children) are more alike than different, (3) good things are earned, and (4) no body (nobody) is perfect. Five sections of this article introduce some of the major assertions warranted by that research organized around the principles. The sections are Physical Growth and Maturation, Motor Skills, Physical Activity, Psychological Factors, and Developmental Skill Acquisition. Quality physical education programs are evidence based; thus when observing such programs one can see the principles in action. The result is a developmentally appropriate program based on the 3 characteristics of developmentally appropriate physical education: children are more alike than different, children progress through the same stages of development in the same order, and the rate of those developments varies among children.