Movement Activities

During the week it’s sometimes hard to find time for kindergarten readiness activities outdoors, but the weather doesn’t always cooperate. Q. What’s a sunny day called that follows 2 days of rain? A. Monday. If possible weather-wise and you live close to rocks and water, did you know that throwing rocks–safely, of course–is a good activity for thinking? Not only is it exercise for muscles, it’s also exercise for brains. The sense of movement is tremendously important for all learning.

On the surface, it would seem that helping children learn to be calm, relaxed and still would be helpful but physical movement is the most powerful tool for encouraging the growth and development of brain connections. Both strong bodies and strong brains need movement. The 2 senses of movement and the body’s position are developed as kids learn to sit, push, crawl, stand, walk, etc. The skills of talking and thinking are interwoven in motor coordination.

Throwing rocks is one way for kids to develop some movement and body position skills. Kids also like to be able to impact their environment. As they toss a rock into the water, they create both noise and ripples. Ponds, lakes, rivers and oceans are big enough that most rocks do end up in the water. Older preschoolers can learn that they need to carefully watch for people and animals before they throw. Only a few places in cities will have appropriate spaces for throwing rocks, but often on vacation there will be some safe spots. Sometimes, grown-ups like to play, too, and see if they can make flat rocks skip across the water. I think once I got up to 5, but I could never match my dad.What’s your record for skipping rocks?