Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/lets-ge/5027278/
*Supporting figures can be found in the pdf version of this article.
Through our experiences teaching young children and in our current work supporting educators, we have often heard adults and ourselves saying to children during daily interactions in the learning environment, “let’s get our wiggles out!” Yet, if we close our eyes and imagine an infant, young toddler, or preschooler in their home or school environment, we would most likely see a child that is moving. From birth, children’s exploration of the world begins with sensorimotor movements that direct their discoveries of the world around them. Moving is a key ingredient in young children’s development. Yet, experts are increasingly concerned about the reduction of physical activity in children’s daily lives, which suggests that preschool children are not moving quite as much as we think (Virgilio & Clements, 2020).
The Importance of Moving to Learn
Emerging fields such as Mind Brain Education Science (Tokuhama-Espinosa, 2014; 2018) help educators re-examine once held beliefs about learning and the brain, leading to more informed decisions about practices that support brain development. As far as moving goes, MBE Science affirms that learning engages the entire physiology; meaning that the body and brain interact to play an important ...