Brain Gym

Written by: Eileen

Our lovely teacher Jacqui brings a wealth of knowledge to our learning programme here at the Preschool. As we are a learning organisation we are always inspired by the collective experiences all teachers bring to the children’s daily learning opportunities.

One of the enduring activities introduced to the children has been ‘Brain Gym.’ This is a motor skill experience that requires that children practice crossing their ‘midline’ in various ways. This could be using their right hand to touch their left knee and vice versa, or to use their right arm to reach behind their back to touch the opposite leg, but to name just a few examples.

This is a challenging set of tasks for the children to participate in, especially if unfamiliar to them. We revisit ’Brain Gym’ from time to time as we believe it has great value for children’s motor skill development along with learning to effectively coordinate their bodies in a range of different ways.

When children become more adept at ‘Brain Gym’ we notice a positive impact on other areas of their learning and growth. Children who are able to cross their midline are better able to engage in experiences that require them to use both sides of their bodies simultaneously , for example, holding a piece of paper still allowing them to draw or write with their other hand. Furthermore, children have opportunities to perfect their listening and comprehension skills, and to fine tune their concentration skills and spatial awareness.