ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the notion of child 'development' itself. It discusses the assumptions undergirding the idea that physical education, or any other subject for that matter, can and should develop children. The chapter considers 'motor development', an enduring focus for school-based physical education and examines that the broader developmental contributions physical education teachers are exhorted to make to the 'whole' child. It explores what kind of 'child' is envisaged at the centre of our child development efforts in physical education, raising questions about whose interests are served when the developed child is thought about in particular ways. The chapter considers the examples from physical education practice and guidelines compiled for physical education pedagogy. It suggests that thinking and doing development differently might enhance our efforts to reach and engage with more children in primary physical education. Physical education as a field, a discipline, and a profession has undergone some seemingly radical shifts in philosophy, orientation, and function.
