If you’ve ever spent time with a group of young children, you’ll know how exhausting it can be to get them all to sit still at the same time. It’s near-impossible! And that’s because it is simply not part of the developmental stage of a preschooler to be still for long periods of time.
In the following video, one of my favorite early childhood experts, Rae Pica, explains some of the reasons movement is important during early childhood and how allowing children to move will increase their capacity to grasp academic concepts.
It’s so important to recognize the developmental need of preschoolers to be active and moving. When the time comes for settling down, I allow children to choose a position that makes sense for them. Criss-cross-applesauce might be orderly, but it isn’t always comfortable, and when a child is uncomfortable, they are unable to learn.
Most of our day will be spent moving in some way, both indoors and out. Children learn with their bodies before they learn with their brains. Movement during the early childhood years has a long-term impact on academic learning, so I want my students using their bodies as part of the learning process all day long.