For decades, the educational and scientific communities seemed to believe that thinking was thinking and movement was movement, and each was as separate as could be. Maverick scientists envisioned links between thinking and movement, but their ideas gained little public support. Today we know better. There is a strong connection between physical education, movement, breaks, recess, energizing activities, and improved cognition. It demonstrates that movement can be an effective cognitive strategy to (1) strengthen learning, (2) improve memory and retrieval, and (3) enhance learner motivation and morale.

The first evidence of a linkage between mind and body was scattered in various proposals over the past century (Schmahmann, 1997). Today, the evidence has become a groundswell, and most neuroscientists agree that movement and cognition are powerfully connected.

Use this activity to get your child moving! This will strengthen his arm muscles, improve his aim and help his cognition!

Steps:

1. Using painter’s tape, make a spider web to span the width of a door

2. Separate newspaper sheets and scrunch each one into a ball (to be the pretend 'fly')

3. Let the children have a blast throwing the newspaper balls into the spider web to see if it would catch them (just like a real one would catch a fly!)