When students use their bodies in the learning process, it can have a big effect, even if it seems silly or unconnected to the learning goal at hand.
Researchers have found that when students use their bodies while doing mathematical storytelling (like with word problems, for example), it changes the way they think about math.
Researchers are studying the body movements of children as young as four-to-six months old and have found earlier and more frequent movement correlates with academic learning down the road.
This connection between using ones hands and swift communication in the brain may be part of the reason learning to play music is often correlated with math ability.
Limiting visual stimulus is particularly important for very young learners who are still learning how to focus, and yet kindergarten classrooms are often the most brightly and densely decorated in an effort to make institutional buildings feel more cheerful.
Too often students are cooped up inside for six or more hours, sometimes without an adequate recess ,and more likely than not, with little attention paid to how their bodies could be powerful learning tools in the classroom.
Why Kids Need to Move, Touch and Experience to Learn | MindShift.
