Blog Entry: 8th June 2021
The benefits and importance of movement
We are delighted to see the children enjoying our new climbing frames, ladders and monkey bars in the garden this week and wanted to explain a little more why this kind of play and movement is so important to their overall development.
In September 2019 we were lucky enough to have training as a staff team in Rhythmic Movement. Ralls Rhythmic Movement
This helped to further highlight and explain to us why movement is so important for children’s rounded development and for ensuring that they are ‘school ready’.
As children mature they need constant opportunities for movement. Movement strengthens the connection between brain and body through the spine and core, which is essential in underpinning their future health and learning.
Through pulling themselves up, over, down, along, forwards, sideways and backwards children are able to develop muscle strength in their bodies as well as their sense of balance, spatial awareness and ability to operate the left, right, front and rear sides of their brain and bodies.
As children develop from infancy instinctive movements (such as the startle reflex) help the brain to develop, and, as they integrate reflexes (i.e. master the movements) neural pathways for movement are created. Reflexes help to build the central nervous system, create connections to higher level brain function, allow control of voluntary movement, enable balance, stability and flexibility as well as more choice about how children can move.
Without this happening effectively children may display difficulties with:
• maintaining postural control when sitting and standing,
• balance,
• sitting still,
• eye movements,
• spatial awareness and skills,
• co-ordination and motor skills,
• impulse control,
• organization.
It is imperative, therefore, that in their early years of education children are allowed ample opportunities to develop and embed these skills. This, in turn, ensures that they are better prepared and able to cope with the more formal aspects of teaching and learning during their further education.
At playgroup we want to provide opportunities for children to move in different ways and to have the confidence to take risks so that as well as developing physical strength, they discover what their bodies are capable of.
