Final answer:
Motor skills development, alongside physical growth, is essential for improved motor performance in middle childhood, with advancements in agility, balance, muscle strength, and coordination during this developmental stage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Along with body growth, motor skills development plays a vital role in improved motor performance in middle childhood. This is the period between early childhood and pre-adolescence, covering ages 6 to 10, where children develop significantly in terms of agility, balance, and endurance. Motor skills are crucial because they allow children to perform a wide range of activities, including those that require fine motor skills, like writing with a pencil, and gross motor skills, such as running or jumping.
During middle childhood, children often increase their participation in sports and physical activities, which not only improves their muscle strength and coordination but also enhances their social skills and cognitive abilities. Important aspects of motor skill development in this stage include learning to ride a bicycle without training wheels, jumping rope, hitting a baseball, and kicking a soccer ball.
The cerebellum plays a significant role in motor function and procedural learning, which includes acquiring motor skills such as riding a bike or throwing a ball, making this a critical developmental stage for neuro-motor development.