It is almost mid-July and back-to-school sales are going to start soon. That means fresh boxes of crayons, shiny lunch boxes and new backpacks.
Each of these serves a very specific purpose for the school day, but each also serves a vital role in very unexpected ways.
Let’s look at the backpack, for example. Obviously, it is necessary for ferrying books and other supplies to and from school. Without it, we can probably all agree, much would get lost in the daily grind and shuffle.
But let’s think more deeply.
In order to open a backpack, we must hold one side of the zipper with one hand while gripping the zipper head with the fingers of the other hand and pulling to separate the two. As we do the bag opens. This requires eye-hand coordination in order to manipulate the fingers and hands to the targets on the bag. Eye-hand coordination is also needed when kids get to the classroom and put pencil to paper for writing.
Pulling the zipper pieces apart requires grip strength to grasp each side and pull. It is grip strength that helps kids stabilize a pencil and move it with comfort and control when writing.
Further, pulling the zipper open requires bilateral movement because the two hands are doing different jobs. This bilateral movement means the two halves of the brain must be talking to each other in order to coordinate the action, the left brain controlling what the right side of the body is doing while the left brain controls what the right side of the body is doing. This conversation between the two halves of the brain helps children develop problem-solving skills as well as the ability to be creative and critical thinkers.
Once open and ready to fill, children must grasp the concept of space in order to understand whether the books and supplies will fit inside. When children understand space, they can write more confidently since they understand how much space a letter or word take up on a page.
Once fully stocked and zipped back up, the backpack is hefted onto the back using upper body, core, and even leg strength. This heavy backpack, schlepped from home to bus, through school, and back home, puts pressure on the shoulders and back giving kids vital information about force. Information learned from this pressure onto their joints helps children understand how to move their limbs and what their limbs are doing. When the brain understands what the appendages are doing, it can manipulate them easily for writing and playing.
Imagine how frustrating it would be to use a backpack if none of these strengths and skills are well developed? What is the best way to hone these strengths and skills to curtail and even eliminate frustration? Big body play. Playing with the whole body, as children innately crave, allows them to build strength in the core, arms and legs. Big body play allows them to test space and how their bodies fit and move in the world when they climb up, over or under for example. When they skip or go maneuver across the monkey bars, they are working bilaterally, strengthening that cross brain conversation. When they jump, pull, push and climb in play, they put pressure on their joints so they understand force.
In other words, it is play, big body physical play that will help them build the foundation they need for school whether it is packing their backpack or mastering the 3Rs.
