My second son was born a calm soul. He was content to quietly watch people and smile when they made eye contact . He rarely cried. He was patient and  observant, calm and collected. Then one day everything changed. 

Around three years old he asked for more fruit smoothie. He still had a half-full glass, so I told him he needed to finish what he had. And before I knew what had happened, his cup was flying through the air and smoothie was running down the wall. 

Another day his younger brother made a facial expression that he must not have liked. With that same knee-jerk reaction he threw a metal spoon at his brother’s face. As blood trickled down my toddler’s face, tears trickled down my own. 

I blamed it on toddlerhood, but when his fourth and fifth birthdays passed with no changes I blamed it on my parenting. There had to be a reason why he was perpetually stuck in a state of toddlerhood. There were so many behaviors that he didn’t grow out of– impulsivity, anger, aggression, inability to focus, blaming others, interrupting, bed wetting, opposition. He had so many good qualities, too. But unfortunately, they were overshadowed by his struggles. 

And, of course, I spent my evenings and many sleepless nights thinking about what I needed to do better. Should I strengthen our attachment? Be more consistent in my discipline? Nurture better habits? Test for food sensitivities? Enroll him in therapy? If so, what kind? 

For years I tried everything, but nothing really helped. He was diagnosed with ADHD at age 6. But a diagnosis is just a label; it didn’t actually tell me what was causing the symptoms and how I could help my son function at a normal level. His relationships with brothers, friends, and even me and my husband were strained. He fought against every boundary I set. He blamed everyone and everything for the natural consequences of his actions. If he tripped on the sidewalk it was my fault. If he stubbed his toe on the furniture he yelled at me for buying furniture. 

Around two years ago I began learning about the important role that exercise and movement plays in brain development. I started out by reading School Can Wait by Raymond Moore, then Barefoot and Balanced by Angela Hansom. Then a friend introduced me to Disconnected Kids. I already forced my kids to be outside for a couple hours a day, but after reading Disconnected Kids I realized that maybe my son wasn’t getting enough of the right kind of movement. With some help from the book and OT therapists on YouTube, I figured out that he had retained primitive reflexes.  It was then that I began doing specific movements and exercises to help his brain develop and mature. In order for his brain to mature, his body needed to mature, too. 

I’ve incorporated difference play and exercise movements over the past year and have noticed a huge difference in his behavior and ability to learn. Physical movement is vital for development and maturation.

A “Quiet Growing Time”

Charlotte Mason knew this, too. That’s why she said kids need a “quiet growing time” for the first 6 years of life. Time to run, climb, build forts, and play games. When kids play and move their bodies in all sorts of ways  they’re forming relationships — Relationships with themselves and with the world around them.A relationship with oneself goes beyond knowing one’s preferences, strengths, weaknesses and limits. It involves the mind forming a relationship with the body. 

It also means our body forming a relationship with the world around us — particularly with gravity and space. When kids roll down a hill or spin around in a circle  they are strengthening the relationship between their body (inner ear) and where they are in space (this is called the vestibular system).

When they jump on a trampoline, or jump rope, they  strengthen their joints and form a relationship with gravity. 

The best way to form relationships with oneself and the world is through real life, dynamic exercises.  When they lie on the ground and watch birds fly across the sky,  play recess games with balls, or simply run around, their eye muscles become stronger and move in unison. Their eyes form a strong relationship with each other and with the brain. This is just one example of many “relationships” that need to be formed with oneself and with the world.

Its common sense that these skills, these “relationships,” are vital to function as a human being. But did you know they’re also vital for learning and academic success?

Charlotte Mason said that education is an atmosphere, a discipline and a life. She expands on this idea by saying: 

“When we say that “education is an atmosphere,” we do not mean that a child should be isolated in what may be called a ‘child-environment’ especially adapted and prepared, but that we should take into account the educational value of his natural home atmosphere, both as regards persons and things, and should let him live freely among his proper conditions. It stultifies a child to bring down his world to the child’s level.”

Learning and Sensory Issues

How do we isolate children in a child-environment and bring the world down to their level? 

1. Containing children in “sensory deprivation devices” (i.e. bouncers, walkers, playpens, etc) 
2. Playing on sterile, safe playground equipment instead of on rocks, trees, logs, and hills. 

And what happens if kids  don’t form relationships with themselves and the world? They’re minds and bodies are stultified. Research on kids with ADHD has found that they are much more likely to have retained primitive reflexes than kids in the control group (source). Primitive reflexes come from the brain stem. They’re automatic and don’t require higher-level thinking. This is perfect for infants who need their vital movements (like nursing and moving) not require higher level thinking. But after some experience in the world and some maturation, their cognitive operations should move on to function mostly out of the limbic and prefrontal cortex. What happens when it doesn’t? A lot of their behavior is operating from the brain stem. Meaning their actions are automatic, impulsive, and rather primal. In order for kids to operate out of their prefrontal cortex (and use their executive functioning skills) they need to mature past the brain stem and primitive reflexes. And that requires a lot of physical movement. (source) It really is quite amazing how interconnected our mental and physical development is. 

So, a lack of the right type of play and movement in childhood means a lack of cognitive maturation later in life. 

In her book, Barefoot And Balanced, Angela Hanscom gives us a glimpse into the effects that a lack of movement brings — from seemingly small things clumsiness, to much more serious effects like inability to read or pay attention. 

Charlotte Mason made play and physical education an important part of her schools. And I believe it wasn’t just for the physical benefits — I have a hunch that she was well aware of the cognitive benefits as well. 

What Kind of Movement is Best?

We should make time for movement and play in our homeschool schedule as well. But how can we replicate this in a 21st century home? And what kind of movement should we focus on? 

From birth through 6 years old infants and toddlers should be on the floor and outside as much as possible. Get rid of the bouncy chairs, swings, and anything else that will deprive them of forming a relationship with gravity and using their five senses. Yes, this will force you to baby proof the house and get used to messes.

During this stage, prioritize play over academic lessons, structured activities, and (gasp!) a tidy house. PLAY IS MESSY. Building a fort over the course of a few days is good for kids! Digging a hole in the backyard and hauling buckets of water is SO GOOD for their proprioceptive system! Feeling the cool, smooth mud between their hands and feet does wonders for their sensory input. 

School-age kids still need opportunities to play and move during the day. A 15-20 minute play break during morning lessons is essential. And it shouldn’t be spent crouching on the floor building legos or reading a book. Get them outside jumping on the trampoline, walking like a dog, pushing/pulling a wagon, or to an open space indoors where they can move their bodies. 

As kids integrate primitive reflexes and master these skills they will naturally move on to more advanced exercises. Charlotte recommended kids 10 and older begin PE for 30 minutes twice a week (in addition to 15 min play break).

Here’s a list of ideas for movement and play breaks 

Spring

• Jumping in puddles
• Building forts
• Swinging 
• Spinning on merry-go-round
• Rolling down hills
• Tag
• Racing
• Unstructured sports
• Climbing trees
• Swinging on monkey bars
• Hanging upside down
• Rock climbing
• Spinning around in circles
• Hopscotch
• Foursquare

Summer

• Playing in sand on beach
• Swimming
• Digging holes
• Building forts
• Swinging 
• Spinning on merry-go-round
• Rolling down hills
• Tag
• Racing
• Unstructured sports
• Climbing trees
• Swinging on monkey bars
• Hanging upside down on monkey bars
• Rock climbing
• Hopscotch
• Foursquare

Fall

• Raking leaves and playing in leaf pile
• Digging up garden plants
• Harvesting fruit and vegetables
• Cleaning up yard (dragging branches, moving rocks, etc)
• Hopscotch
• Four square

Winter

• Snow shoveling
• Building snowman
• Snow forts
• Snow angels

Indoor Activities Year Round

• Parents swing and throw kids on bed or pile of pillows
• Climbing and sliding down stairs
• Jumping into piles of pillows (from stairs and other heights)
• Rolling around in/on piles of pillows
• Pushing and pulling heavy boxes (fill boxes with weights, bags of flour, rice, etc)
• Make hopscotch on floor with tape
• Swing in sensory swing
• Jump on mini trampoline
• Run around like dog
• Build forts and play in them (pushing, lifting, and pulling furniture is great for gross motor and proprioceptive. Climbing through it is great for sensory)

Materials

• Exercise ball
• Playground balls
• Sensory swing
• Hula hoop
• Trampoline (mini or large outside)
• Balance beam
• Spinning board (the kind you sit on)
• Balance board
• Bean bags
• Hanging ball (make your own with tennis ball and cord)
• Baskets or boxes
• Jump rope 
• Padded mat( the kind for Exercise, yoga, or gymnastics)

Motor Lab

And if your child struggles with learning or attention I recommend setting up a motor lab in your home. One of my boys really struggles with attention and coordination. After some testing I discovered he has retained primitive reflexes and struggles with other simple exercises. So we’ve been working on these before doing PE. 

Ready Bodies, Learning Minds, Disconnected Kids, and When Bright Kids Can’t Learn all have exercises to help integrate primitive reflexes, strengthen eye muscles, and strengthen the connection between the two sides of the brain. 

In the video above I talk about the benefits of movement and play and show how I’ve set up a motor lab for my kids. We do exercises for 15-20 minutes and just work down the list. If we don’t finish that day, we start from where we left off the next day. But we usually finish all the RBLM exercises in 20 minutes. 

If you don’t have a large space to fit all the exercises and equipment, you can do them in the backyard, at a park/playground, in your garage, or set up exercises in different rooms. The equipment can easily fit in a drawer, under a bed or couch, or in a closet. 

Over the past few months that I’ve focused on movement to develop my sons’ body and brain I’ve noticed some big changes — no more bed wetting or chewing on pencils and shirt collars; improved coordination, attention, and handwriting; and less impulsivity and immature behavior.

ADHD Charlotte Mason Child Development Dyslexia fine motor gross motor Learning Disability movement outdoor play PE physical therapy Play primitive reflexes recess