Why movement matters
“Movement is the essential, yet often overlooked, foundation for children’s learning,” says Gill Connell, founder of Moving Smart and author of Movement Matters, the new on-line course for teachers, parents, and caregivers of children birth to 8.
For optimal development, children need lots of physical and sensory stimulation. And they get that when they move.
- CURIOSITY. Children “follow their nose” to things that interest them, learning about themselves and discovering the world with their bodies first. In so doing…
- AUTOMATICITY. The body and brain learn to work together to coordinate and ultimately automate movement. And through that process…
- READINESS. The brain builds the neural infrastructure that makes everything else possible – cognitively, socially, and emotionally.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. But studies show today’s children are more sedentary than generations past. And that has serious implications, not just for their health, but for their learning.
Gill explains it this way. “Kids learn physically first so it makes sense to start where they start. But for so many reasons, we have moved away from this in our classrooms.”
With little formal training afforded to professionals on the subject, Gill founded Moving Smart to fill that gap. Today, Moving Smart’s programmes and courses are designed to suit any curriculum or learning environment. With a grounding in the underlying science of movement coupled with easy, practical teaching techniques, Gill’s goal is to give teachers, parents, and caregivers the tools they need to recognize and tailor movement to meet each child’s learning needs. For example…
LETTER REVERSAL. It’s common for some children to reverse letters when starting to write. Parents often worry about this, but chances are it’s a signal those children are still working to develop their midlines. Opposition movements such as crawling, marching, or climbing are probably in order.
FIDGETING. All kids have ants in their pants from time to time. Most often it’s their brain demanding vestibular stimulation such as spinning, rocking or rolling.
POOR PENCIL GRIP. Small hands need strength, stamina, and dexterity for the fine work of drawing and writing. When the hand gets tired, the pencil grip suffers. More time on the monkeybars is probably a good idea.
In fact, for young children, movement is always a good idea. Because for them, learning never sits still.
ABOUT GILL CONNELL
A former early years teacher in Christchurch, New Zealand, today Gill is recognized around the world for her expertise in the field of movement and learning. The Movement Matters on-line course brings Gill’s 25 years of experience to educators, parents, and caregivers to better understand and leverage movement for learning everyday. For more information please go to movingsmart.com.
