Standard one of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education states students should demonstrate competency in many, and proficiency in some, movement forms. This article presents recommendations to help students achieve motor skill competency and proficiency, providing task progressions for elementary students and illustrating…

Two studies were conducted to examine the effects of motivational climate on motor-skill development and perceived physical competence in kindergarten children with developmental delays. In Experiment 1, two intervention groups were exposed to environments with either high (mastery climate) or low autonomy for 12 weeks. Results showed that the…

In this article, the author states that becoming a better physical education teacher can be challenging since it is the time for attending conferences, reading journals, and collaborating with colleagues. She added, that working at a summer camp for children provides a valuable way for physical education teachers not only to earn extra money…

Fitness testing is an important assessment tool used by physical educators for many purposes. Some states require fitness testing to monitor individual student progress throughout the school year. Some physical educators use it to monitor the effects of the physical education curriculum and to teach concepts such as goal setting and personal…

A series of easy activities for parents or caregivers to use in guiding the developmental progress of children at the infant, toddler, and preschool levels. (Author)

The purpose of this study was to construct a valid instrument that would accurately measure parental attitudes toward the motor development of young children. A Likert scaled attitude statement was developed with responses ranging from "very strongly agree" to "very strongly disagree." Parents were asked to reply to 20 statements on the subject. A…

This study explored developmental patterns in the acquisition of the gross motor skill of throwing among 110 educable, mentally retarded 7- to 12-year-olds. Each child was examined through cinematographic procedures to discover: a) variance in throwing patterns, b) elements composing throwing skills, and c) sequential integration of the elements…

Presented is a rationale for implementing early transdisciplinary intervention in behalf of blind and visually handicapped, mentally retarded infants. (Author/BD)

Examines psychomotor development of infants in the United States, Europe, Asia and Oceania, India, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, the Orient and Hawaii. (SB)

Examination and comparison of the changes in movement trajectories of two initially naive American Sign Language (ASL) students during an introductory ASL course found that their movement pattern increased in speed, symmetry, and replicability and grew more constrained in amplitude as the semester progressed. (Author/CB)

Tested children's transfer of training in performance of coincidence-anticipation task. At an experimental apparatus, children attempted to intercept a fixed or moving target by pressing a button or by sliding a disk (the criterion task). Found that improved accuracy in intercepting the moving target by sliding the disk occurred only when children…

Physical education teachers must ensure that students make the connection between skill development and the use of those skills to enhance their personal physical fitness. The article explains how to incorporate fitness concepts and movement activities throughout the lesson plan to develop students' fundamental skills. (SM)

A study investigated the motor development in 99 Australian children (ages 10-16) with Down syndrome. Results showed that the children's motor proficiency continued to progress into adolescence and that there were a wide range of inter- and intra-individual differences in their skill levels and rates of progress. (Author/CR)

Standard two of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education requires students to use cognitive information to understand and enhance motor skill acquisition and performance. This article provides examples of incorporating the standard into K-12 instruction using units based on balance, fitness, and bicycling. Examples illustrate a…