THEY JUST WON'T HOLD STILL

S.O.S 

I am getting a lot of parents confronting me about their children and the fact that they are moving around like bumble bees all the time.

"How do I make my child sit still ? " 

I guess the biggest thing is what is mentioned below. I tell my parents that your child needs about 60 mins of good moving around jumping up and down and having a wild wild time to get their ya-yas 's out.

Kids learn through movement. This is why when I have children come to my classes and they just move around.. I let them. It has been my experience that new children come to class and they do three things.. Cry.... run around like Tazmainian Devils ( sorry do not know how to spell Tazmainian ) and or just sit in their parents lap and stare. It never fails that after about three classes they are in the groove. Fun times.  I also think that a little bit of exploration in class is good for small children. I just can not expect them to be one hundred percent present when they have only been in a body for less then a few years. Takes some skill paying attention. And sitting still that is most of the time NOT AN OPTION. But the good news is that this phase of fording every mountain and stream.. climbing the walls.. as my mother used to put it.. It is very temporary. It might feel to you like it is taking forever.. but remember teething ? and Colic.. well the run and have fun throwing and saying no and taking things apart and or just being a little bit naughty.. it is normal and it is very very temporary. Testing boundaries.. I promise it does not go on forever. The more they explore and find out what they CAN do alone the less they will be running around looking at what they can't do.
Don't run
Don't touch
Don't yell
Don't throw.
It is better to spend at least an hour a day doing all the above in the right place.. the park or a walk down your neighborhood or in the forest.. Or with Miss Mana when she starts taking her kids out for Nature trips. Soon parents soon.

In the meantime....

All the above is totally acceptable in my classroom. I am a mover and a shaker.. The one thing I can not allow is harming other children.. Like running over them or hitting or throwing things at them.. But we just do not have that in our class. I am also including a bunch of outdoor stuff for the saturday morning sunshine school.  Perhaps this will help. Work.. They are coming to work for the Planet.
Making bird feeders, grinding corn.. planting seeds.. watering flowers.. building fairy houses.. charting the weather.. all this fun stuff. It is going to be so much fun . !

It seems like when a child turns around 2 they really start moving and shaking it up..LOL.
They find there feet and then they are gone... oh boy.

If your wondering more about movement and children I suggest this article.. here is a snippet of it in print..

This is part of a link you can find below on why children need to move to learn...
http://www.minds-in-bloom.com/2012/04/advice-from-ot-if-you-want-children-to.html

If You Want Children to Sit Still, You Have to Let Them Move
Children need to move their bodies in order to be able to stay focused and to learn.  A good thing to remember is that a nerve in the inner ear, called the vestibular nerve, serves to tell the body how upright, aroused, and present to be in direct response to movement. The only way to activate the vestibular nerve so that it can do its job is to move.

 

Normally, a small amount of movement, like a quick stretch and turn of the head, will make the nerve fire and talk to the muscles.  When children are fidgeting and finding it difficult to stay still, they are unconsciously attempting to activate that nerve in the inner ear to improve their ability to sit up and focus.

Are Your Students in the Just Right State or in a Sensory Needs State? 

When we are forced to sit still for long periods, we are either in one of two states: the just right state, meaning that our bodies can support our ability to stay present by remaining effortlessly aroused and upright, or in a sensory needs state, which means that we cannot attend because our bodies need something to help our brains stay alert and ready to learn.  The just right state doesn't last long when we are forced to sit without moving, unless what is happening in the room is highly interesting and engages our full attention. Attention spans in young children are quite short.  Most of the time, they require constant movement and novelty to stay engaged.

 

Some children don’t have responsive vestibular nerves.  If a child has had a series of ear infections, for example, and has had tubes placed in his ears, his vestibular nerve may not fire with just a little bit of movement. His vestibular system requires a great deal more intensity before it will respond and tell his muscles to sit up.  This child will have an especially hard time sitting for long periods without being allowed to get up.

Final Notes

 

Exploring the outdoors does not take much for a small child. Fresh air and open sky.. a canopy of tree tops or even just a nice simple walk down the driveway.. It all matters to them and it will for you too. 

 Fresh air is a great knock out drop for kids. I love it . It works well for me too. 

I am going to be working more with children outside this year with my Saturday Sunshine School at the Muse. Dress up and come as your fairy self or elf or princess self. Pirates. are also welcome if they behave..:)  We will be digging and grinding corn and learning about birds and insects and trees and plants and clouds and our world around us as fairies are the caretakers of the Planet .  They help the garden grow.

Early Childhood expert Carolyn Lucento ( http://magicalmovementcompany.com ) will be joining us quite often with great actives as well as other special guests through out the spring and summer months..

Miss Mana's Sunshine School . We wills start this off with the Ground Hog Party and a rain dance on Saturday Feb 1st. Bring your child and a snack and costume for our party. It is two hours 10- Noon . Be sure to bring a snack  and dress up . It is going to be LOADS OF FUN. 

See you next Saturday at the Muse in Willits.

10 - Noon. Oh the cost is $15 for two hours of great fun art and experiments.

Lots of special guests too.  Walk ins are always welcome . Don't forget to bring a snack .  

Many Bright Blessings

Miss M