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As an infant,
virtually all of a child's learning takes place through movement. As he
crawls on his belly, and later creeps on his hands and knees, a baby moves
in order to explore the world. This early movement is instrumental in
developing a child's brain.
By kindergarten age, we often wrongly assume that children no longer need
movement in order to learn. We expect them to sit still and engage in
quiet activities such as listening, reading or writing. However, in eliminating
movement from the learning environment, we do children a grave disservice.
For preschool-aged children, movement provides a vital link between the
body and the mind.
Movement
is Important
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Movement
develops neural connections. Movement actually builds the brain!
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Movement helps children to retain what they've learned. Children remember
only 20% of what they hear and 30% of what they see. But children
remember 90% of what they see, hear, say and DO! |
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Movement
develops visual-spatial awareness, which is important in letter recognition
and mathematical understanding. |
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Movement is fun and engaging, and motivates children to learn.
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Many adults
shy away from engaging in movement activities with children because they
feel they don't know enough about movement. So, here we offer simple movement
activities for preschoolers which can easily be led by a teacher or parent.
Try These
Simple Activities
Body Shapes
Have your child use his or her body to create the shapes of letters and
numbers, or of geometric forms such as triangles, circles or squares.
These shapes can be created in a standing position, or with the child
lying on the floor. For fun, see if the two of you can create shapes together.
Body Writing
Ask your child to write letters and numbers, or draw shapes and pictures,
in the air. This can be done with the hands, feet, elbows, the head, or
any other body part that your child chooses. For added enjoyment, allow
the child to hold a crepe paper streamer in one hand while writing and
drawing. This activity is great for developing hand-eye coordination.
Copy Cat
Have your child face you and copy your simple movements such as stretching
high, circling your head, or swaying from side to side. Then let your
child take a turn to being the leader. It's nice to do this activity to
slow, relaxing music. Playing Copy Cat will help your child to develop
visual-spatial awareness.
Free Dance
Dance freely with your child to musical selections with different rhythms,
tempos (slow and fast), pitches (high and low) and volumes (loud and soft).
Practice reacting with your body to what you hear. For example, dance
with strong, powerful movements when the music is loud, and light, delicate
movements when the music is soft. Dancing to music develops listening
skills. It's also lots of fun!
The fact that your child is tired of sitting still doesn't mean that learning
has to stop. Try the activities I've suggested, or develop some of your
own. Get your kindergartner out of that chair, and let him learn the way
his body does best -- through movement!
About
the Author Helen
Landalf has been teaching Creative Movement to children since 1987.
She also frequently presents workshops for teachers on using movement
in the curriculum. Helen is the author of five books for teachers on using
movement and drama in the classroom, including Movement Stories for
Children (co-authored with Pamela Gerke).
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