Why movement is crucial for later learning

Part of the learning process involves assisting children developmentally.  The development of gross motor skills is directly linked to the development of the learning brain.

Learning to march, skip, balance, crawl, hop, climb and swing directly impact on a child's readiness for further learning.  They are vital skills that should be encouraged whenever possible.

The development of fine motor skills are also incredibly important.  Swinging on the monkey bars, cutting with scissors, using tongs and other activities like this encourage the development of hand strength which will later help with pencil control and writing.  Trying to write without developing this strength can be painful and puts children off writing.

Developing working memory is also a vital area of development, singing nursery rhymes off by heart, recalling patterns and singing songs are all great ways to assist this development, which will directly assist later learning.


Another good bit of information here