61 replies to this topic

[Megan]

I'm doing some research on how physical activity helps children's cognitive development, and would like any feedback on Brain Gym activities that you believe may work with very young children (2.5-4). If you've got time to respond to this, I would be sooooo pleased. Many thanks!

[Becky]

I have never heard of this link before - do you know more already, or is the subject new to you. I am always interested in new thoughts, hope you don't mind me asking. What course are you doing it for, if any?

[Megan]

Becky- I'm just doing research for my own interests, really! Like you, I love finding out about new and/or innovative ideas. I harbour desires to write articles on early years stuff in the future, but at this stage it's just a hazy dream......
I heard about Brain Gym on a music course I did three or four years ago, and didn't do anything about it then. But a month or so ago one or our mums, who is a special needs teacher, mentioned it, and I asked her for any reading material she had. The book she gave me was "Brain Gym", by P.E. Dennison and G.E. Dennison. It's all about getting the children to join in with simple movements to enhance their experience of whole brain learning. Children are, apparently, able to access parts of the brain previously uncharted, or unused to any degree. The book claims that children are better able to concentrate, having increased "brain power", and have improved behaviour after taking part in the physical activities. The fundamental idea is for the children to perform movements that cross the midline of the body; this stimulates both sides of the brain.
I have to say at this point that, although I've read the book, I am a complete novice in this field, and I hope that someone will step in at this point!

[Helen]

Hi Megan,
I don't know very much about the Brain Gym activities other than making up movements to music where the children, say, touch their left knee with their right hand. Another one is where the child puts his/her right hand on the right shoulder, travels over the head to touch the left shoulder. Sounds pretty dry, but presenting as a type of party game to lively music is really quite fun! I'm going to contact a colleague of mine to encourage her to join in this discussion, as she knows a great deal about this. LINDA WHERE ARE YOU???

[Helen]

Hi,
I ordered that book too, and it arrived this morning :D
I've just got the other ten + books on my "to read" pile before I get to it! A quick flick through looks very promising.....

[jools]

You might be interested in 'the Alps approach - accelerated learning in primary schools' by Alistair Smith and Nicola Call. It's a very accessible book which you can dip in and out of. Primary teachers in the Lewisham area have been developing ways of using brain gym with varying degrees of success. Might be worth trying to contact some of them - possibly via lgfl.com
Alistair and Nicola also have their own websites which are worth a visit:

www.alite.co.ukAlistair Smith's webpage
www.acceleratedlearning.co.uk

Hope this is of some use - good luck
Jools

[jools]

sorry re:lgfl above - the site is www.lgfl.net/lgfl/. It is the London Grid for Learning site. If u just go to lgfl u will get an estate agency!!
Apologies
Jools

[Steve]

Hi Jools -
Thanks for these ideas - funnily enough, after I'd read your message last night, I found Helen reading The Thinking Child, by Nicola!

I'll put these links into the main book recommendations page as well, which people can find by clicking here.

Are you a reception teacher in London then?

Steve

[kate]

Hi
I have been using Brain Gym for 10 years now and the improvement in the children in many areas is dramatic. The most effective and easiest are.... Cross crawl... lazt 8 and one where the child has to ollow a finger from side to side without moving their head; eyes only. For the teeniest children they could follow a favourite object rather than a finger.

Hope this may be of some use
Kate.

[Helen]

When do you do your Brain Gym stuff? Is it flexible, i.e. according to how the children are on the day? Do you say "Now we're going to do Brain Gym?!" Or do you get them to jump up and join in for a bit of light relief?

[kate]

We generally do the Brain Gym first thing in the morning before any writing activities, no matter how the children are feeling mainly because they all have a very long bus journey to school and so have been in active for ages. Some of them up to an hou or more!!!!

However, if there's a child who is particularly loathe to join in for on e reason or another, I don't make them.

If I miss any exercises out, I soon know about it as they ask to do specific ones! I also love doing it to music. The Blus Brothers is Fab. I was once doing it and jumping madly about when an OFSTED inspectoer arrived earlyto inspect my next lesson. She looked quite disapproving and made a hasty exit and then came back and stayed for over an hour!!!!!

[Helen]

Kate,
I'm really interested in the bit about missing exercises out; does that mean you follow a specific programme each time, a bit like an aerobics session (not that I've been to one of THEM for about nine years!!)

[kate]

Hi Helen,
I don't follow a specific order of exercises, but I do follow specific exercises, some of which are physio based as well (strengthening shoulder girdle to aid fine motor control...Amazingly it works! ) In other words I muddle them up and the children often decide which ones we do.
Kate

[Helen]

Hi Jools,
Thanks very much for the website references; they were very interesting :D
I have read "The Thinking Child" by Nicola Call and think it's brilliant! It's really easy to read, full of practical advice with the theoretical and empirical research back-up. Can't recommend it too highly! We're going to be using my summaries from the book in the next few staff meetings to discuss changes I would like to put in place in my nursery, and also to confirm that a lot of what we do naturally is great practice
I'll probably be putting the summaries on this site so other people can join in with the discussions. Should be stimulating stuff!