Did you know that playing on the monkey bars could help improve your child’s writing skills? It’s reported all over the world that our lives are becoming more sedentary than ever before, and the knock-on effects for children extend far beyond health issues.

Movement is key for cognitive development in children, and when a Christchurch-based teacher called Gill Connell recognised this in her classroom, she decided to do something about it. Gill is the founder of Moving Smart International. She has developed programmes that help children to develop the physical skills they need to help them learn, as well as learning language and other key skills through movement. Her programmes have been adopted by 30% of primary schools in New Zealand to support the way that children learn in the classroom. She is also the author of A Moving Child Is a Learning Child; and she facilitates online training for teachers. 

In this episode Gill Connell will tell us why movement and learning are so intrinsically linked, exercises you can do with your children to help them with their cognitive development, and the importance of free play and letting your imagination go for a wander.

Resources & Links 

Moving Smart 

website: http://movingsmart.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MovingSmartNow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/movingsmart_nz/

Movement Matters Foundation Course: https://movingsmart.com/movement-matters-foundation-course/

Host: Stephanie von Bismarck 

Guest: Gill Connell

Producer: Holly Fisher

Production Manager: Angela Crago 

Executive Producer: Ellie Di Martino 

The series was recorded and edited at PodShop studios