Movement, Happy, Thought!

If you love to work with young children, then, like me, you love to move, and movement plays a central role in Listen, Move, Think! The graphic below gives you a basic idea of why gross motor movement is essential to engaging kids in productive conversations about their thinking.

Listen, Move, Think! is rooted in our understanding of brain development.

Movement - Motor Program

The motor program is one of the first areas of the brain to develop and is used throughout our lives. Beginning with this helps ground children's bodies to learning.

Happy - Limbic System

As you know, the limbic system controls our emotions and seems to come "online" right after the terrible twos, or so it was for our daughter. We spend much time helping young children control their impulses and outbursts. When a child is emotionally out-of-control, developing her critical thinking is impossible.

Thought - Cerebral Cortex

We are expected to get children to remember simple facts, spell words correctly, or think critically. Our goal is cognition. A way to achieve this is to begin with movement. They move, are happy, and are more inclined to think and communicate: 1) Movement, 2) Happy, and 3) Thought. Easy-peasy.

Keep this simple three-word process in mind as you approach all learning interactions. 

If you have a question, reach out.

Dr. Mark