Take a look at the two brains. One is a dim, quiet landscape of passive screen time; the other is vibrant – a “lit up” map of neural activity. The difference? Movement. For a Foundation Phase learner, movement isn’t a distraction from the lesson – it is the engine that drives it. When we tell a child to “sit still and listen,” we are actually asking their brain to perform a massive feat of endurance that leaves very little energy left for learning. Here is why we need to trade the “quiet classroom” for a “moving mind”.
Dr. Eric Jensen, a leading educational neuroscientist, notes that the cerebellum contains nearly half of the brain’s neurons and has massive connections to the prefrontal cortex. When a child moves, they aren’t just burning energy; they are stimulating the neural pathways responsible for attention and decision-making.
Historically, the cerebellum was thought to only control motor function. However, modern neuroimaging shows it is also highly active during cognitive processing. The same part of the brain that processes movement also processes spatial perception and language.
Cross-lateral movements – activities where a child crosses the midline of their body (e.g., touching their left hand to their right knee) – are critical for Foundation Phase learnings.
These movements force the left and right hemispheres of the brain to communicate via the corpus callosum.
Studies on Neuroplasticity show that crawling, skipping and bilateral coordination strengthen the myelin sheath (insulation) on nerve fibers, which speeds up the transmission of information. This is foundational for learning to read, as the eyes must track across a page (crossing the midline) smoothly.
It is also important to note that movement increases blood flow, which delivers OXYGEN and GLUCOSE to the brain. BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) is often called “Miracle-Gro for the brain”, and physical activity triggers its release. Research from the University of Illinois demonstrated that children who engaged in physical activity performed significantly better on executive function tasks and standardized tests than their peers.
When we look at pre-schoolers, we’ve learned that the Vestibular (balance) and Proprioceptive (body awareness) systems are the gatekeepers of their focus. A child who cannot sit still often has an “under-fueled” vestibular system. They move because their brain is literally craving the input it needs to stay awake.
So, let’s make it easier to understand:
| Type of Movement | Cognitive Benefit | Why it matters |
| Crossing Midline | Hemispheric integration | Essential for reading and writing (eye-tracking). |
| Balance/Spinning | Vestibular stimulation | Improves focus and settles the nervous system. |
| Fine Motor Play | Neural density | Hand-eye coordination correlates with later math success. |
| Aerobic Activity | BDNF release | Increases memory retention and mood regulation. |
What this all means is that a quiet, still classroom isn’t necessarily a learning classroom. For a five-year-old, sitting still is a massive cognitive load that competes with the energy needed to listen.
By incorporating movement, we reduce that load and allow the brain to focus on the message, not just the chair.