Move your Body…Release your Mind…Improve your Skills!

What does the term "learning" evoke for you? Very quickly, the images, sounds and sensations conjure up images of a classroom, of a child sitting quietly in a chair. But as you know there's a lot going on in that child's head.

A healthy mind requires a healthy body.

Does movement make children with learning difficulties more receptive to learning? Why is it useful for all children to have access to all forms of intelligence, including kinaesthetic intelligence? Why is it good to get pupils moving? Why are these body rituals so important? Do these coordination exercises, which are supposed to reactivate pupils' brains, really help them to learn better?

Since the 1980s, scientists have been showing that working on movement helps children. The Mouvement et Apprentissage association: "There is a close link between body movements and the brain functions involved in certain forms of learning. The many sources of stress generated by our lifestyles can create blockages in children and adults, leading to difficulties in expressing themselves, reading, writing, memorising, concentrating, relaxing, communicating, organising, etc. By carrying out very precise movements, activities and exercises, it is possible to reactivate abilities such as lateralization, concentration, memorization and organisation, thereby stimulating growth and development mechanisms.”…"Active learning has many advantages. It is sustainable, more robust, more enjoyable, appropriate for all ages, independent of intelligence and accessible to all kinds of learners."

Brain Gym, body rituals and free play are just three of the many ways in which movement can be practised.

Véronique Geens and Muriel Albert in their book "Le plaisir d'apprendre en mouvement avec le Brain Gym" give a clear definition of the method: "Brain Gym is a set of simple, pleasant and playful movements that encourage cerebral integration and enable all learners to rediscover or expand their learning capacities. These movements, practised by listening to each individual's sensations, have a profound impact on the body's equilibrium.

According to the educational advisers, the introduction of body rituals has a threefold objective: to make the pupil more available in his body to learn, to create breaks in the learning process, and to give the child points of reference in time.

Louis Espinassous, ethnologist and teacher, states that researchers at the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) have confirmed that children who have experienced this recreation time filled with physical activities and encounters have gained 30% in cognitive learning in class.

FreePlaytime is essential to the development of future adults, because it's a time for moving, jumping, calculating, living with friends and having to work out how to respect the rules during free play.