Movement Activities

I have been introduced to Nurturing Pathways® during a professional development meeting for the School and Family programs of the Seattle Aquarium back at in early October. This meeting was so fun and interesting. I left wanting to learn more about how movement can impact brain development and how to incorporate more movement into educational activities so I sign up for a "Digging Deeper" workshop. 



 Nurturing Pathways® is a program that offers creative dance classes for families, parent education workshops, educators’ workshops, training and certification for instructors and a line of Creative Play Products™. Their curriculum is built upon bonding and attachment, dance concepts, energy coordination patterns, and sensory pathways.



The Digging Deeper Course was about the power, potential, and profound impact of children's physical development on babies through kindergarten. I learned what the connection is between the body and the brain and its impact on learning. I also learned about how you can address specific issues from infancy through kindergarten with fun dance activities anybody can do. Finally, I learned how a world movement and dance can help in getting a child school ready.

Nurturing Pathways® opened my eyes to how important movement is to children's (birth to kindergarten) physical development especially in today's society in which they are many hindrances to healthy development so as container care for babies, high obesity rates and too much screen time.

 Hindrances to Healthy Development

 

Container Care

Baby containment in bumbo seats, bouncy seats, excersaucers, Johnny Jump Ups, infant seats, highchairs and infant swings for long periods of time restricts motor development by propping in positions.

 

Obesity Rates

In 2008, 14.6% of low-income families with children 2-4 were obese and spent only 3.4% of the preschool day engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity. (NIEER, Preschool Matters Jan/Feb 2010 Vol.8 No.1).  46% of all elementary schools in the United States have eliminated recess.

 

Screen Time

Babies learn 6-8 fewer words per hour of TV with the greatest harmful effects from 8-16 months (ILABS Seattle, WA 2010). Studies have shown that excessive media can lead to attention problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders, and obesity (AAP 2013).

 

 

The Six Building Blocks of What Should Be Learned
 

Proprioception:

Knowing where your body is in space in relationship to others and objects. This is developed through heavy work, press, push, reach, and pull.  It provides inner security and safety.

 

Vestibular:

Position and movement of the head in relation to gravity which maintains posture and balance. The child's confidence is grounded in a strong sense of balance. Makes them feel capable.

 

Tactile:

Touch sensations tells us about our body position, activity and stability. Touching creates the framework for body image, movement patterns and motor planning.

 

Body Image:

Seeing your physical self with your mind's eyes.

 

Movement Patterns:

The basic neurological patterns of upper/lower, body side (homo-lateral), and body cross (cross-lateral). The ability to integrate them into complex sequences of movement.

 

Motor Planning:

The body's ability to break down a task and move smoothly through all the steps and navigating space successfully by using the motor patterns.



Now that you know how important movement is for a child's development, here are a few tips and hints on how you can incorporate movement in your activities for children Birth through Preschool.

Infant Movement Activities:

• It's All About Tummy Time!

It is recommended by The American Academy of Pediatrics to place babies on their backs to sleep and their tummies to play as part of a daily routine. Tummy time helps develop the muscles in their back, neck, and trunk, all of which are important to meet all their infant development milestones.

Here is a video showing the top 5 tummy time moves you can do as soon as your baby is born:

Pathways.org

 

 

• Massage the babies to wake up their awareness of body parts
• Waltz with the baby in your arms
• Sing nursery songs and move the baby's body in rhythm to stimulate their motor development
• With the use of big balls, you can roll babies, tip and tilt, and bounce them on top once they are sitting up independently
• Use quality instruments for them to shake
• March, slide, skip, and turn with the baby in your arms to develop their beat competency
• TAKE THEIR SOCKS OFF (much of their sensory receptors are at the bottom of their feet) and give them inviting spaces to practice their motor skills

1-2 Year Olds Movement Activities:

• Sing nursery rhymes and chants with the Basic Neurological Patterns (upper/lower, body side or homo-lateral, and body cross or cross lateral)
• Dancing with scarves and streamers
• Marching, sliding, turning, forward, backwards, up, down, side to side movements
• Simple Obstacle courses

Wobbler/Toddler Obstacle Course

• Play with quality instruments
• Simple circle social dances (Come in and say hello, go out and say goodbye, and slide around the circle

3-5 Year Olds Movement Activities:

• Body Puzzle Shapes
• Instruments to play with
• Partner dances with friends (mirroring one another or shadowing behind)
• Obstacle courses that include balancing, moving backwards and using other gross motor skills
• Movement stories
• Playing with streamers and scarves while listening to music
• Brain Dances

The Brain Dance Warm Up: Children's Morning Coffee

Adapted from Anne Gilbert's BrainDance(c)

 

Moving through the Basic Neurological Patterns is a great way to bring movement and thinking together. Use this warm-up to get you ready for a physical or mental task, or to recuperate when you are stressed or fatigued. You can create your own variations within each pattern. Feel free to try it while standing, sitting or lying on the floor.

 

The Brain Dance is a sequential exercise create with the following patterns: Breath, Tactile, Core- Distal, Head-Tail, Upper-Lower, Body Half, Cross Lateral, and Vestibular. The Brain Dance integrates mind and body, and can easily be adapted for all ages and abilities.

 

http://karenbodyofknowledge.com/workshops-and-classes/braindance/

 

Breath

Deep, full breathing to oxygenate the brain and body, and release anti-stress hormones. Make sure to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Did you know that our typical breath only uses 10% of our lung capacity. Oxygen is brain food and it quiets the mind.

 

Tactile

Touching your skin and parts of your body from your toes up to your head invigorating taps, squeezes, and light brushes. Do 3 different types of touch:  deep pressure, waking up and light touch. Each kind of tactile touch has a different effect on the nervous system to prepare it for learning.

 

Core Distal

Movements that center around the core center of the body (small) and then expand away from the center (large). Opening and closing the body using breaths. Pretend that you have six limbs: your head is a limb and you have a long tail. Stretch, extending from the center limbs like a starfish and then pull all of your limbs toward your center.

 

Head Tail

Undulate and twist the spine fluidly in many directions. With arms at your sides, move your hips around to the left, right, swishing like a fish. Curve forward in the shape of the letter C and then carefully arch your back like a dolphin. 

 

Upper Lower

Freeze the lower body while the upper body moves freely. Twist your spine, swing your arms, rill your shoulders and shake hands. Next, freeze the upper body while moving the lower. March in place, swing one leg and then the other, shake a leg and then the other, try jumping without moving your upper body.

 

Body Half

Freeze the left side of the body and only move the right side. Freeze the right side of the body and only move the left side. Pretend to be a puppet by bringing the right elbow and right knee together. Do the same thing on the left side. Open your body  like a book, and then close it, switching sides. Crawl on your belly like a slimy lizard.

 

Cross Lateral

Brings opposite sides of the body together at the same time. Bring your right elbow toward your left knee. Alternate on the other side. Tap your hand against your opposite heel behind you. Creep on your hands and knees through space just like a furry little puppy.

 

Vestibular

Spinning, turning, rocking, bouncing and leaping to mix the fluid in the inner ear. Give yourself a hub and gently turn around in one direction and then the other. Hang the head upside down, then right side up. Arms swing together in a wide arch from above the head to the floor.

Fun Movement Activities About All Things Nature
 
We all know how vital movement is in early childhood for promoting a healthy lifestyle. It also allows a child to understand what her or his body can do and allows them to express their feelings. So here are a few ideas for fun movement activities about all things Nature.
 
Life Cycles:

Story of a Tree:
Make up a story dance about the life cycle of a tree and leaf. Start out as a seed, then a seedling, tree trunk, branches (don't forget to sway in the breeze and bend in strong winds), and leaf (don't forget to blow off the tree and swirl all the way to the ground).

Butterfly Story Dance:
Start out by being rolled up in a ball (Egg). When you "hatch", stretch out, then wiggle along the floor while munching leaves until your are big and fat (Caterpillar). Your body is ready to change so curl up and hold still for 30 seconds (Chrysalis). You are finally ready to "emerge". Shake out your wings then fly to the snack table to drink nectar from flowers which can be juice from cups (Butterfly).
 
Acting Out Animals:

Sea Creatures:
Act out where they live, how they eat, and how they protect themselves.
For example:



Hermit crabs scurry around on rocks, they are scavengers, hide in snail shell and have exoskeleton.
Anemones have their bodies stick to rocks, and they pull in their tentacles when tide is out. They catch fish with sticky tentacles, protect themselves with stingers and some can even swim away.
Sea urchin have tube feet that stick to rocks, eat seaweed with 5 teeth, protect themselves with spines and hard shell.
Barnacles are glued onto rocks, use legs to catch food, and protect themselves with their shell.






 
Marching Ants:
I have always loved the "Ants Go Marching One by One" song. Teach your kids the song and then practice marching like ants while you sing. Children can form an ant's body (head, thorax, abdomen) by dividing into groups of three. Make sure you have the second and third child hold the shoulders in front of them.

 


Move Like a Grasshopper:
Here is a fun grasshopper chant to explore the motions of a grasshopper.
 
Grasshopper, grasshopper, on the hill
Grasshopper, grasshopper, stay so still (everyone stay still) 
Grasshopper, grasshopper, eat a grass lunch
Grasshopper, grasshopper, crunch, munch, munch (everyone pretend to eat)


Grasshopper, grasshopper, on the ground
Grasshopper, grasshopper, look around (everyone look around)
Grasshopper, grasshopper, jump up high
Grasshopper, grasshopper, fly to the sky (everyone jump up high)
 
Parachute Play:
If you do not have access to a parachute, you can do this activity with a large sheet or blanket. Have a stuffed animal at each child's feet. Call out a type of animal, for example, "All birds in!" and have the kids with that type of animal throw it into the center of the sheet. everyone moves the sheet so that the animals bounce like popcorn. It is also fun to try to bounce out certain types of animals off the sheet. 
 
Dramatic Play:
 
Gardening:
Provide children with child-sized rakes, shovels, garden gloves, aprons, empty seed packets, flower pots, watering cans, plastic flowers, fruits, and vegetable.
 
Underwater exploration:
Provide children with child-sized dive gear such as wet suits, masks, snorkels, fins. Also provides marine related stuffed animals.
 
Camping:
Provide children with sleeping bags, backpacks, a small tent, flashlights, a camp cooking set, pretend food, binoculars, maps and magnifiers. Also add plush deer, bears, squirrels, foxes, birds, etc. to complete their forest adventure! 
 
Games:
 

 
Swim, Fly, or Run Away:
When a predator is near, many animals stay still. If the predator comes too close, they will swim, fly or run away as fast as they can. Predators sneak up on their prey by moving slowly and quietly, but if their prey starts to flee, they will try to chase them. For this activity, take turns being predators and prey. When you are a predator, practice sneaking by moving slowly and quietly, and then try chasing after your prey. When you are prey, practice freezing and fleeing. When a predator catches its prey, switch roles.



http://hqworld.net/gallery/details.php?image_id=22087&sessionid=0589fe08b92a9d99d5d2a2e34c16bdb8

 
Quiet as a Mouse:
This is another fun prey-predator type game. You will need a large open area and some tokens to represent mouse food. Scatter the tokens in the area. Select the "owl" and have it stand in the middle with their eyes closed. The other children will be "mice" and have them make a large circle around the owl. To start, select a mouse (unknown to he owl) to go and "forage" for a food token and return to the circle (anywhere) without being heard by the owl. The owl's job is to listen. If he/she hears the mouse, they should point in the direction of the sound and say "Mouse!". If the mouse if caught, it returns to its position in the circle and a new mouse will be chosen. Choose a different owl when a mouse is caught or when 3 mice have successfully returned to their nest with food tokens.
 
"Simon Says" The Vertebrate Version:
First, make sure you demonstrate the motions for all of the commands. Some good examples are:
"Fly like a bird"
"Hop like a rabbit"
"Slither like a snake"
"Walk like a bear"
"Swim like a shark"
Start the game by calling out the commands in random order and having the kids act out the movements. Instruct the kids NOT to do the movements if the command does not make sense. After a few turns, change a command to make it silly, for example "Hop like a shark". Have Fun!