I also incorporated simple math tasks by involving math games, for example: “what is one more than 8”. Children reach for an invisible object with one arm at a time from the opposite side of the body. feet shoulder-width apart, stretch arms on the side parallel to the ground.close eye, stretch arms parallel to the ground and take turn touching nose with the tip of the fingers of one hand at a time.Children touch left toes with tips of right-hand fingers keeping hands and legs straight and visa versa. star jumps which also require the child to cross his or her legs.
Here are a couple of Brain gym exercises that help develop cross midline skills:
The concept is to facilitate the child to develop the ability to move the left arm/hand or leg/foot to the space of the right side of the body and vice versa. Source – via Ĭross midline exercises help develop the connection between the left and right sides of the brain. Being able to coordinate both sides of the body is an indication that both sides of the brain are communicating and sharing information with each other”. It assisted in developing a bilateral skill: “the ability to use both sides of the body at the same time in a controlled and organized manner. Brain gym helped three and four -year -old children to work on building “cross midline” skills. In my classroom, I used to run a short 10-15 minute session with kids right before emerging into Montessori work. These positive effects lasted two to four hours after their workouts”. For example, researchers found that children who had an opportunity to run 15-45 minutes before class were less distracted and more attentive to schoolwork. “.regular physical activity supports healthy child development by improving memory, concentration and positive outlook. This explains why walking, for example, is extremely beneficial for health and brain function. In order to survive, they had to move A LOT. Our ancestors’ survival completely depended on their ability to travel long distances – move from one area to another in search of food and living supplies. The connection between learning and movement can be explained from a historical perspective. On of the researches shows that “The more the learners used learning activities with movement, the higher their academic achievements, especially with the following activities: sustained movement-assisted learning activities physical contact with the learned environment use of visual and movement modeling and socio-kinesthetic interaction” ( source – Shoval, 2011). There is constant movement within a Montessori environment. She pointed out the connection between kinesthetic learning and physical interaction with the environment when children learn using “hands-on” materials and tools. Through movement we come in contact with external reality, and it is through these contacts that we eventually acquire even abstract ideas.” “Movement, or physical activity, is thus an essential factor in intellectual growth, which depends upon the impressions received from outside. Maria Montessori has discovered this connection many years ago. The connection between movement and learning is one of the central topics among brain researchers and educators.
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