Through the study of motor development, the physically educated person will understand that individuals develop at their own rate and require both time and practice to acquire new motor skills. The physically educated person needs to know about motor development in order to monitor his or her own change and become an independent learner. Developmental information can be organized around four themes: (1) How quickly can motor performance improve? (2) How does physical development influence motor performance? (3) How does cognitive development influence motor performance? (4) What happens to performance as people grow older? This article details the relationship of these themes to one another and gives practical applications.