A Moving Child Is a Learning Child: How the Body Teaches the Brain to Think (Birth to Age 7)

Just as kids' bodies need specific nutrients for good health, they also need a balanced diet of physical activity to help them reach their potential.

Writing in an engaging, down-to-earth style, authors Gill Connell and Cheryl McCarthy connect the dots that link brain activity, motor and sensory development, movement, and early learning. They unveil the Kinetic Scale:

• a visual map of the active learning needs of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and primary graders that fits each child's individual timetable.
• a unique framework encompassing all the elements of movement: reflexes, sensory tools (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, balance, and intuition), motor tools (power, coordination, and control), and language
• based on six stages of movement development from birth to age 7: snugglers, squigglers, stompers, scampers, scooters, and skedaddlers
• designed to foster a balanced diet of physical activity that helps each child move, grow, and learn on the child’s individual timetable.

Teachers and caregivers will find a wealth of information, actionable tips, and games they can use to support children's healthy development - all presented in a lively, full-colour format with demonstrative diagrams and photos. A final section offers easy-to-implement Smart Steps at Play activities geared to the Kinetic Scale.

Downloadable digital content includes printable charts, games, and activities from the book plus a PowerPoint presentation for professional development, parent handouts, and bonus activities.

Grounded in best practices and current research, A Moving Child Is a Learning Child is both a hands-on resource for any classroom teacher, care provider, or parent and an ideal tool for coaches, mentors, and professional development trainers.

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"A Moving Child Is a Learning Child interprets developmental movements and translates them into their correlating larger skill sets on the path to language, reading, writing, and being a healthy, social child . . . A brilliant read with beautiful photographs, diagrams, and layout."
- Heidi Echternacht, kindergarten teacher and founder of #KinderChat

"This groundbreaking book introduces a tool that supports the full, natural development of movement and learning in young children, enabling teachers, parents, and caregivers to facilitate learning through active play while respecting each child’s individual needs."
- Darell Hammond, founder and CEO of KaBOOM!

"Gill Connell and Cheryl McCarthy, two highly respected leaders in their fields, have produced a timely book that makes a significant contribution to our understanding of why movement is so vital in young children’s development and learning. This exceptionally informative book will appeal to and be highly useful for parents/caregivers and anyone who works with or has infants, toddlers, and young children."
- Cheryl Greenfield, M.Ed. (Hons), Manukau Institute of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand