August | 2015 | Live.Love.Fully

Did you know that most children have underdeveloped Vestibular Systems? This means that they have weakened balance. It is caused by restricted movement.

Let’s face it. Our kiddos aren’t getting enough movement, and because of it, ADD, obesity and diabetes rates are climbing like crazy.

When I was a kid, my brother and I spent our time playing outside with our friends – riding our bikes, running up and down the street, hide and seek, tag, street hockey… You name it! Kiddos today depend on technology to keep them entertained. They’d rather spend their time zoned out in front an iPad or Xbox for hours on end than doing something active.

What does this dependency on electronics mean for parents and teachers? It means we have to work harder at being entertaining! It’s hard work, but it’s well worth it. Behavioral outbursts and symptoms of ADD are two things linked to restricted movement. The more our children move, the more controlled their behavior will be. Our bodies need to move, and when we force them to stay still for extended amounts of time… Well, it doesn’t work out so well.

I’ve submitted an Action Based Learning project to Donor’s Choose, asking for wobble cushions, wobble stools, and thumb balls to keep my kiddos moving and engaged all day. My thinking is that if I stimulate and strengthen their Vestibular systems, not only will they learn more, but they’ll be more actively engaged and actually WANT to learn! When my project is approved, I will post a link here, so that you can read all about it :).

I’ve also created a Get Moving Cup! This is a nifty little tool you can put together to use in your classroom or at home. Inside my cup, are 25 Brain Booster popsicle sticks. Each Brain Booster provides a different opportunity for the class to move around – sometimes individually, sometimes with a partner, and sometimes as a whole group. Each stick is labeled with the part of the brain it activates, too!

Use your Get Moving Cup between activities, lessons, during transitions, and as a part of your instruction. At home, it can be used between homework problems or when your children are restless or unfocused. Brain Boosters are a fun way to reenergize the brain!

Here’s what you’ll need:
Popsicle Sticks (I used colored ones)
2 Cups (one smaller than the other, so it fits inside)
Paint Pens

That’s it! On each popsicle stick, write a Brain Booster and place it in your cup. So that you don’t get stuck repeating the same Brain Boosters over and over, place the ones you’ve already used into the smaller cup. That way, you can grab a new one each time. Once you’ve completed all of them, you can start all over. Feel free to add Brain Boosters to your cup as you come up with more of them!

Below, I’ve included a photo of the 25 Brain Boosters and the parts of the brain they activate. Feel free to use mine or create your own! (The Brain Boosters I used are from an Alief ISD Action Based Learning professional development I attended this summer.)

I’ve included some descriptions of the activities for you below. I changed the names of some activities to better suit my classroom. Feel free to add activities as you come up with them to your cup.