Wednesday, March 5, 2014

What's the Big Deal About Keeping kids Active?

IMAGE: Steve Nash Youth Basketball Coach
We've heard it over and over- we need to keep kids active so they can be healthier and happier, but in addition to this and helping to combat obesity, did you know that daily physical movement is necessary to help the brain develop?

In fact, movement is a vital element of learning for all children.

Movement helps our primitive brains break down and use the information being received by the other senses so that the correct response and action can be  determined by the higher brain.

As we are starting to see, with the elimination of recess, the push for 'Common Core' and more "rigorous" standardized testing, when a child's academic learning is pushed too much (or too soon), before the body has even had a chance to move as an integrated whole, the entire central nervous system suffers - including the brain- as it becomes overloaded with stimulus. A developing brain, or a brain in a body that is not encouraged to move cannot process or make sense of, let alone know what to do with this information, so it shuts down to protect itself, much like a circuit breaker does when too much power flows through the wiring in your house.

This shut down is commonly known as the stress response or the "fight or flight response". It is involuntary and happens when adrenaline is forced into the system due to fear, confusion, embarrassment, anger, etc. and is the brain's way of protecting you from overloaded circuits and the damage that results. This is the body's natural response to stress and the threat of danger, but many things can trigger it., especially fear of failure.

When the brain is in a stress response, it is not capable of processing, remembering or learning anything. The only things it can do is "fight" or take "flight". Forced learning creates a stress response exactly like this and a student's  brain automatically down, which causes the parent/teacher to impose more homework, remedial drills, etc. and the student shuts down even more. They may even feel something is "wrong" with them. This cycle of forced learning & sustained stress takes its toll on the children. Confidence, motivation & self-esteem plummets, as learning becomes more tedious. Lack of motivation, defiance & even physical illness can occur. In many cases,the child, and sometimes even the parent or teacher has no idea why this all is happening.

As parents and educators, it is our job to show and allow children how to re-pattern daily routines. They cannot sit at a desk all day-for 6 or more hours-and not move around. Children NEED movement and need to release the stress in the physical body-and also need to allow the brain time to process and re-set in between learning or building new skills.

Its a known fact that physical movement helps the brain to integrate, but art, music, and other creative activities also support brain development. There is a TON of scientific data to support this.
(see below for some links)

I am in the process of launching our newest venture (website is in progress) - Recreation Education Consultants to help address some of these points. I am developing new recreation programs that will help kids naturally engage, create, de-stress and prepare for learning, all while having fun! The schedule is being finalized now for camp & school programs-as well as educator's workshops for the Pennsylvania, and New Jersey areas.

We invite you to join us-in person or online-to see what's going on!

~Barbara

Further Reading:

Your Brain (The Franklin Institute)

Optimizing Motor and Brain Development Through Movement

Brain Boost: Sport and Physical Activity Enhance Children's Learning






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