Vestibular Development
This is just one vital part of the brain’s need for movement from the body. We have 18 strengths and skills we see as consistently weak in kids and it is impacting how they attend, behave and learn.
Keep in mind:
There has been a cultural shift since the days of old. There are more families where both parents work and need extended childcare, more neighborhoods where there are no safe outdoor places to play, more fear of child abductions, and an unending availability of screen-based content. After School time can no longer be depended upon to fill the physicality gap, and the burden falls on schools. Unfortunately, schools are restricting recess and PE just when children need it most. If we are truly going to educate our children, we must do it in a developmentally appropriate way. That means being intentional about including time for big-body physical play.
If we continue to reduce time for physicality during the school day, then these developmentally necessary strengths and skills won’t build as they should. And children’s brains will continue to make their bodies move, lacking the self-regulation and self-control needed for school success.
It is incumbent upon us to argue for more physicality in the school day, both during classroom time and with increased recess and PE time, to bridge the developmental and physical literacy gaps in children. A simple game of tag to get the heart pumping or a heavy crate of books to push across the room can make a world of difference for our children, classrooms, and teachers.
