COURSE OVERVIEW:

Welcome to the Childhood Physical Development & Learning course. This program will equip you with the skills and knowledge to understand how children’s bodies grow, how movement and physical skills develop, and how these processes underpin learning, wellbeing, and engagement across the early years. Throughout this course, you will learn how to recognise typical patterns of physical development, identify potential concerns, and design practical, play-based experiences that support both healthy growth and rich learning.

The course begins by examining why childhood physical development is so important and how it connects directly to children’s overall wellbeing. You will explore the links between physical development and physical health, including the importance of regular physical activity, the risks associated with inactivity, and the relationship between movement, mental and emotional fitness, and resilience. You will then consider how children learn through hands-on experience, how physical development supports intellectual development, and why active exploration, manipulation, and movement are so critical for building understanding, confidence, and independence.

You will then follow the developmental progression of physical skills from infancy through the early primary years so that you can observe and support children more intentionally. The course traces physical development from baby to child, including key developmental milestones and the way growth is measured over time. You will look at the senses and physical control of babies up to one year old, the emerging movements of toddlers from one to two years, and how toddlers’ fine physical skills are directly applied to support other aspects of development such as self-help, communication, and play. You will also examine the movements of young children from two to five years and from five to eight years, and consider how physical skills, exploration, and learning evolve as children gain balance, judge their movements, and negotiate increasingly complex tasks. Alongside this, you will analyse the limitations of bodily awareness in children, the idea of schemas in early movement and play, differences between right- and left-handed children, and the impact of disability, ill health, and dyspraxia on physical development and participation.

The course then explores how to harness physical development as a powerful vehicle for learning, particularly in the earliest years. You will investigate learning opportunities within physical activities and how learning is embedded within physical development across routine care, play, and exploration. You will consider appropriate activities for under-threes, recommended play materials for babies, and the importance of providing sufficient space for babies and toddlers to move around, roll, crawl, pull up, and explore safely. You will also examine what is meant by “early learning”, the role of exploratory play, and how children learn through treasure baskets and heuristic play, using everyday objects and open-ended resources to experiment, problem-solve, and make sense of the world.

Building on this foundation, the course then focuses on physical play and activities for children over three and their role in more complex learning. You will explore appropriate physical play experiences for preschool and early school-age children, including structured and unstructured movement, climbing, balancing, and cooperative games. You will examine the importance of music and dance, constructional play, and practical participation in the daily routine of your setting as ways for children to build physical competence, coordination, and social skills. You will also consider how toddlers and young children benefit from hands-on arts and crafts activities that refine fine motor skills, and why outdoor play is essential for health, attention, and learning. This will include ideas for using the outdoors in varied weather and a focus on why weather should not be used as an excuse to restrict children’s outdoor play when safe alternatives can be arranged.

Finally, the course links physical development and activity to attention, concentration, and emerging learning challenges. You will explore the relationship between activities and children’s attention, including how well-chosen physical and sensory experiences support the development of sustained focus. You will examine how attention develops in children over time and consider the characteristics of attention deficit disorder alongside other causes of attention difficulties, such as fatigue, stress, sensory issues, and mismatches between activities and developmental stage. This will help you think more holistically about children who appear inattentive or restless and consider how changes to physical activity, the environment, and expectations can support better engagement.

By the end of this course, you will be able to explain why physical development and movement are central to children’s health, learning, and emotional wellbeing, and describe typical physical milestones from infancy to early school age. You will understand how sensory, motor, and balance skills develop, how disability and conditions such as dyspraxia can affect participation, and how to design age-appropriate physical and play experiences that promote both development and learning. Most importantly, you will be equipped to use physical activity, indoor and outdoor environments, and everyday routines to create rich, engaging opportunities for exploration, problem-solving, and attention, while responding thoughtfully to children who need additional support with their physical development or focus.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

• The importance of childhood physical development and skills
• Children’s physical development and well-being
• The importance of physical activity
• The risks of inactivity
• The mental and emotional fitness of children
• How children learn through hands-on experience?
• How physical development supports intellectual development?
• The physical development from baby to child
• The development of physical skills
• The developmental milestones
• The senses and physical control of babies up to one-year-old
• The movements of toddlers from one to two years
• How toddlers’ fine physical skills are directly applied to support other aspects of their development?
• The movements of young children from two to five years
• The movements of children from five to eight years
• The physical skills, exploration and learning of children
• How children gain balance?
• How children judge their physical movements?
• The limitations of bodily awareness in children
• What is the idea of schemas?
• The right and left handed children
• The impact of disability and ill health
• What is dyspraxia?
• The learning opportunities through physical activities
• The learning within physical development
• The appropriate activities for under threes
• The recommended play materials for babies
• The importance of providing space for babies and toddlers to move around
• What is ‘early learning’?
• The importance of exploratory play
• How children learn with the treasure basket and heuristic play?
• The appropriate physical play and activities for over threes
• The importance of music and dance and constructional play
• How children can help out in the daily routine of your setting?
• How toddlers and young children can benefit from hands-on arts and crafts activities?
• The importance of outdoor play
• Ideas for using the outdoors
• Why you should not use weather as an excuse to restrict children’s outdoor play?
• The relationship between activities and children’s attention
• The development of attention in children
• The attention deficit disorder
• The other causes of attention difficulties

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.