8 Reasons kids need to move – besides the obvious ones!
Simply put; movement supports your child’s development in all aspects of their life.
Sure, we know the physical development of motor skills, strong bones, muscles and healthy heart, all of which are all SUPER important. But what about all the other really important areas that are less noticeable? Let’s talk about them too.
1.Movement builds new neural pathways in the brain. That means our brains get better at learning new things, responding to stresses and recovering from any kind of brain injury.
2.Movement encourages more tactile learning, or physical learning, and muscle memory. This is called kinaesthetic memory. Often, we can learn and retain new skills better when we move.
3.Movement improves spatial awareness or orientation. You’d be amazed at all the ways we use spatial awareness. All day, every day as we move through life and space! It also plays a part in learning the order of numbers and other maths problems, understanding directions and map reading, maintaining personal space in social situations and even understanding grammar and sentence structure!
4.Movement supports balance. Sounds basic, but without balance we wouldn’t be able to move around without injuring ourselves!
5.Movement encourages children to express their emotions and release stress and anxiety. Notice how much better you feel after a good run or dancing to a great song? Same thing. (read more about this here)
6.Movement helps develop cooperation and interaction. As children move through the different stages of play, they eventually manage to play cooperatively. This skill is crucial later, for school, sports and life!
7.Movement promotes confidence and helps self-esteem. If your child can move with strength and ease, they will naturally be able to carry out physical tasks. When they manage one thing, they’ll have the confidence to try the next, and just like building blocks, their ability and confidence will grow.
8.Movement improves concentration. This one’s closely linked to the first one, and you may wonder if concentration really matters for pre-schoolers…well, I’d say it helps with parent sanity! Whenever I play with my kids for a few minutes I have noticed that I can leave them to amuse themselves for a little while afterwards. I’ll either leave them with the bits and bobs we’ve been playing with or give them another task. They’re able to get on with something by themselves – which signals coffee break for me! What’s actually happened is the movement has increased the blood flow to the brain which is making those neurons fire up and get ready to learn.
More and more research is being published which proves how good – and important – movement is to the learning process.
Why not challenge yourself to get your family moving more this March?
Happy playing!
x Pam
Read our other inspiration blog about getting started with a new habit, to help you get moving in March.
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