Description

Why Movement Matters More Than Exercise for Kids

A few months ago my daughter had a routine checkup at the doctor, who asked how much screen time she gets in a day (which is more than typical recommendations but way less time than children spend sitting in school).

The doctor told her (but really she told me): “You should get more exercise.”

Carys isn’t a team sports kind of person.  She doesn’t love hiking, and she only really likes biking when friends are with us.

Something about the ‘get more exercise’ advice didn’t sit quite right with me, but I couldn’t put my finger on why.

Then I found Katy Bowman’s work and suddenly it all made sense.

Katy points out that movement and exercise are not the same thing.

Even if we aren’t getting enough exercise, what we need far more than exercise is movement.

 

In this episode, we discuss questions like:

• What, exactly, is movement?
• What does it mean for our children to move…and how about us?
• How do we get more of it when our days are already so full?  (I knowIthought that, but I’ve found ways to incorporate a daily stretching routine without taking any time away from anything else I do.  We discuss how in the episode!)

 

What children learn through movement

Our children learn through movement.

Yes, they learn how to move.

They also learn what our society thinks about movement, which is likely to set them up for a lifetime of not-moving, unless we support them in doing things differently.

Finally, they come to understand their bodies better when they move.  They learn how their body signals ‘this feels great’ and ‘this doesn’t feel right.’  They learn to interact with physical things: Dr. Roger Kneebone (no joke!) at Imperial College London has observed that medical students have seemed less comfortable doing delicate tasks with their hands since smartphones became popular.

In other words, they learn to trust themselves.

We have a whole module on Full-Bodied Learning in the Learning Membership where we come to understand much more deeply what children learn with their bodies, and how to help them do it.

And that’s just one of the 12 topics you’ll cover in your first year, as you become an expert on topics like scaffolding your child’s learning, nurturing critical thinking, and supporting metacognitive learning.

 

Ready to Support Your Child's Natural Learning

Whether this episode has you considering unschooling, reinforced your commitment to traditional schooling, or left you somewhere in between, one thing is clear: every child deserves to have their natural curiosity and love of learning nurtured.

Just like Laura discovered, learning happens everywhere - in everyday conversations, through helping with household tasks, during visits to museums, and in those spontaneous moments when your child asks "why?".

The challenge for parents isn't choosing the "right" educational path, but knowing how to support meaningful learning wherever your child is.

The Learning Membership gives you the tools to nurture your child's development whether they're in traditional school, homeschooled, or unschooled. 

You'll discover how to:

• Turn everyday moments into rich...