Course:KIN355/2020 Projects/Body Schema
Defining the Concept and Its Importance
Body schema is the internal awareness of where the body parts are in relation to each other (Bredin, 2020). It is an important component of body awareness, which is an understanding of the body's capability at the time of performance, as well as how to use the body parts to perform the desired movement (Bredin, 2020). For example, a basketball player must perform a lay-up to the basket but must understand his/her body's capabilities to complete the movement and the knowledge to perform a lay-up. With body schema, children are able to tell which body parts are needed and how to use the body parts through, around, over, and under various task constraints.
Body schema allow children to gain basic movement skills. The most common skills listed would be walking, climbing, running or crawling. How does the body interpret these skills, and how does the brain tell the body what to do? Research have shown that the development of body schema is through the neurological model of the sensorimotor aspects of body parts (Campbell, 1973). That is, body schema develops based on the sensory information received through moving body and by the interaction of the body with the environment including other people(Assaiante et al., 2014). People gain body schema through physical activities throughout their lifespan and constantly update the skills based on different sensory inputs (Assaiante et al., 2014). According Assaiante (2014) and Brownell et al. (2010), the body awareness and the ability to anticipate their movement emerge at 2-3 years old, and the continue to mature in late childhood and adolescence.
With these concepts in mind, there are also considerations into how the body reacts to the environment. Thus, the proprioceptive system is considered, which is defined as the body's way of understanding and knowing the place our body parts are in space. Again, as the body scheme is a broad topic, it is difficult to define "proprioception clearly." The discrepancy between body image and body schema since both are near proprioception. The term proprioception originates from the Latin word proprius and capio, which means "one's own," or "individual" and to grasp (Asada, 2018). Proprioception's importance allows us to detect and control the forces and pressures produced by or projected onto our bodies (Bredin, 2020). Proprioception is vital for regulating sensory processing as it assists control response to the environmental stimuli (Bredin, 2020). Hence there is consideration to understand multiple concepts as it raises understanding in basic movement skills. These theories' importance is timely and relevant during the development stage, as these concepts interpret factors that could impact development for the future.
Role in Childhood Development and Contemporary Considerations
Now there is a deliberation of how these concepts help with child development. Firstly, children begin to learn about their bodies as newborns. In some cases, within the hours of being birthed, they can tell the difference between their hand caressing their cheek or someone else. At the age of two, toddlers have a conscious awareness of how their body works and the actions they may take with it (Brownell et al., 2010). This early body awareness reflects an understanding of where specific body parts are. Early body knowledge reflects an understanding of where specific body part locations, even when some parts of the body are not previously known. One article stated that body regions and body awareness were found to connect with self-awareness methods such as language about self, mirror recognition of self and others (Brownell et al., 2010). Thus, showing that body awareness and body schema are both fundamental in child development. Certain types of play can help practice these concepts, such as "Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes", to improve these skills.
The practical applications of these body concepts are evident in research, especially in how babies learn. One article's findings stated that there is much to learn from growing babies. As a newborn starts to learn its environment, much of the facilitating is often by their parents (Marshall, & Meltzoff, 2014). Through games and song singing, adults engaging with babies through social interaction prompt fine and motor skill development. In turn, babies learn to mirror their parents, who help practice the ability to develop recognition of similarities and differences between themselves. Studying newborns may determine how emotions, beliefs and attitudes occur (Marshall & Meltzoff, 2014). This skill is essential, especially when given rise to moral judgements and behaviour in the mature state. Another application of these concepts applies at the next age of development during preschool. One article explored how well children were able to understand their body topography without having to see them. In one article, the researchers performed touch points (tactile stimuli) on either the left hand, forearm or wrist (Le Cornu Knight et al., 2016). Asking the children to keep their eyes closed, they were asked to estimate the distance between the two touch points (Le Cornu Knight et al., 2016). The results of this experience illustrated that children's estimation of the perceived distance to be further apart than what was performed. It was concluded that this experiment is very beneficial during the early years of development, as it plays a part in physical growth (Le Cornu Knight et al., 2016). These concepts can be applied in any scenario, as stated above. These practical applications start facilitating these activities earlier to kickstart development in the early stages of childhood.
There is not a single answer to explain how necessary motor skills develop. Some concepts help describe how it occurs, such as body schema and body awareness.
However, none of these theories can be seen as a singularity on its own, as they help describe essential motor development. Learning motor skills can happen at any location, as long as outside investors, such as parents, help facilitate their children's learning. Sometimes, skills can be learned by mimicking their parents as they understand how to differentiate their parents' bodies. Games and songs help children develop their skills and are communicated so that young kids can understand. One great example of a game is Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. To conclude, learning how bodies are and how they are perceived occurs when they can explore it independently. Learning cannot occur unless a person is driven by their curiosity to understand their own body.
Practical Applications
Actively engaging in physical activities can help children gain body schema and perform better in sports later on. Playing games is a good way for children to develop body schema while having fun. Below are two examples of the games that kids can play to gain body schema.
Game 1:
· Title: Mr./Ms. Mystery
· Purpose statement: let children be familiar with their body parts, be aware of the relative positions of the body parts, and learn how to use different body parts by performing and copying the movement of others, preparing children for complicated sport moves.
· Target age: 3-6. According to childhood development milestones, at age of 3, children have already gained most of the basic gross motor skills and are able to name their body parts with function and use (Gerber et al., 2010). So they will be able to describe and understand the body movement instruction of different body parts. Also, research has shown that the rapid development of body schema stabilizes at age of 5-6 (Campbell, 1973). Therefore, kids with ages ranging from 3 to 6 years would benefit the most from this game.
· Apparatus/equipment needed and environmental space/set-up: a card deck that contains different postures in different sports or activities (such as yoga, baseball, soccer, dance, similar to those cards in Yogarilla.); an open and clear space with no barriers for kids to extend their limbs and make the moves (could be outdoor or indoor).
· Instructions: Kid A (or the instructor) gets a picture/photo of a person (Mr./Ms. Mystery) holding a daily-life or sports postures, the rest of the kids are forbidden from looking at the picture. Kid A should direct the rest of the kids to do the same posture on the picture with words and demonstrations. The kid who has the most accurate posture win.
· (This game also requires knowledge regarding other aspects of body awareness such as body concepts and laterality. It requires kid A to have relatively sufficient language skills that allow them to describe the move clearly. If the kid group haven’t developed sufficient language skill yet, an instructor can facilitate the game and describe or even demonstrate the move.)
· Modifications:
- If it is too difficult for younger kids, they could start with simple moves, such as raise your arms to shoulder height, stand on your toes etc.
- If kids want more challenging tasks, level up with more complicated moves such as OR ask the kids to do the posture with their eyes closed.
Game 2
· Title: Sock attack (Tony, 2019)
· Purpose statement: To allow kids to be more aware of their body parts (the length of their arms, the flexion and extension of their arms and fingers) and learn to use their body parts to overcome the task constraints. In this game specifically, children will learn to throw the sock ball with their arms, fingers and the kinetic chains of their body.
· Target age: 2-4 years old. At age of 2, children became consciously aware of their body part their functions (Brownell et al., 2010). And according to childhood development milestones, kids are able to throw a ball while standing at 18 months. And they are able to throw the ball overhand 10 feet at age of 4 (Gerber et al., 2010). Therefore, 2 to 4 years old are the perfect age for practicing ball throwing.
· Apparatus/equipment needed and environmental space/set-up: A sock rolled up into a ball (soft to avoid injury); a cardboard target; an open and clear space to avoid the ball hitting surrounding objects (could be indoor or outdoor).
· Instructions: Ask the kid to stand on their feet and aim the cardboard target with their sock ball(s).
- Have the child stand straight while facing the cardboard target and holding the ball in one hand
- If they are throwing with their right hand, have them turn sideways to the target so their left arm/foot are in front and right arm/foot are behind
- Have them place their feet about shoulder-width apart
- Have the child lift their left arm so it is pointing at the target they want to hit. While doing so, they should shift their weight slightly onto their back foot.
- The child then lifts their throwing hand so the ball is near their right ear
- Finally, in a single motion, they should shift their weight forward, drop the pointing arm, twist their torso, and bring their throw arm forward to release the sock ball. (Tony, 2019)
· Modifications:
- Increase the distance, so the kid can learn to use their muscle in the arms to generate more strength;
- Placing the cardboard target on a higher place (such as an empty table/counter), so the ball-throwing have to be overhand;
- Let another person be a moving target, so the kid has to walk or run while throwing. This will allow the kid to be aware of the surrounding subjects with respect to their body
Summary
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References
Asada, M. (2018). Proprioception and body schema. Oxford Scholarship Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199674923.003.0018
Assaiante, C., Barlaam, F., Cignetti, F., & Vaugoyeau, M. (2014). Body schema building during childhood and adolescence: A neurosensory approach. Neurophysiologie Clinique/Clinical Neurophysiology, 44(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neucli.2013.10.125
Brownell, C. A., Nichols, S. R., Svetlova, M., Zerwas, S., & Ramani, G. (2010). The head bone’s connected to the neck bone: When do toddlers represent their own body topography? Child Development, 81(3), 797-810. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01434.x
Campbell, S. W. (1973). Body schema development in 3 to 6 year old children [University of British Columbia]. https://doi.org/10.14288/1.0055283
Cowie, D., Sterling, S., & Bremner, A. J. (2016). The development of multisensory body representation and awareness continues to 10years of age: Evidence from the rubber hand illusion. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 142, 230-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2015.10.003
Campbell, S. W. (1973). Body schema development in 3 to 6 year old children [University of British Columbia]. https://doi.org/10.14288/1.0055283
Le Cornu Knight, F., Cowie, D., & Bremner, A. J. (2016). Part-based representations of the body in early childhood: Evidence from perceived distortions of tactile space across limb boundaries. Developmental Science, 20(6), e12439. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12439
Marshall, P. J., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2014). Neural mirroring mechanisms and imitation in human infants. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 369(1644), 20130620. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0620
Tony. (2019, November 21). 13 Throwing Games for Kids (Great for PE Class). Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://kidactivities.net/throwing-games-for-kids-great-for-pe-class/