Why Movement Matters: How the Body Prepares the Mind
Movement is not something children do after learning — it is how learning begins.
Every jump, roll, push, and stretch sends rich information to the growing brain. Through movement, neural pathways are formed and strengthened, laying the groundwork for thinking, feeling, and relating to others. A child who moves freely is not only building muscles and coordination, but also shaping the architecture of the brain itself.
Movement also lives at the heart of social and emotional development. When children move together — chasing, climbing, carrying, clapping, negotiating space — they learn cooperation, communication, and empathy. Physical play offers a natural outlet for stress and emotional tension, helping children regulate themselves long before they can name their feelings with words.
In this way, movement nourishes the whole child: body, brain, heart, and will.
Movement as the Foundation for Reading and Writing
An often-overlooked truth is that children can only learn to read, write, and spell with ease once the necessary neurological pathways have fully matured — typically between the ages of seven and eight.
Before this time, the brain is still busy building bridges.
For the left and right hemispheres of the brain to communicate smoothly, a child must first develop a strong proprioceptive system — the inner sense of the body in three-dimensional space: forward and backward, left and right, up and down.
Movement on the left side of the body is primarily processed in the right hemisphere of the brain, and movement on the right side is processed in the left hemisphere. Through rich, varied movement experiences, these pathways gradually connect. This process is known as bilateral integration.
Only when these connections are well established can the child’s mind truly be free for abstract tasks such as reading, writing, and spelling.
Signs of Bilateral Integration
We can often see when this integration has matured.
Children who have developed strong bilateral pathways are able to:
skip smoothly using a cross-lateral pattern (opposite arm and leg moving together) without conscious effort
By jumping rope by themselves in a flowing double jump pattern for every single swing of the rope — both forwards and backwards
These movements show that the brain and body are working together as a unified whole.
From Body Awareness to Form Drawing
Once a child has developed a full sense of their body in space, their thinking becomes grounded and available. Attention deepens. Focus strengthens. The child can notice subtle social cues and respond more flexibly to others.
Before this integration occurs, children often struggle with tasks such as copying forms — especially those that include diagonal lines.
Interestingly, children naturally reveal the state of their proprioceptive development when asked to draw a person. Without adult coaching, their drawings reflect the inner map their brain has formed of the body. Early drawings may show stick-like figures with little differentiation. Over time, as body awareness matures, the drawings become more complete: a defined trunk, arms and legs with joints, hands, feet, fingers, clothing — typically emerging around the age of seven.
The body, quite literally, teaches the hand how to draw.
How the Proprioceptive System Is Strengthened
It is developed and strengthened in children by having them do large and small physical movements, where they experience pressure using their fingers, hands, arms, trunks, legs and feet. When children play freely, they instinctively seek out the movements their bodies need.
Activities that nourish this system include:
digging with a shovel
pushing a wheelbarrow
carrying heavy objects or moving rocks
hanging, swinging, and climbing
circle games with clapping and stomping
jumping, hopping, galloping, and skipping
Many of these movements naturally require children to cross the midline of the body, which is also strongly supporting bilateral integration.
These are not “extra” activities — they are essential nourishment for the developing nervous system.
Giving Children What They Truly Need
When we give children time and space for free movement and uninterrupted play, we are supporting far more than physical growth. We are strengthening the deep connections between brain and body that allow learning to unfold naturally and with joy.
By supporting the development of the proprioceptive system, we help children prepare not only for reading and writing, but also for meaningful social relationships. Through movement and play, children learn to read social cues, navigate conflict, and find their place within a community.
Let us give children the gift of movement —
so their bodies may grow strong,
their minds may grow clear,
and their hearts may grow wise.
