Incorporating Movement into Learning Activities

Let’s explore the exciting world where movement and learning come together. From standing up during conversations to using music and dance in learning activities, these fun approaches not only boost focus, memory, and creativity, they also make learning fun. Here are some ways to infuse the joy of movement  into your child’s everyday learning. As children regularly participate in these types of activities, you can monitor the ways their physical abilities and cognitive skills grow, as well as what developmental milestones they are meeting. For guidance on checking in with your child’s growth, contact your Child Development Center.

Standing Up

Introducing more opportunities to do things while standing up is not just a physical change, it’s a positive step towards enhancing learning and well-being. Standing while doing things like coloring, building with blocks, or even when sharing stories about your day can help children gain more energy, increase blood flow, and circulate oxygen to the brain, which improves focus and boosts memory.

Acting It Out

Children love to play pretend. Engaging in role-play activities helps get them excited about learning new things and is a great way to show children real-life examples of what they are learning. Try things like pretending to cook together while using real pots, pans, and spoons, or play “house,” where your children get to be the parents and their stuffed animals need to get dressed and go down for a nap.

Role play also helps children learn to see things from different perspectives, and encourages a sense of togetherness and empathy among their peers. Try acting out different scenes from favorite books, reenacting historical events, or acting out events that are coming up that might be a hard transition for your child, such as bringing home a new baby or going to a new early education center. Playing pretend helps children feel more comfortable and confident in a variety of situations. 

Sing and Dance

Incorporating music, singing, and simple dance moves into everyday learning has been shown to help children retain key concepts, form new memories, and improve their cognitive development by engaging various areas of the brain associated with memory, reasoning, and concentration. Research has found that music makes learning memorable, helping children focus and remember information better by linking what they are learning to catchy songs and rhythms. Music also improves language and literacy skills by introducing new words to children, which increases their vocabulary and their understanding of their language. 

Try including hand movements in conversations with your children, creating songs to go along with new topics or when learning how to do new activities, or even make up little dances to go along with everyday tasks!

Change the Scenery

Changing the environment can help children learn better, feel more positive, and be more creative. This can mean taking a different route when walking around the neighborhood or around the house, or taking activities such as drawing, painting, and even reading to a new place. Small changes, like sitting in a different spot, can also make a big difference. This is one of many reasons  why it’s always a good idea to take children outside and encourage them to explore and be active. A change of scenery and breathing in some fresh air can improve their focus and  learning.

Incorporating physical activity into everyday tasks can improve children’s ability to retain and understand information. Simple changes can give children the chance to learn even more from the people and places around them.

Remember, every child develops at a different pace, but there are some general timelines for meeting developmental milestones. Is your child reaching their milestones? It’s easy to check!  Developmental screenings are free evaluations that help families celebrate milestones and help identify any concerns a family may have about their child’s development. Screenings are available at Child Development Centers across Wyoming – find yours here.