Learning through movement

Dr Eileen Africa and Sharnay Botha - Does your child have difficulty sitting still in class?Does he have a short attention span and struggle to read or write? Well, the answer is simple: If you want to raise happy, active and smart children, let them move! Children today spend the majority of their school day being sedentary, which leads to numerous problems in their overall development. Children learn by experiencing their world using all of their senses, thus, if movement is restricted, it hinders the learning process.How do children learn and develop?According to Dr Melodie de Jager, every child’s development is like building a house, developing from the foundation up. Each ‘house’ consists of a foundation (physical development), the walls, (emotional development), the windows, (social development) and, lastly, the roof (cognitive development).The foundation of the house is the child’s physical development, which is first to develop. Physical development relies on two specific aspects: The child’s different senses, such as touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing, and the motor movements required to perform different movements. Movement is important, as this is how children explore their environment and discover what their bodies can do. Children will develop gross motor movements before fine motor movements. After a firm physical development foundation is built, the child’s emotional (walls of the house) and social skills (windows), such as emotional and impulse control, develop. Only after this can the child’s cognitive skills develop, which is represented by the roof of the house. The more children move, the stronger the connection between their brain and body becomes. How does movement help learning?· Improves memory· Increases motivation· Improves gross motor skills such as:o Core strengtho Balanceo Bilateral coordinationo Hand-eye coordinationWhat can I do at home to help my child move and learn?· Combine letters and numbers into moving games.· Combine the senses with gross motor movements.· Let them play and discover!Children need to move their bodies to prepare their minds for learning.*Stellenbosch Kinderkinetics, Department of Sport Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch UniversityKASSIEReferences:DE JAGER, M. (2014). Ready to learn, ready for school: A practical guide for parents and caregivers. Welgemoed: Metz Press.DE JAGER, M. & VICTOR, L. (2017). Play, Learn, Know: A child is a work in progress. Welgemoed: Metz Press.GLIGOROVIC, M.; RADI, M. & ILI, D. (2011). Perceptual-motor abilities and prerequisites. Specijalna edukacija i rehabilitacija, 10 (179): 405–434.Definitions:Gross motor skillsThese involve larger movements of the entire body. Examples of these include jumping, running, catching a ball or doing a cartwheel.Fine motor skillsThese skills are involved with smaller movements using the hands and fingers. Some examples include drawing, fastening buttons or tying shoelaces.Bilateral coordinationThis is the ability to use both sides of the body at the same time in a controlled way to perform any activity.

Learning through movement

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Republikein 2025-07-15

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Learning through movement

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