Childhood Movement:

Fun Now, Academic Achievement Later

Movement is part of being a child. When children run, jump, climb, crawl under and over objects, and spin around they are actually practicing many skills. While it simply looks like pure fun and games, these motor skills lay the foundation for learning. Their ability to master these movements directly affects their reading, writing, and abstract thinking.

What’s more, research – and our own clients’ experiences – have shown that providing opportunities for a wide range of movement activities when a child is young may help eliminate or minimize certain types of learning disabilities.

Teachers and educators of young children should look for ways to include movement opportunities and activities throughout the day. Not only will you be helping the children improve their strength and coordination, you will enjoy fewer discipline problems. Most importantly, you will be laying the foundation for handwriting, creative writing, reading comprehension and critical thinking.

Following are recommendations for movements that may help develop specific skills needed for academic achievement:

• Avoiding perceptual problems- Certain problems with  perception aren't typically identified until the demands of second grade.  The activities that relate directly are those incorporating movement on opposite sides of the body such as crawling, hand-over-hand climbing and moving on a balance beam

• Building strength for fine motor skills – Preschoolers who have many opportunities to develop their shoulders and upper arm muscles have better fine motor control for handwriting. Since we develop from our trunk out to our hands, we need to work on strengthening the upper arms and shoulders before expecting the hands and fingers to be well coordinated. Climbing on jungle gyms, wheelbarrow walking, crawling through tunnels and under obstacles, working at the easel and doing exaggerated arm movements during finger plays and songs can help develop muscles needed for writing.

• Preparing for planning and organizational skills – Children learn from concrete to abstract and their bodies provide the most concrete experience for planning and organizational skills. A child must first experience controlling his body in space before he can organize pictures and letters on a page. Also, children who have many opportunities to use their bodies in a predetermined sequence (as in an obstacle course or movement song) are learning the abstract sequencing skills of beginning, middle and end, and how to order and plan. Anticipating the next segment and experiencing closure are important skills required on the abstract level for reading comprehension and creative thinking.

• Developing abstract thinking – When children move their bodies, they are simultaneously stimulating the corresponding areas of the brain that relate to abstract thinking. Movement on the right side of the body stimulates the left side of the brain, which in turn controls systematic, convergent thinking. Conversely, movement on the left side of the body stimulates the right side of the brain, which is associated with creative, divergent thinking. Obviously, both types of thinking are necessary for problem solving, generalizing and applying information and developing ideas. When both sides of the body are involved, it physiologically stimulates the connections between the two sides of the brain and literally helps the child develop more cohesive and extensive thinking skills. This includes activities such as crawling, jumping, running, swinging, using large manipulatives and materials requiring two hands. Also helpful are activities where children cross the midline, such as “Simon says touch your right ear with your left hand.”

• Social/emotional development - Movement has a direct impact on social and emotional development.  In fact, discipline problems are often related to restricted or inadequate movement opportunities. For many children, a short period of play outside each day is not adequate.  They need access to a variety of movement activities throughout the day.  Any classroom can provide these activities no matter how small the space or restricted the budget.  For example, make a tunnel by putting a blanket over the table; use sturdy milk crates for building; place masking tape over the floor to "jump over the river"; jump through large hoops; have children stretch big elastic bands using two different parts of their body.

So, when planning your class curriculum, look for ways to include movement opportunities throughout the day.  The children under your care will reap the benefits.