© 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved Move, Play, and Learn Smart Steps with © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved Move, Play, and Learn Smart Steps with Gill Connell, Wendy Pirie, and Cheryl McCarthy Sequenced Activities to Build the Body and the Brain © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved Text copyright © 2016 by Gill Connell and Cheryl McCarthy Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Unless otherwise noted, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations or critical reviews. For more information, go to www.freespirit.com/permissions. Free Spirit, Free Spirit Publishing, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Free Spirit Publishing Inc. A complete listing of our logos and trademarks is available at www.freespirit.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Connell, Gill, author. | Pirie, Wendy, author. | McCarthy, Cheryl, author. Title: Move, play, and learn with smart steps : sequenced activities to build the body and the brain (birth to age 7) / Gill Connell, Wendy Pirie, M.H.Sc., and Cheryl McCarthy. Description: Golden Valley, MN : Free Spirit Publishing, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2015039674 (print) | LCCN 2015051406 (ebook) | ISBN 9781631980244 (paperback) | ISBN 1631980246 () | ISBN 9781631980749 (Web pdf) | ISBN 9781631980756 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Movement education. | Physical education for children—Study and teaching— Activity programs. | Learning—Physiological aspects. | Thought and thinking—Physiological aspects. | BISAC: EDUCATION / Preschool & Kindergarten. | EDUCATION / Physical Education. Classification: LCC GV452 .C659 2016 (print) | LCC GV452 (ebook) | DDC 372.86/8—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015039674 Free Spirit Publishing does not have control over or assume responsibility for author or third-party websites and their content. At the time of this book’s publication, all facts and figures cited within are the most current available. All telephone numbers, addresses, and website URLs are accurate and active; all publications, organizations, websites, and other resources exist as described in this book; and all have been verified as of March 2016. If you find an error or believe that a resource listed here is not as described, please contact Free Spirit Publishing. Charts on pages 6, 8, 12–17, 32, and 44–45 are used or adapted from A Moving Child Is a Learning Child by Gill Connell and Cheryl McCarthy, copyright © 2014, and are used with permission of Free Spirit Publishing. Front cover photo credit: © Jun Mu | Dreamstime.com Back cover photo credit: © Sergey Kolesnikov | Dreamstime.com Editors: Marjorie Lisovskis and Christine Zuchora-Walske Cover and interior design: Michelle Lee Lagerroos and Colleen Rollins Illustrations: Heidi Panelli 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America Free Spirit Publishing Inc. 6325 Sandburg Road, Suite 100 Minneapolis, MN 55427-3674 (612) 338-2068 [email protected] www.freespirit.com Free Spirit offers competitive pricing. Contact [email protected] for pricing information on multiple quantity purchases. © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved Dedication Over my many years of teaching I’ve stood in awe of children’s intuitive ability to create what they need through the pure act of play. Each time they play, they learn. Each time I play with them, I learn more than they do. To my favorite playmates and greatest life teachers: Becky, Milly, Lucy, Caitlin, Jacob, and the twinkles of joy I have yet to meet but hold in my heart for the day we will play together. G.C. To my three children, Kaleb, Max, and Carter, who wow me every day with their inspiration, joy in being active kids, and amazing attitude toward life. To my husband Colin, whose motivation, drive, and energy I could not live without. W.P. To my sister Jill, for your unyielding, relentless belief in me. I love you. To Gill, for showing me that changing the world is simply a matter of choice. Thank you for choosing me. TBIABS. C.M. © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved Contents List of Digital Reproducible Forms���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������viii Introduction��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1 Wiring the Brain for Learning����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1 Automaticity��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1 Apple Is for A��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������2 About This Book��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������3 Part 1: Building the Body and Brain for Learning������5 Chapter 1 The Kinetic Scale: An Overview����������������������������������������������������������6 The Kinetic Scale������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6 The “Can-Dos” of Movement���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10 Tilting the Scale������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11 Move-to-Learn Activities Guide����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������16 Reading the Moves�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������16 Chapter 2 The Smart Steps Approach���������������������������������������������������������������� 20 Creating a Kinetic Environment����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������21 Managing Safety ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 30 Language: The Link to Formal Learning ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 36 Chapter 3 Implementing Smart Steps�����������������������������������������������������������������40 Step 1: Observational Evaluation��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������40 Step 2: Get Moving������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 43 Step 3: Review��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 43 Implementation Strategies�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 46 Learning Stories to Share with Families����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 47 Equipment List�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������48 Part 2: The Smart Steps Activities����������������������������������������������������51 At-a-Glance Guide to Smart Steps�������������������������������������������������������������������������� 52 The Smart Steps Activities Senses 1. Winkee and Blinkee Learn to Fly��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 60 2. Listening Mice���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 62 3. Different Drummers���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 64 4. The Out-of-Order Border������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 66 © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved © MOHAMED OSAMA | DREAMSTIME.COM 5. The Great Crinkle Cleanup��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 68 6. The Sensory Garden����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 70 7. Let’s Have a Color Party���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 72 8. Cardboardia��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 74 Balance 9. Happy Hatchling������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 76 10. Roll-Over Rover������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 78 11. The Spinnagans�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������80 12. Do the Elvis���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 82 13. The Go-Over Game������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������84 14. Hello, Octopo������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 87 15. Tortoise and Hare: After the Race�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 90 16. Tortoise and Hare: On the Road Again����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 93 Intuition 1 7. Wiggle Where?��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 96 18. Getting to Know Me����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 98 19. Tunnel Trek�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������100 20. Sardines in a Can���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������103 21. Two Worms on a Plank���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������106 22. Jack and Jill�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������109 23. Game Day������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 112 24. Steposaur Steps�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������115 Power 25. Ultimate Tug-of-War������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 118 26. On the Road to Cartwheeling��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 121 27. Grabbypillar�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������124 28. Don’t Drop Fidgety Fox��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 127 29. Escape from the Zoo���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������130 30. Let’s Go to Hopscotch Camp����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 132 31. Mixed-Up Motories����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������134 32. Pop Go the Bubbles����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 137 © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved viii Coordination 33. Crawlimals��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 139 34. The 3-Legged Triple-Toed Triopsicle!����������������������������������������������������������������������������142 35. Crocodile Flop��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������144 36. The Beanbaggles Brigade����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 147 37. Farmer Gates�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������150 38. Put Your Tap Shoes On��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 153 39. Food Fight���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 156 40. The Beanbaggles Juggle������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 159 41. Hopper Frog�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������162 Control 42. My First Volleyball�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������164 43. Finger Fun���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 166 44. My First Rodeo������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 169 45. Traffic Jam��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 172 46. Squish!����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 175 47. Trusty Yellow Rope���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 178 48. Incredible Shrinking Target����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 181 49. Chicken Switch������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������184 50. Mission: Possible���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������187 Additional Resources�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������190 Glossary������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 199 Additional Reading�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 200 Index��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������201 About the Authors���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 207 List of Digital Reproducible Forms See page 209 for information about how to access the PDFs. Digital content includes all the activities in Part 2 as well as the following: The Kinetic Scale������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6 The Midlines���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������8 The Journey of Can-Do�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12–13 The Kinetic Scale Stage by Stage������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14–15 The Kinetic Scale: Move-to-Learn Activities Guide����������������������������������������������������� 16–17 The Balance of Play (with the Goldilocks Gauge)������������������������������������������������������������������ 32 The Movement Can-Do Guide�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������44–45 © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved Introduction Welcome to Move, Play, and Learn with Smart Steps! It may not look like it, but every wiggle and every giggle of early childhood is power packed with learning. That’s right. Learning. That’s because movement and play are nature’s chosen tools for developing the body and the brain. Strengthening and supporting that natural development is what Move, Play, and Learn with Smart Steps is all about. Smart Steps is a developmentally based step-by-step activity series designed to provide young children from birth through age seven with a well-balanced physical “diet” of movement and play—in order to optimize their physical, cognitive, social, and emotional foundations for early learning and school readiness. Wiring the Brain for Learning © JOSE MANUEL GELPI DIAZ | DREAMSTIME.COM In our companion book, A Moving Child Is a Learning Child, we talk in detail about the role movement plays in early brain development. During early physical and sensory experiences, the brain is recording information that builds the child’s unique understanding of his* world. Through that very process, movement is literally wiring millions of neural pathways in the brain—pathways it will use for a lifetime to take in, process, and respond to stimulation and information. In other words, physical experiences and play activities in early childhood help lay down the cognitive wiring that will one day help the child learn to read, hold a pencil and write his name, reason through a math problem, paint pictures, play the piano, and all the other things he will accomplish and enjoy throughout his lifetime. Automaticity While that wiring is going on, something else is happening at the same time. Through movement, the body and brain are learning to communicate with each other, creating a seamless, instant, “smart” relationship. In fact, that relationship is so important that one of the brain’s primary goals in the early years is to automate movement—to make movement something the child doesn’t have to think about. We call this automaticity. Of course, a smart relationship between the body and brain creates efficiencies and harmonies that make most movement patterns effortless. In and of itself, that’s worth striving for. But in the natural order of things, automaticity is also the key that unlocks the brain’s power for higher-level thinking, reasoning, creativity, * When referring to children in this book, we alternate the use of male and female prounouns section by section. The information applies to girls and boys alike. 1 © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved Move, Play, and Learn with Smart Steps and learning. That’s because of the way the brain Physical experiences is designed. and play activities in early The human brain is capable of doing only one childhood help lay down the thinking task at a time. This means that when cognitive wiring that will one the brain needs to think about moving, it can’t day help the child learn to read, think about learning—or anything else, for that matter. So, in order to free up the brain’s full hold a pencil and write his name, attention, automated movement has to come reason through a math problem, first. In short, without automated movement, paint pictures, play the piano, a child would not be able to fully focus, think, and all the other things he or learn. will accomplish and enjoy throughout his lifetime. Apple Is for A When a child is born, the world comes to her: Mommy smiling into the crib, a rattle placed in the child’s hand, a ride in the stroller, Grandpa rocking her in his rocking chair. As passive as these experiences may seem, to a young infant they are rich in physical and sensory information about the world she’s been launched into. Later, independent movement exponentially increases her information-gathering abilities, even if the quest for knowledge only takes her to the potted plant across the room. This process of compiling tangible, physical, real-life, in-the-moment experiences one on top of the last is the essential first step in early learning. And the reason is simple. All learning, at any age, stands on the shoulders of prior knowledge—from the known to the unknown. We call this the “Apple Is for A” principle. As children build up a bank of experiences with their bodies and through their senses, the brain is busy learning how to store, associate, analyze, and retrieve information. For instance, if a child has lots of varied experiences with apples, she’s built a baseline familiarity—something known—about apples. She can then use this knowledge when presented with something related to apples, such as the letter A. She might not yet fully grasp what that squiggle A is all about, but she stands a better chance of grasping and remembering that the apple she knows has something to do with this new, unknown squiggle. Smart Steps has been designed to foster and support this natural, experiential, physical-first style of learning—not by providing the apple, but by building the capabilities to successfully reach for the apple. © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved © MICHAEL PETTIGREW | DREAMSTIME.COM 2 Introduction About This Book Move, Play, and Learn with Smart Steps is for educators, childcare providers, and parents with young children birth to seven years old. Designed for large- or smallgroup settings or one-on-one interactions, the Smart Steps activities take children on a sequential journey of physical development structured for optimal learning impact. The activities are based on a fundamental teaching principle: make the activity fit the child, not the child fit the activity. To that end, Smart Steps is composed of 50 activity sequences, each with 18 steps tailored to children’s natural development. That’s 900 play-filled, learning-rich activities in total. Our goal is to provide children with a well-balanced daily diet of physical activity that builds the body and the brain. To achieve that, Part 1 of the book gives you a foundational understanding of movement and its role in early learning and development. In addition, we provide guidance for implementing Smart Steps, including observational assessment tools, activity selection tips, and individualization techniques to The activities help children make the most of each wiggle and giggle. are based on a From there, it’s on to Part 2, where you’ll find an at-afundamental teaching glance guide to the Smart Steps activities followed by the principle: make the activities themselves. activity fit the child, At the back of the book you will find “Additional not the child fit Resources” (which provides song and rhyme lyrics, game the activity. rules, ideas and strategies for getting kids moving in a variety of ways, and more) and a glossary of key terms related to early development and movement. We’d like to hear about your experiences using the Smart Steps activities. Please write to us at in care of our publisher: [email protected]. It’s plain to see: in early childhood, learning never sits still. So let’s get moving! © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved 3 PART 1 Building the Body and Brain for Learning 5 © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved CHAPTER 1 The Kinetic Scale: An Overview In order to understand how movement underpins early childhood development, we need a deeper understanding of movement itself. So let’s start by breaking down the basic elements of movement—the raw ingredients. To do that, we’ve devised a tool to help you visualize those ingredients and the dynamic relationship between them. We call it the Kinetic Scale. The Kinetic Scale The Kinetic Scale The Senses Sight Hearing Smell Taste Touch Sensory Balance (Vestibular) Posture Balance Alertness Concentration Stillness Intuition (Proprioception) Power Body and spatial awareness Body subconscious Strength management Strength Stamina Flexibility Agility Reflexes Coordination Midlines Dominance Body rhythm Temporal awareness Control Positioning Pacing Pressure or force Eye-everything coordination Motor Language Verbal Physical Musical Symbolic The key components of the Kinetic Scale are reflexes, six physicalities (the senses, balance, intuition, power, coordination, and control), and language. Reflexes The reflexes are nature’s way of assisting babies at critical junctures in the early years of life and throughout life as needed. First, early reflexes known as the primitive reflexes assist baby in utero and during the birthing process. After birth, they trigger important involuntary movements babies need for their survival, such as grasping or pushing away. This, in turn, begins to build strength in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments for independent movement a little later on. Primitive reflexes 6 © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved CHAPTER 1 The Kinetic Scale: An Overview eventually integrate and give way to postural reflexes, which assist baby to get himself upright for crawling and walking. All early movement depends on reflexes, so in the Kinetic Scale diagram, you’ll see they serve as the platform for what we call the six physicalities. The Physicalities Three sensory tools (the senses, balance, and intuition) and three motor tools (power, coordination, and control) make up the six physicalities of the Kinetic Scale. Together, they ensure a rich, daily movement diet that builds the body and fosters the deep and intricate neural wiring in the brain that occurs in the early years. As you’ll see when you look at the Smart Steps activities in Part 2, we’ve provided an at-a-glance guide to the kinetic value of each activity so that you’ll be able to prepare a well-balanced progression of move-to-learn activities for the children in your care. We’ll get into more detail on activity planning a little later. But for now, let’s briefly take a look at the six physicalities. The Senses The senses are how children perceive the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of our world—the physical, tangible experiences of life. In the early years, sensory stimulation provides the child’s brain with the essential information it needs to learn to navigate and interact with the people, places, and things in the child’s environment. In other words, the senses are the origins of learning. © ANDREBLAIS | DREAMSTIME.COM Balance Balance underpins virtually everything we do. It provides us the stability we need for everything from everyday tasks (like staying upright while you’re reading this) to extraordinary feats of physical skill and daring. Governed by what’s called the vestibular system, it is our internal sense of what feels in and out of balance. It works in conjunction with our sense of intuition (the proprioceptive sense), continually evaluating and calibrating our orientation so we always know which end is up! Intuition Intuition (also known as proprioception) is our sense of the external conditions of our environment—the space and the objects in it. Think of it as the body’s internal GPS system. It provides us with a sense of our physical selves by answering important questions such as: “How big am I?” “What shape am I?” In turn, this gives us the intuitive sense of how to navigate the space around us: “How tall is that step?” “Will I fit through that tunnel?” Intuition also gives us the tools we need to interact with our environment: “How hard do I need to push to open the door?” For adults, all of this happens without conscious thought. That’s because we’ve had literally millions and millions of physical interactions over our lifetimes. Children’s intuition is still very much in © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved 7 Move, Play, and Learn with Smart Steps training, so “clumsiness” from time to time is to be fully expected. (After all, we adults still miss a curb occasionally, too!) Power To achieve fully automated movement, muscles need strength, stamina, flexibility, and agility. And not just the big muscles we think of as “gross motor.” All muscles— big and small—need to be able to carry out whatever the brain asks them to do. But helping children achieve their optimal physical power is more than a matter of fitness. Early on, children begin to adopt attitudes and behaviors about their own power—enthusiasm, willingness, perseverance, resilience, kid-sized courage, and a sense of experimentation and adventure—that will serve them well on the playground, in the classroom, and in life. Coordination Putting one foot in front of the other seems easy unless you’ve never done it before. Coordinated movement—moving two or more parts of the body in synergy—is how we get things accomplished, and it’s dependent on the development of the midlines in the early years. Imagine the body divided by three lines. One line separates left The Midlines Front-back midline Left-right midline Topbottom midline © MCPICS | DREAMSTIME.COM 8 © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved CHAPTER 1 The Kinetic Scale: An Overview from right. Another separates top from bottom. The third separates front from back. The midlines serve as the central pivot points for the body’s sophisticated coordinated movement patterns. Coordinated movements come in many forms: • With mirrored or bilateral movement, both the left and right sides of the body move together in a similar way at the same time. For example, babies hold their bottles with both hands. • One-sided or homolateral movement requires one half of the body to move while the other half stays still. Writing with one hand while the other hand remains still or scooting on a scooter are examples of homolaterality. • Opposition or lateral movement occurs when one side of the body moves in the opposite manner of the other. Think walking—right foot front, left foot back. © DIOSMIRNOV | DREAMSTIME.COM • Crossover or cross-lateral movement is when one part of the body crosses over to the other side—as when you reach your left hand over your right shoulder to scratch your back. Control Self-control begins for children when they can master their own body and achieve the goals they set for themselves. This means highly refined control of muscle movement. And again, it doesn’t matter whether the muscles are big or small. All muscles need the ability to adapt their speed, direction, and force, whether for running across a field or typing on a keyboard. Language Perhaps the most surprising element of the Kinetic Scale is the inclusion of language. Language in all its forms enriches the learning power of movement by providing the brain with the stimulation it needs to translate tangible experience into new concepts and, eventually, into abstract thinking. For instance, when a child lifts a heavy object, you might say, “The box is heavy. You are strong to lift that box.” Three concepts come into play in that one scenario: 1. What does heavy feel like? 2.What does strong feel like? 3. The words heavy and strong relate to each other. Later, the child may struggle to push open a door, and you might say, “That door is heavy. You need to be strong to open that door.” Hearing heavy and strong in a different context gives him more physical evidence of the words’ meanings. But more important, he begins to understand that those words can apply to more than one object or situation. And that is the very beginning of nuanced, conceptual thinking. © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved 9 Move, Play, and Learn with Smart Steps In short, continuous, in-the-moment exposure to rich and plentiful language optimizes and makes real a child’s understanding of human communication. In other words, movement brings language to life. (Please see pages 36–38 for more information on how to supercharge learning with movement and language.) Measuring Child Development: What Can the Child Do? On its own, the Kinetic Scale provides broad guidance for planning the right balance of activities for young children. But of course, little ones are growing and changing all the time. And that means their movement needs are growing and changing, too. To provide for that, the Kinetic Scale is designed to “tilt” to meet those needs at each stage of development. Now, the most common way to establish a child’s stage of development is chronological age. But given all the “moving parts” of early childhood development, age may actually be one of the most misleading variables to consider in evaluating a child’s movement needs. After all, some children walk at eight months, others at sixteen months. Some children can catch a ball when they’re two years old, while some four-year-olds still can’t. So instead of chronological age, the Kinetic Scale uses a criterion that is simple and easy to see: What can the child do? The “Can-Dos” of Movement As you know, there are many observable developmental changes in young children as they move through the early years, acquiring new levels of capabilities, or “candos,” along the way. And while the exact progression of these can-dos may vary a little or a lot from child to child, nature’s wisdom provides an orderly and cumulative sequence of events that occurs broadly across six stages of movement development: Snugglers (birth to rolling over). The snugglers phase spans the time infants progress from nonmobile, full dependence on others to the first glimmers of intentional, self-directed movement—the very beginnings of self-discovery. Squigglers (rocking, crawling, sitting up). Children discover mobility independence throughout this period, unlocking a wide range of early investigative explorations—the seeds of curiosity. Scampers (pulling up to walking). The final evolutionary steps from horizontal to vertical occur in this period, bringing children to steady-on-their-feet upright— along with an explosive period of new perspectives and capabilities all now within reach. © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved © PHOTOEUPHORIA | DREAMSTIME.COM 10 CHAPTER 1 The Kinetic Scale: An Overview Stompers (running and jumping). Full of experimental energy, children gain a larger sense of confidence as they test the limits of what their bodies can do. Speed, strength, and daring define this period, as stompers redefine what’s possible and quite literally learn to defy gravity. Scooters (hopping and climbing). Ever more complex and sophisticated whole-body coordination is emerging, sparking huge advancements in physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and communicative capabilities. Skedaddlers (skipping, leaping, cooperative games, and dance). As the body and brain become one, self-control comes easier now. And with that control comes the freedom to achieve even more. Age may actually be one of the most misleading variables to consider in evaluating a child’s movement needs. The diagram on pages 12–13 vividly illustrates the journey of capabilities children follow as they progress from primitive reflexes to automated coordinated movement. Tilting the Scale With a baseline understanding of how children’s can-dos unfold, we’re ready to explore how the Kinetic Scale enables this progression. Note how the Kinetic Scale rebalances the physicalities as children move through each step. Broadly, a very young child’s needs tilt toward the sensory tools—the senses, balance, and intuition. Over time and as she grows, the Kinetic Scale tilts toward the motor tools—power, coordination, and control. But, the operative word here is tilt. This is not an on-off switch. Nor is the Kinetic Scale a checklist. At every stage of development, reflexes, physicalities, and language are continuously interwoven, helping the child develop holistically as nature intended. The proportions change over time, but all of the ingredients are active parts of a daily, well-balanced physical diet throughout the early years. Now, as we’ve said, the Kinetic Scale is guided by what the child can do, not by her age. But for clarity, in the diagram on pages 14–15 we have indicated approximate ages when these stages generally occur. For instance, we’ve identified the squiggler stage at approximately six to fourteen months. But please also note, the squigglers stage actually overlaps with the scampers stage at nine to twenty-four months. These overlaps are designed to account for the wide variation in children’s individual developmental timetables. And please remember, this or any other evaluation tool is just a guide. It’s more important to be guided by the child. What a child does with her body tells you what her brain is trying to figure out. That is nature’s course, and working “with the grain” of nature is the best course you can take. © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved 11 12 Move, Play, and Learn with Smart Steps The Journey of Can-Do Snugglers Prenatal primitive reflexes: involuntary movement Primitive reflexes in place at birth Head control: first attempts Awakening of senses with touch, massage, and skin-to-skin contact Changing hands Crawling Hand and foot recognition Releasing grasp voluntarily Pincer grip Sitting independently Scampers Navigating small spaces Pulling up to stand Scooters Marching Balancing on one foot Handedness: early signs Cruising Temporal awareness Hopping Skedaddlers Climbing in opposition Galloping Midlines developing © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved Hand and foot dominance developing CHAPTER 1 The Kinetic Scale: An Overview Squigglers Sensory discoveries: especially mouth Rolling over onto tummy Pushing up from tummy Postural reflexes emerging Hip tips: attempting to roll over Studying facial expressions Grasping Mouthing things Up on all fours Commando crawling Rocking Bobbing up and down, aided Standing, unaided Climbing up furniture or stairs Eye-hand coordination: self-feeding Stompers Walking unaided Running Manipulative skills emerging Leaping from standing Jumping forward on two feet Crossing the midline Upper body strength developing Leaping from running Jumping on two feet Bobbing up and down, unaided Skipping © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved Automated coordinated movement 13 14 Move, Play, and Learn with Smart Steps The Kinetic Scale Stage by Stage Snugglers Birth to rolling over Approximate age: 0–6 months Infants learn about the world largely through sensory information. Balance development is also essential right from the start to serve as the foundation for current and future whole-body movement. Power ination The The Senses nses e Se es Thns The Se nses Se The Senses Thse The Sense Power Control dina n tion ol ortio dina nwerIntuition Coord ConorCo tuitioPo Control Contr PowerCoordinaCotioord n inatio ncInteuition In wer la Powe a B e nc r la a B Balance tuition Power Po IntuitiInon e Baelanc ce Balanc BalanceBalan ion IntuitionIntuit Senses C Coordinatio rolntrol ContCo Motor Reflexes Sensory Language e guage LanguagLan geuage uang LangLa uage Language Lang Squigglers Rocking, crawling, and sitting Approximate age: 6–14 months Squigglers continue to understand their world principally through their senses. Balance and intusensce Senses ition development accel- sesThe Senses nsThese SBTheaenla n e The Se The SensThese Senses The S erates as rolling, sitting independently, and crawlSensory ing emerge. Power BalanBace lance BalanceceBalance Balan ion Intuition BaInlatunitce Intuition no oordinlatioC on r inatiC erd ro o w o nt o C P Co ol Contr n r ordination Coordinaoltio neCo ow Pio ntrol Intuit Contr Co IntuitionPower PowerCoordinCo ordination ation wer Power Po uition IntuitionInt Motor Reflexes Language nguage La Language Language Language Language Language Scampers Pulling up to walking Approximate age: 9–24 months The senses now act even more as the fuel for movement, and movement as the fuel for the senses. Balance, e es enc nc aSela s Bens la nse Th nsesTheBaSe intuition, and power eare esThe Se ns es s Se ns nse e Se Se e s Th Th nse Th The Se in full gear as baby works toward vertical—standing Sensory and walking. eitiuitoionn oIntn tu itinc In Batula e In Balanc lance Ba ce Balance Balan Co rdinatio inantioCnoo atio er inrd o w o rd C Po o o C ol er ntr w Co Po n erordinatio nwCo oer wPo tuiti nwerInPo IntuitioPo n ination tioord Co ion Intuition Intuit Power Power ol Control Contr Coordina Motor Reflexes Language guage LanguageLan © 2016 Free Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved uage uage Lang e ge Lang nggua Laua Lang CHAPTER 1 The Kinetic Scale: An Overview 15 Stompers Running and jumping Approximate age: 20 months–3½ years Stompers are picking up speed and endurance The Senses Theas Senses Balance Balan ce The Senses Intuition they do more and more The Senses The Senses The Sen Balance Intuition Bala ses The nce Senses Balance BalaIntu Power Coordina ion Power nceition Balance IntuitionIntuit Power Intuition tionCoContr Pow ordolination Control Coordination Intu er ition Pow er Pow Coo er rdin Pow atio things on their own. Note n rdinatio erCoo CoonrdinCon atio Cootrol nrdinatio Con n trol Control how the scale now tilts Reflexes Sensory to the motor side where Motor whole-body coordination is emerging. Lang C Contr uage Language Language LanguageLangua ge Language Scooters Language Hopping and climbing Approximate age: 3–4 years The Senses The Se nses Th e la Big, whole-body moveSenc Ba nsees Balanc e Ba laon nce tuiti The SensesIntuition ments are the jet fuel for The SensThese SensIn In es BalanceBa Bal on Intu Pow Potuwitier lance ance Int The Senses er ition uitionIntuit wna CoerPo er n ordi Balance ordi Pow ion this stage, building power in Powe Intuition nation CoCo Coordination r Power tioCo ortrodi nal n Cont nt Power CoordinCo l rotio atior ondinatiCon rol Coordination on the muscles to climb everControl Co Control ntrol Sensor y Reflexes more-challenging movement mountains. And of Motor course, with power comes Language the important need for Language more and more control. Cont Language Lang uage Language Lang uage Skedaddlers Language Skipping, leaping, cooperative games, and dance Approximate age: 4 years and older The SThe ensesthree physiThe Semotor nses Senncse Beala calities are in fullThfocus e s Balan ce for skedaddlers, who are nearing the finish line of foundational movement development and achieving full automaticity. InBtuaitlaionnce Intuition The Sens es The SeTh nseesSeTh nseesSens es Sensory Balance ncBa e lance BalancBa e la In Potuwiteiorn Power Intuition In tuition Intuition Intuition CoPoordwinea r Power erPower PowerPow Reflexes tioCnoordin ation Coord Cntoronl in Co tra oti l on Contr ol ro Coordina tion CoordiCo naor tiodi naor nCo tiodinnatio n Cont roCo l nt Co l ntrol Motor LanguaLage ng Language ua Lage nguage © 2016 Free Lan Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved guage La nguage Languag e Contr
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