School of Thought 

Move to read!

with Rosemary

A question I am often faced with is ‘how do I get my child to sit still to read?’  The simple answer is that you don’t!  As a researcher, I am always finding books and articles to read and as part of a busy life, more recently, I have been finding podcasts to listen to, as I drive.  The most recent podcast I listened to focussed on a moving child being a learning child.  

Gill Connell is a NZ Educator, Child Development Expert, and best-selling author whose resources and understanding helps teachers and parents better understand the role movement plays in early childhood development, while giving children all they need to move their bodies, build their brains, and develop the foundations they’ll need for a lifetime of learning.

Clare Crew, an Adelaide based Early Childhood Educator has a podcast called Thriving Children where she interviews Gill Connell.  In episode 127: Learning Language with Gill Connell  talks about why children need to move and interact to learn and  to acquire language. Acquisition of language is acquired through human conversation and interaction.

language + experience = understanding

The physical foundations essential for reading and developing concepts of print are described in Episode 120: The Kinetic Scale with Gill Connell.   In this episode of the Thriving Children Podcast, Gill Connell explains ‘the Kinetic Scale’, the food pyramid for movement and learning.

Children need to develop their balance system to be able to read. Spinning, rolling and being upside down is essential for concentration. Try the 'roll over reading’ technique from Episode 119: Moving smart with Gill Connell.  Instead of sitting and wriggling,  provide an environment where we read a page and then roll over and then continue. Incorporate movement and reading and keep it fun!