Nursery World - Let's get physical

Having a designated movement area will develop children's minds and emotions too, says Kate Johnson, assistant manager at Parklands Children's Centre, Leeds I have been involved in a Jabadao research project which aims to identify the importance of giving children the freedom to move in lots of different ways. This encourages them to practise innate movement patterns that all babies and young children instinctively adhere to. We can do this by giving children opportunities to move freely while at the same time encouraging them to do the following:

I have been involved in a Jabadao research project which aims to identify the importance of giving children the freedom to move in lots of different ways. This encourages them to practise innate movement patterns that all babies and young children instinctively adhere to. We can do this by giving children opportunities to move freely while at the same time encouraging them to do the following:

* Floor play, tummy and back play, rolling over and over

* Spinning, tipping and tilting

* Crawling and belly crawling

* Pushing, pulling and stretching

From the moment they are born, babies are busy building their brains. The earliest brain building is supported by movement - all kinds of movement.

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