Move, Play, and Learn with Smart Steps

© 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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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e Se
es
Thns
The Se
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Se
The Senses
Thse
The Sense
Power
Control
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Powe
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B
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B Balance
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Baelanc
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Balanc
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IntuitionIntuit
Senses
C
Coordinatio
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ContCo
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Reflexes
Sensory
Language
e guage
LanguagLan
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LangLa
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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
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BalanceceBalance
Balan
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Intuition
BaInlatunitce
Intuition
no
oordinlatioC
on
r inatiC
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Power Po
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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
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in full gear as baby works
toward vertical—standing
Sensory
and walking.
eitiuitoionn
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tu
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Batula
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Balanc
lance
Ba
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Balance Balan
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rdinatio
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Language
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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
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Cootrol
nrdinatio
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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
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this stage, building power in
Powe
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on
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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
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The Sens
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The SeTh
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Balance
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© 2016 Free
Lan Spirit Publishing Inc. All rights reserved
guage La
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