5 super easy ways to integrate movement into learning

Kids need to move to learn.

We know this.  Movement helps keep kids alert and ready to learn.  We know this.  How do kids move? They fidget.  Yes, the dreaded fidget.  I don’t mean a toy,  I mean the moving of the body in some way.  You do it too.  We all do.  Yet somehow in school, or when learning, the adults find it a problem…sometimes.  They bounce their leg, rock in their chair, twirl hair, tap pencils, wiggle their body.  Some kids do it more than others.

How can the adults create OPPORTUNITIES for ORGANIC movement in a kids day? 

Here are  5 super easy ways to Integrate movement into learning in ANY environment.

1. Vary their position. Remember that not all children need to sit down when they are learning. As a matter of fact, children typically do best when they are moving their bodies. So, allowing your child to stand up while writing, or sit on a therapy ball for math, or using a semi inflated beach ball as a move and sit are great ways to provide a little bit of movement while they are working.
2. Make the activity fun and interesting to feed their nervous system and keep them alert for learning. What if your child was learning how to spell words and instead of writing them out 10 times each, you laid out pieces of paper with letters of the alphabet on the floor and they jumped to each letter in order to spell out the spelling word? 

The kid is moving their body, which helps them focus and regulate their bodies for learning. Who can go wrong with that?

3. Put it on the vertical. Puzzles, stickers, drawing.  There’s nothing better than doing any writing on a vertical surface and your sliding glass door or your front window is exactly the place it should be done. (I also use Crayola crayon Slick sticks). These are wax type crayons that easily come off of glass easily with a wipe. When you allow your child to write on a vertical surface it not only brings the child into a standing position (for good attention),  it allows them to strengthen their shoulders– which is super important for having a base for fine motor skills.   PLUS it’s way interesting!
4. Inverting heads.  Place objects (crayons, markers, toys, puzzle pieces) on the floor.  Let the child squat and stand or sit and reach down to get the objects and use them.  Every time you invert the head; it allows the child to get vestibular input- which can be alerting or calming (depending).  It’s a great way to get kids to keep working.
5. Use the core.  Have your child stand on an uneven surface. A wobble board, bosu ball, or even a couch cushion while working.  This will strengthen the core and keep your child in the “just right” place for learning.

Learning is fun and effective with some extra movement!