Why Movement Is One of the Most Powerful Ways Children Learn
Have you ever noticed your child incorporating everyday tasks into their pretend play? They might make their stuffed animals brush their teeth or take their time buttoning up a doll’s jacket.
Young brains are constantly making new connections, and that’s especially true during playtime. Every time your child crawls through an obstacle course and climbs to the top of a slide, their brain is gathering information that supports learning.
That’s why movement is such a big part of pediatric therapy at Skills on the Hill Pediatric Therapy. We incorporate purposeful, guided movement into our sessions to help kids develop the physical, sensory, and thinking skills they need for success throughout their lives.
Why Movement Helps Children Learn
Adults often associate learning with quiet classrooms or orderly libraries, but kids actually learn best by interacting with their surroundings. For them, learning is an active process in which they use their bodies to explore, experience, and discover how things work. Every play session is actually strengthening communication between their brain and the rest of their body.
Movement also supports the development of balance, coordination, posture, and body awareness. These skills provide a strong foundation for more traditional learning tasks, such as sitting at a desk at school, holding a pencil, or reading a book.
Essentially, this means that when it comes to kids, learning is most effective when they can move while learning. Sitting still for long periods may make it harder to stay focused, especially for children with developmental delays or sensory processing challenges.
Attention and Focus
Physical activity increases blood flow to the brain and can improve alertness, making it easier for children to stay engaged during learning activities.
Memory
Repeating movements while learning helps the brain store and recall new information more effectively.
Sensory Processing
Sensory processing is the brain’s ability to organize sensory information. Movement provides valuable sensory input that helps children understand and respond to their environment.
Motor Planning
Motor planning is the ability to think through and carry out a new movement. Play allows kids to practice different activities in a low-stakes way so they can become more confident tackling everyday tasks.
Self-Regulation
Active play can help children manage their energy, emotions, and behavior, making it easier to participate in learning and social situations.
Three Ways Skills on the Hill Pediatric Therapy Uses Movement to Support Learning
Learning to Follow Directions with an Obstacle Course
We might create an obstacle course that requires a child to crawl through a tunnel, step across balance stones, and toss beanbags into a target. To complete the obstacle course successfully, the child will need to follow detailed, multi-step instructions. For example, we might tell them to crawl through the tunnel, then toss a red beanbag into a blue bucket. An activity like this strengthens listening skills, memory, sequencing, and motor planning all at once.
Learning New Words Through Active Games
Flashcards are a tried-and-true method for learning vocabulary, but pairing them with movement can help kids build even stronger brain-body connections (while keeping them engaged). For example, instead of sitting at a table to go through the flashcards, we might hide the cards around the room. The child then has to climb, reach, and crawl to find each card, at which point we’ll have them use the new word in a sentence.
Playing Pretend to Build Fine Motor Skills
Pretend play is a wonderful way to develop hand strength, finger coordination, and other important skills needed for writing or getting dressed. Consider the classic “tea party” with dolls or stuffed animals. A child might use toy tongs to pick up play food or pretend to pour tea into a teacup, not even realizing that they’re strengthening their fine motor skills the entire time!
Helping Children Grow Through Movement
Playtime is more than fun. It’s a key part of healthy development. Every jump, reach, climb, and game creates opportunities to build stronger thinking skills, improve coordination, develop confidence, and gain greater independence.
If you’re curious to learn more about Skills on the Hill Pediatric Therapy’s movement-based approach to pediatric therapy, reach out to our team today!
Meet Our Team
Kristen M.
Chief Executive Officer
Occupational Therapist
Jennifer C.
Executive Director
Occupational Therapist
Got an Old iPad? Help a Child Find Their Voice.
We’re building a Tech Lending Closet at Skills on the Hill — a collection of gently used tablets that we’ll loan to children waiting for insurance approval on their communication devices. For a child who relies on a tablet to communicate, that approval process can feel impossibly long. A loaner device can bridge the gap and keep their progress moving.
Give Your Old Tablet a Meaningful Second Life
Have an iPad or tablet collecting dust at home? We’d love to give it a second life supporting children who use communication devices to express themselves, connect with others, and continue making developmental progress while they wait for permanent equipment approval.
Before donating, please make sure your device is:
- Wiped / factory reset (all personal data removed)
- Find My iPhone/Device turned OFF
- Unlocked (no passcode or Apple ID lock)
Thank you for helping us help our kids communicate.
Know a School That Could Use Our Support?
Skills on the Hill is partnering with area schools, preschools, and daycares to provide developmental screenings for students and workshops for educators on strategies that help all learners access the curriculum.
Help Us Connect with Local Schools & Educators
We’re looking to grow these partnerships — and warm introductions from families like you are the best way in. If you have a great connection at your child’s school, whether that’s a director, principal, program coordinator, or learning specialist, we’d be grateful for an introduction.
Together, we can support educators with practical strategies and help more students access the tools they need to thrive both academically and socially.
Simply send us an email and we’ll take it from there.
Big Movement Games You Can Play in Ten Minutes or Less
Want to help boost your child’s learning, build their gross motor skills, and ensure they’re having fun? You don’t need any special equipment or tons of time–just a little imagination! At Skills on the Hill Pediatric Therapy, we recommend setting aside a few minutes each day for fun, purposeful play.
Animal Walk Parade
Take turns moving like different animals around the room. For example, you might crawl like a bear, hop like a frog, waddle like a penguin, or stretch up tall like a giraffe. This activity builds strength, balance, coordination, and body awareness while encouraging your child to follow directions and use their imagination.
Color Hunt Relay
Place different colored objects around the room. Call out a color, and have your child run, skip, or hop to find an item that matches before returning to the starting spot. This game combines movement with listening, attention, and color recognition.
Pillow Path Challenge
Arrange pillows or cushions on the floor to create a twisty (but safe) path. Encourage your child to step, jump, or balance across the pillows without touching the floor. Walking on pillows creates an uneven surface to help force your child’s brain to constantly change how it balances, which improves coordination, stability, and motor planning.
Check Out Our Storefront on Amazon!
At Skills on the Hill, we know that the right toys can make playtime both fun and developmentally meaningful. That’s why we’ve curated an Amazon storefront filled with therapist-recommended toys that support fine motor skills, language development, sensory exploration, problem-solving, imaginative play, and more.
Safety Scissors for Kids
The retractable design will save more space in a pencil case. The unique cute shapes can easily stimulate toddlers’ creativity.
The blunt nibs keep kids safe, making sure our cute scissors are secure and reliable. High-quality plastic and stainless steel keep these mini scissors comfortable, durable, and long-lasting for use.
Great for cutting paper, card stock, cardboard, art ropes, wrapping paper, fabric, tape, leaves, photos, coupons, etc. Definitely fit for any scenario.
The set comes with 3 duplex colored small scissors for kids to choose, great to promote their color cognition. One purchase for years of use.
Mini Pizza Faces
Turn lunchtime into playtime! Kids will love creating silly pizza faces while practicing fine motor skills, creativity, and independence in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- 4 whole wheat English muffins, split in half
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Black olive slices
- Bell pepper strips
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Pepperoni slices (optional)
- Sliced mushrooms
- Baby spinach
- Fresh basil (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the English muffin halves on a baking sheet and spread each with pizza sauce.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over each muffin, then let kids decorate them with vegetables and toppings to create funny faces.
Bake for 8–10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Allow the pizzas to cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy your edible works of art!
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