26 brain gym activities how to#
26 brain gym activities free#

26 brain gym activities how to#

Consult a therapist and primary care physician before beginning these brain gym exercises to learn how to make the most of these exercises.

Make sure that you are doing the exercises correctly as incorrect form can lead to injuries or muscle pains.

Brain gym exercises help boost your memory and attention span along with academic and athletic performance. It is a universal truth that exercising improves your muscle tone and fitness, but there are a few exercises that improve your cognitive function as well. Brain gym movements also provide opportunities to teach young children the names of more unusual body parts such as the thorax or pelvis, muscles and bones while also developing motor coordination and skills to follow directions.Workout routines are good for maintaining a fit and healthy body. Therefore, these exercises may be perfect to do as a group during a lesson break. Movements that take more space such as the “calf pump” where one leg is extended as the child grasps the back of a chair may require arranging classroom furniture to make space. Children can be taught to engage in them when they feel their attention drifting or when they are feeling fatigued. Many exercises can be performed while sitting quietly at a desk. Holding two fingers under the lower lip while breathing deeply to perform “Earth buttons” demonstrates a centering exercise that can be performed anywhere, anytime. The “Owl” exercise is an example of a focusing exercise because the child concentrates on breathing deeply while turning his head to the side and grasping the shoulder his head is facing. Other letters are formed at the center of the eight working left to right. Some letters are formed beginning at the center of the eight working from right to left. The large horizontal eight is used again as children write inside the edges. “Alphabet eights” help children focus on forming letters and fitting them correctly in their spaces. It is recommended that they trace the shape three times with each hand and then three times with both hands together.

Tracing repeatedly around a very large horizontal eight (or infinity sign) forces the child to reach across midline. This can be done as the child bends the knee to reach the foot in front of him or reaches behind to touch the extended foot. Children can hop in lines, a circle or randomly as they touch the right hand to the left foot and the left hand to the right foot.

26 brain gym activities free#

These are simple free brain gym exercises that require no materials. Cross Lateral ExercisesĬross lateral exercises are ideal for active children to perform at the beginning of the school day either in the gym or outdoors. Centering exercises such as “Brain buttons” are performed before reading or other visual tasks to relax the body and alert the mind. These movements are designed to improve attention and abilities to learn new information. Exercises to promote focus involve stretching into positions while taking deep breaths. Movements that involve crossing the middle of the body-such as when the right hand touches the left foot promote the laterality dimension. Dennison based on the theory that the human brain functions in three dimensions–laterality, focus and centering. The brain gym exercises were created in the early 1970’s by educator Paul E.