This post is from contributor Heather Haupt
My mom slipped into the back of my first grade classroom one morning to observe her struggling daughter. That bright little girl was starting to wither this year and she wanted to know why.
She found me perched on the end of my chair in the back corner of the classroom. As the instruction continued from up front, I began to fidget and then quietly get up, walking around my desk before sitting back down. This scenario repeated itself every 15 minutes. My need to move, combined with some bad teaching methods, led my parents to pull me out of school and begin our homeschool adventure over 27 years ago…
Now, not all kids are this extreme, but when our bodies are held perfectly still, the brain shuts down. And yet this is precisely what our culture wants children to do and how we define the setting for “getting an education.” Sit still, pay attention, stop fidgeting.
But you, dear mother, have the opportunity to buck this counter-productive cultural expectation. One of the beauties of homeschooling is that you are not bound to a desk where your child must sit with minimal breaks from 8 every morning until 2 or 3 in the afternoon.
Embracing our children’s need to move is important because:
- Movement hardwires the brain to learn. Children need rough and tumble play; they need to hang upside down from the monkey bars and all kinds of normal childhood play – not simply because it is fun and enjoyable, but because it actually wires their brains to learn.
- Movement anchors learning into long-term memory. There is something powerful about letting a child march while reciting multiplication tables, dramatize a scene from a history lesson, conduct a hands-on science experiment, or play with playdough while you read aloud to them. Movement acts like glue and helps cement what they are learning into their working memory.
- Movement wakes-up the brain. It does this by providing a much-needed oxygen boost. Even taking simple movement breaks throughout the day will work wonders to improve brain function.
- Movement increases our focus. Discharging pent-up energy, along with getting that oxygen boost, helps us to think more clearly and focus on the task at hand. Taking short, frequent breaks will go a long way towards increasing focus and productivity.
While all children need to learn how to sit still in the proper settings, you don’t need to practice that all day, every day. Homeschooling affords you the flexibility to embrace your child’s individual need for movement in order to maximize their learning potential.
Aren’t you glad that we can let the children move?
Heather H
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I’m the mom of an EXTREME kinesthetic learner. I struggled to get his teacher and school administrators to understand that NO!!!! He does NOT have ADHD. He just NEEDS to move. I know he needs to be homeschooled. But as a single mom, I just don’t know how to make that happen. Thank you for validating what my heart knows to be true!
Thank you for your tidbit on “LET THEM MOVE”. I am working with people that are exploring home schooling and this will help. Not only are children being expected to sit still during class time; but in my area, they have done away with morning and afternoon school recesses. There is a bit of a break for the younger children after lunch, but no break for middle or senior high students. Play is such an important part of life, whether a student or an adult. However, many children do not know how any more, after being put into structured systems as young as two months old.
Cher, It always makes me so sad to hear when more and more schools start to migrate away from recess. A close friend mentioned that her 3rd grade son gets no break until lunch time at 12:20 this year and then only a short recess in the afternoon.
Play and movement are so vitally important – especially for children. I’m thankful that we can do that more as homeschool parents and I rejoice whenever I hear of a school that is incorporating more movement into their school days!
And yes, I find it fascinating {in a very sad way} how kids have even lost the ability to know how to play. I’ve seen that a lot too.
This post fits snugly within my post for tomorrow so I have linked to it. Great post!
Absolutely! But, HOW do I do it? I can’t figure that part out. : /
This is so true in our house. My second child could not read unless he was walking around. He would also stand and sway back and forth. For months I tried to get him to sit still, but we were both so frustrated. Then one day, I let him do it his way and he took off reading instantly. Sometimes, moms are the slow learners. haha
This year we start our school day off with a 1 mile run. It has helped so much with their focus. The kids actually look forward to it…even my 7 year old daughter likes to run with me….and chat the entire time. So fun! Makes a BIG difference.
Is it any wonder we have an obesity problem in this country? We teach them to play to stay healthy, but for the 6-8 hours in school, they are to be still and silent. What a blessing it is to homeschool, but we so desperately need to get this message to our public schools as well for parents who can’t homeschool.
What about Montessori schools ? Children are free to move whenever they want 🙂
Jenna, I have seen ebooks and posts about single moms homeschooling. There are lots of ideas and opportunities out there these days. I know that it would be hard, but I know being a single mom is not easy. (I use to be one). Pray about it and see where God leads you.
Yes, your mama heart is spot on. Trust your instincts. You are your son’s biggest advocate!
As Jenna D. mentioned, while challenging, homeschooling as a single parent can sometimes work. I grew up with a family that made this work. I am praying that God provides – whether it be in the form of homeschooling or blessing you and your son with wonderful teachers who understand the benefit of movement, especially for those extreme kinesthetic learners.
As his mother, you can start working with him now to find creative outlets to move. I know for me, just doing something with my hands helped me to focus – maybe something as simple as a stress ball could be utilized in the classroom to help him. When he is home doing homework, you can also incorporate more movement which will really help too. I did a whole series on “Brain Boosting” which incorporates a ton of ideas on incorporating movement. You might find that helpful. http://www.heatherhaupt.com/boostingbrainpower/
Part of that is trial and error. Knowing is half the battle, than you get to look for ways to put more of it into your day. I’ve blogged about some ways to do that and talked about how to make passive learning active here: http://www.heatherhaupt.com/2013/04/26/how-to-turn-passive-learning-into-active-learning/
I’ve also just released a book, The Ultimate Guide to Brain Breaks, that goes into why movement is so vital for learning and explains the concept of taking quick “brain breaks” to get the blood pumping and improve focus. You can find that here: http://ultimatebrainbreaks.com
lol. Love how you let your son move like that. And oh my, I love the idea of a mile run every morning. We used to do a half mile run and have gotten out of the habit. We need to add that back in because, YES, it makes a huge difference!
Yep. Montessori school are generally fabulous about giving children the flexibility to move – a lot! I was also very impressed by a waldorff school that I visited several years ago. I’m also seeing that while many schools are eliminating movement all together by cutting recess and PE, some are making moves to try to incorporate more movement and seeing wonderful results.
So true. That’s why I structured my book the way I did. It is important information that I want to get into the hands of classrooms and all parents – whether homeschooling or in the homework trenches. While schools, in general, can’t incorporate the level of movement that we can, it is encouraging to see more of them realizing the power of utilizing movement.
I have been worried about this with my daughter. She has trouble staying still and her mind often wanders because she is so active. This is our first year homeschooling and I want to ensure she is getting the best out of it. I’m glad she has the freedom to move around while she learns. You have eased some of my concerns. We look forward to teaching and coonecting with them this year.
I SOOOOO needed this. It was just confirmation that what I’m doing is right. THANK YOU FOR POSTING !!!!
This is something I struggle with in our homeschool. I just want them to sit still and listen. My brain says, ‘How can they possibly be paying attention if they are constantly moving around.’ Even though I know that’s not the truth, it’s hard to shake that mentality.
Thanks for this post.
It is so hard, Sarah. I even struggle with it and I’m a VERY kinesthetic learner. When my boys are hanging upside down from the couch, I’ll sometimes doubt myself again, but then when we start to talk about what I’m reading, it is amazing how much they take in and retain!
That’s why it’s important to be reminded of it! 😉
I can always tell when my 15 yo daughter is studying for a test b/c she’ll be pacing back and forth outside or in her room while reciting information to herself. I did the same thing….. moving around seemed to help me retain more information. And my 4 yo son’s brain becomes a learning sponge while he’s playing legos, doing somersaults, or otherwise moving! Make him sit still and his brain just shuts off! We started allowing him to chew gum (along with swing his legs frantically) during church b/c we realized he actually hears and remembers the sermon when his mouth is chopping and his legs are moving. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!