Why do those tiny toes “need to wiggle”?…

Movement has a profound effect on every area of a child’s life – physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively. We make movement fun! If children like moving, stretching, dancing, tumbling or cheering, they are more likely to incorporate exercise into their lives down the road. This is especially important as childhood obesity and the ensuing health problems are on the rise.

Children who possess good movement skills gain confidence because they can easily navigate the world around them – making it easier to participate in games with friends and keep up with peers on the playground. Movement can help us express our emotions and even releases “feel good chemicals” in the brain that have a positive effect on our emotions.

Children who participate in movement activities actually learn skills that will help them improve in the classroom. Movement stimulates motor skill development, coordination, attention span, spatial awareness, balance, and increases muscle tone and self confidence.

Researchers have traced a pathway from the cerebellum to parts of the brain involved in memory, attention and spatial perception. They discovered that the part of the brain that processes movement is the same part of the brain that processes learning…thus creating a link between movement and learning¹.

A study² found that exercise activity increases neuronal growth, which positively correlates with improved learning. Children who are exposed to an environment that is rich with various activities and learning opportunities at a young age can experience greater stimulation and greater number of interconnections in the brain³.

Our activities and classes also include games to facilitate skills for crossing the midline and bilateral Integration. This process is important because the brain uses the same neural connections used in reading, writing, and math. As adults, we take the process of reading and writing from left to right for granted; however, this is a learned skill that requires lots of repetition before it becomes an unconscious process⁴.

Our games and activities are age specific and focus on appropriate developmental milestones.

So you can get those tiny toes wiggling and giggling!

1. Jenson 2000
2. Rhodes and Courneya 2003
3. Stevens-Smith 2006
4. Hannaford (1995) [L1]