Want to Know How to Enhance Learning in Your Homeschool? Get Moving! (Movement Matters Part 1)
Bodies in Motion
We know physical exercise is good for our bodies. Staying active across the lifespan promotes overall good health and mental well-being. But did you know regular physical exercise can also boost brainpower?
Movement and the Brain
Old thinking attributed the health benefits of exercise to just the body. Today we know movement provides other benefits as well. For example, the movement promotes the flow of oxygen to the brain. When the brain receives more oxygen, new brain cells are formed.
When new brain cells are formed, new synapses are then formed. Synapses are the space between nerve cells in which impulses or “messages” are passed via neurotransmitters. Physical activity helps to build new neural network pathways in the brain, a concept known as neuroplasticity.
Too much jargon? Think of it in this way. When we remain sedentary for too long, it is as though our brain is a commuter train just sitting stationary on the track with nowhere to go. Why? Because there is not enough track built! And it has no fuel to move forward. When we move, it’s as though we are laying new tracks and installing charging stations.
The movement also boosts our neurons’ (nerve cells) ability to effectively communicate with one another which leads to increased thinking power (cognition), reduced stress, and increased energy.
Now, not only does your commuter train have fresh miles of track being built on the regular, but it is also able to talk to central station and all of the other trains with an abundance of fuel to boot.
Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
Bottom line: Moving helps us think.
Check out this YouTube video from The Dana Foundation on How Exercise Affects the Brain.
Impacts on Learning
Studies have shown movement:
Enhances Memory, Focus, and Concentration. Exercise improves learning efficiency. The hippocampus, which is responsible for short-term memory and learning, needs time to process new information. Taking stretch breaks during long study sessions or pausing to get the wiggles out when presented with new content allows the brain to refocus when students return to the lesson.
Increases Academic Performance. Recent research conducted by the Center for Educational Neuroscience indicates that children who completed twenty minutes of aerobic exercise exhibited improvement in math and reading performance scores.
Boosts Listening Skills. The same study by the Center for Educational Neuroscience showed the more physical exercise children engaged in, the better their listening skills (with greater positive outcomes for children diagnosed with ADHD).
Makes Learning Fun. Exercise increases serotonin and dopamine, the “feel good” chemicals in the brain. When my son was in first grade and learning to count syllables in words for spelling, I spread foam circles out on the floor. I had him “hop” from one foam circle to the next to demonstrate the correct number of syllables for whatever word we were learning at the time. Adding movement made learning to spell fun.
Fosters Student Engagement. Athough I have a classroom of “one,” there have been times when my solo student was “roaming the hall.” I began to notice an increased need to move during handwriting lessons (our nemesis). Which led to…
Improvement in Handwriting – Physical exercise can help build overall muscle strength. Targeted exercise can help build core strength. Proper handwriting requires much more than just hand strength for proper grip. It requires having enough core strength to sit upright in a chair, hold one’s arm on the desk, and then grip the pencil with the proper amount of force. Hard enough to not have it fall from the student’s hand yet not so hard that the pencil is snapped in half.
Sharpens Social Skills. Ah, socialization. The old cliche and dreaded question (or comment) of EVERY homeschool parent. Physical activity is important for healthy development in general, but it also helps kids develop their social skills. Team sports, for example, help children understand rules, learn how to read nonverbal cues, work as a team, and adopt leadership roles.
Check out this YouTube Video from Edutopia on The Science Behind Brain Breaks.
Give Me a “Brain” Break
When should you use brain breaks in your homeschool?
LIBERALLY!
We start our day with movement such as a morning walk or a virtual P.E. (see below for a list of our favorite channels) and take breaks as needed.
We incorporate movement into our day as much as possible. Often right after a lesson, we get the blood flowing with something as simple as gentle stretching like bending at the waist. Typically, we break once every two hours for a 10-15 minute movement break like jumping on our mini trampoline or participating in a stuffie scavenger hunt around the house (a favorite).
Recess is a big deal around here where we head outside for a half hour (weather permitting) to go for a walk around the neighborhood to visit the pond, admire, our neighbor’s garden, play on the playset in the backyard, or indulge in some sidewalk chalk art.
And sometimes we move DURING our lessons, like pedaling a recumbent bike while reading, moving our legs against tension bands wrapped around the bottom of our chairs, rocking slowly side to side in our roller chairs, or gently bouncing on a yoga ball to answer questions or while we take an oral spelling test.
Recess and brain breaks aside, physical activity outside our home is equally important. While I am ever mindful not to overschedule, it is nice to have someone else teach a subject now and then, especially when it’s P.E. In the past, we have participated in gymnastics, archery, and karate. Currently, we enjoy swimming, homeschool group P.E. classes, and golf.
Brain Break Ideas:
Virtual P.E.
Weather not cooperating for outdoor activities? Living in Texas, we are all too familiar with the experience of scorching triple-digit summers that seem to last for six months. 🥵 Not to worry, we enjoy YouTube Schooling as part of our routine.
Here are a few of our favorite channels:
Coming Up
Join us next week for the second part of our Movement Matters series. In next week’s blog post we will explore how movement impacts sensory processing and motor planning.
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Blessings,
Kimberly
IOH Mom
This website is not a professional counseling website and nothing here should be construed as professional counseling advice. Although Kimberly Bennett, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor, she is not your counselor, and no counselor-client relationship is established unless she has signed an agreement with you. All information provided through this website is for informational and educational purposes only.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement. Thanks for visiting!
