Movement Matters!

The Body is the Brain’s First Teacher

And the Lesson Plan is Movement

Movement is at the forefront of early childhood development. All learning begins with the body and is linked to movement. Movement multiplies physical capacity and magnifies sensory perception, opening critical pathways in a child’s brain needed to reach their full developmental potential. From crawling to standing, walking to jumping, every move a young child makes leads to learning.

In movement class at Reagan Academy, we practice the eight basic locomotor movements: walking, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, galloping, sliding, and leaping. Movement is so critically important, it is one of the functions the brain automates in the early years of a child’s life. Automaticity, movement without having to think about it, creates efficiencies in the brain and frees up processing power for more complex thinking, reasoning, and imagination. When movement becomes automated, the child’s mind will be free to think.

Each child develops uniquely, according to the needs of their own individual brain. Developing locomotor skills in a different order, or skipping a step, is not necessarily cause for concern, so long as the child continues to show signs of progress. Repetition aligns the body and brain. It creates muscle memory and automates movement. This is why we practice the eight basic locomotor skills at school. We encourage your support by having your student practice these movements at home. This will help enhance their automaticity and expand their progress, growth, and learning experience.