1.1. Physical development and forms of play
A child’s body, in the age between four and five, increases in lenght as well
as in weight: as it used to have a round torso as a toddler, now it changes
from round to muscular, and becomes (because of this muscular growth)
heavier. Due to growth of the brain, resulting in the formation of new
neurological connections, lateralisation and fine motor skills develop rapidly.
Children become left- or right handed (Feldman, 1997). The child gains
increased balance and is able to hop (Kohnstamm, 1993). In this stage, the
child takes pleasure in practicing its motor skills by engaging in forms of
physical play, such as running, jumping or pivoting (and with it, practicing its
gross motor skills), or building blocks and playing with water and sand
(practicing its fine motor skills).