Three Essential Strategies for Building Children's Motor, Communication and Concentration Skills

In a perfect world, all children would receive balanced and consistent amounts of stimulation, circulation and connection to keep their motor systems functioning most effectively.

When the brain, nervous system and muscles are fully integrated and functioning efficiently then learning, moving and communicating are more fun, effortless and desirable. Research shows that stimulation, connection and circulation are just as important as receiving proper nutrition when it comes to the optimal development of young children.
Research also reveals that three of the most effective strategies for enhancing, accelerating and promoting stimulation, circulation and connection in the early childhood years are: Music, Movement and Speech.
Music - makes neuromuscular connections and stimulates auditory processing.

Music promotes good listening skills.
Good listening skills and a well connected motor system promote concentration. Concentration is what children must be able to do in order to keep moving up and down the learning curves of life. Movement - builds strength, balance, endurance, character, confidence and coordination, stimulates the whole brain, makes neuromuscular connections and increases circulation of blood, energy and nutrients throughout the entire body and mind.
Speech - allows us to use language and communicate.

Speaking, singing, humming, howling and laughing also helps to oxygenate and stimulate the cells, tissues and organs as well as to relax the muscles of the chest, throat and abdominal areas.

This improves energy circulation and in turn makes us feel better. If you want your children to receive the most effective all around training when it comes to preparing them to develop optimal physical, learning and communication skills, then you will want to include elements of these three disciplines.
Your children will love you for it! They love most music, and their natural inclinations are to keep moving and making sounds.
All you have to do is make these activities more purposeful and sequential so it becomes a progression of skill building activities they can practice while having fun! Locomotor Activities Enhance Spatial Intelligence In a previous article, I wrote about encouraging children to do standing and sitting activities to build a foundation of core muscle strength, balance and coordination from the hips to the shoulders. This will be essential for acquiring exceptional core muscle strength and balance.

In this article I would like to show you how to mix simple walking activities with music and speech to enhance spatial intelligence.

Walking is one of the most significant motor reflexes children develop after crawling and standing.
It's our ability to walk on two legs that separates us from the animal kingdom. It is the ability to walk, run, skip and jump in graceful harmony that gives humans a better sense of spatial awareness and intelligence.
Spatial intelligence is the understanding and respect for people's space and the objects around us.

Like all intelligences we develop it in our motor systems through our sensory input.

This respect and understanding helps us move comfortably and learn to be more considerate.

People with great spatial intelligence tend to see, hear, smell and feel more of what is going on around them, and are generally more alert and considerate. Imagine if more people had a better sense of spatial awareness on busy highways, crowded shopping areas and places of recreation.

Simple walking activities can expand your children's spatial awareness and make them more alert and coordinated.

All you have to do is direct them to walk around the room a variety of ways while making different sounds and moving to various styles of music. 1. Have children walk to your vocal command as you say "Walk, walk let's go for a walk - walk, walk, let's go for a walk - Stop.
" Keep repeating as you direct children to walk and stop.
2.

Have them walk to the beat of a drum, hand clapping or tapping two sticks together.
Direct them to walk fast and slow to the beat they hear.
3.
To help children use speech and develop their internal sense of rhythm and timing, have them say the word "step" or some other sound as they take each step. 4.
Play some music and have them walk to the beat. Stop the music intermittently to keep them listening and paying attention. How many ways can you walk? Use your voice, beat of a drum, hand clapping or simple music to provide a beat and tempo for your children to walk in the following ways: Giant and baby steps, stiff like a robot or wiggle like jello, forward, backwards or sideways, on hot coals or slowly in outer space, on tip toes or heels, walk and count the steps, spread legs apart and straddle walk or walk like animals.

Set out things they can step over as they walk, like little boxes or stacks of books.
Keep your children walking, talking and listening in graceful harmony as they open their senses to the space around them and keep moving and improving!