By: Jennifer Stein
Jennifer is a communications expert, active play enthusiast, and proud mom to two.
Have you ever noticed how alive kids feel when they’re zipping around the playground or busting a move? That’s because all that running, jumping, and dancing fires up their little brains, making those neural connections spark like a Fourth of July fireworks show. It’s all part of growing up smart and savvy!
Movement is a powerful tool for children’s learning and development and here are several reasons why:
Sensory Integration
Exploration through movement is not just about smarts; it’s a full sensory experience. When our little explorers are on the move, they’re soaking in the world with all their senses – touch, sight, sound, and awareness of their own movements. Each tumble and leap is a lesson, transforming them into little scientists conducting experiments with every move they make.
Attention and Focus
Ever struggle to keep your little one focused? Yep, me too. But here’s a secret: a quick game of tag can work wonders! It’s like a mini reset for their attention batteries, helping them zoom in on tasks later on. It’s a simple yet effective strategy for nurturing their cognitive stamina.
Social and Emotional Skills
Movement-based activities often involve interaction with others. Through cooperative games and play, children learn the art of friendship—the sharing of triumphs, the acceptance of losses, and the development of those precious social-emotional skills that’ll make them kind-hearted grown-ups one day.
Motor Skills Development
Let’s not forget those tiny muscles! Climbing, balancing, and ball games are the building blocks for those gross and fine motor skills. It’s amazing how mastering the monkey bars can lead to confident, coordinated kiddos.
Unlocking Creativity and Problem Solving
Movement has the power to unlock creativity in our little ones! When they invent games, solve playground puzzles, and dream up dances that would put Broadway to shame. It’s a joy to watch their imaginations in overdrive.
Self-Regulation
Lastly, active play is a natural way for children to release pent-up energy and emotions, helping them recalibrate and rediscover their equilibrium. It’s their way of pressing the ‘reset’ button on any stress or crankiness, helping them find their happy place again.
In a nutshell, movement is magic for our kids. It’s the key to growing up healthy, happy, and ready to take on the world. So how can the Blue Blocks help?
The Magical Blue Blocks
Imagination Playground’s Big Blue Blocks were designed to be a portable playground that encourages creativity, learning, and movement-based play!
Children can’t resist the allure of the Blue Blocks and are immediately engaged in building forts and towers, creating obstacle courses and other structures that emerge from imaginative play all while moving around and working together. This kind of unstructured play isn’t just fun; it’s a secret recipe for fostering social development, creativity and innovation in our kids!
Transforming Spaces into Playgrounds
One of the beauties of Imagination Playground Blocks is their ability to transform any space into a play space. Whether it’s a classroom, a community center, or your backyard, the Blue Blocks make it possible for movement-based play to happen anywhere.
Movement in Action
Educators and child development experts agree on the importance of movement in child development. The Blue Blocks are praised for their ability to combine physical activity with cognitive challenges, creating a comprehensive play and learning experience!
“Recess is not as sacred as it used to be in schools, and people are I think thirsty for the idea of how do you bring real productive play back into schools? It’s not just mindless entertainment. You want kids to be engaged and passionate about something, and that’s what I’ve seen these Blocks inspire, is a sort of passion. There’s a real engagement with these Blocks.” – A Principal
And parents, like myself, appreciate any opportunity where our kids can unplug and play! The Blue Blocks make it simple, just dump them out and watch the magic – they are the perfect invitation to PLAY!
The Movement Movement
Imagination Playground is at the forefront of the Movement Movement, championing active play for every child. Discover how the Big Blue Blocks can promote movement-based play, unlock a child’s creative spirit, and encourage a world of fun.
Explore our website to learn more about how the Blue Blocks can encourage learning, social development, movement, and above all, fun!
