Which of the following is not a psycho-motor activity of a child?

Correct option is A

The correct answer is (a) Thinking.

Psychomotor activities refer to tasks that involve both mental and physical processes, specifically those that engage motor coordination, physical movement, and muscular activity. These are actions that require the brain to coordinate with the body's motor system. Activities such as writing, throwing a ball, and playing involve movement, coordination, and the use of physical energy – making them clearly psychomotor in nature.

In contrast, thinking is a cognitive process, not a psychomotor one. It involves the use of mental faculties such as reasoning, memory, attention, problem-solving, and imagination. While thinking can direct psychomotor tasks (like planning how to write or where to throw a ball), it itself does not involve muscular movement or coordination, and hence does not fall under the psychomotor domain.

This distinction is crucial in the field of child development and pedagogy because educators must address all three learning domains – cognitive, affective, and psychomotor – in a balanced manner for holistic development.

Information Booster

1. Psychomotor Domain (as per Bloom’s Taxonomy - Revised by Simpson): Includes physical movement, coordination, and use of the motor-skill areas. Development of these skills requires practice and is measured in terms of speed, precision, distance, procedures, or techniques in execution.
2. Examples of Psychomotor Activities: Activities such as writing, drawing, jumping, buttoning a shirt, catching a ball, and using scissors are psychomotor in nature.
3. Cognitive Domain: Involves mental skills and knowledge acquisition. Thinking, analyzing, evaluating, and remembering are part of this domain.
4. Holistic Development: An effective educational approach nurtures all three domains – ensuring that children not only think (cognitive) but also express (affective) and do (psychomotor).
5. Implication for Teachers: Understanding the distinction helps in designing activities – for example, incorporating writing and hands-on experiments for psychomotor development, and problem-solving tasks for cognitive growth.

Additional Information

• Option (b):Writing – This is a classic psychomotor activity, as it requires fine motor skills, such as hand-eye coordination and control of finger muscles.
• Option (c):Throwing a ball – This is a gross motor skill, involving large muscle groups and coordination, categorizing it clearly under psychomotor skills.
• Option (d):Playing – Depending on the type, most forms of play, especially physical play (like running, jumping, or even structured games), involve psychomotor skills.