The Power of Play for Fitness, Learning, and Behavior

The Power of Play: Improving Kids’ Fitness and

Learning Skills

Brett Klika CSCS

Pounce- Backpedal, Engage!

www.SPIDERfitkids.com

Shimmy, Dive, 🍭

How much does America value physical education and development?


United States of America

• How in the world are we doing?

• (based on a study of 34 countries)• 17th in reading

• 21st in science

• 26th in math

•MANDATED PHYSICAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT:

• 100 minutes per week


Finland

• 1st in science

• 2nd in math and reading

what in the world are they doing right?

• MANDATED PHYSICAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT:

• 75 minutes per DAY!


More than fitness?

“Skills of the eye, ear, muscle, and mind are similar.”-Rosenbaum

• Historically, greater cognitive capacity associated with high-level motor behavior

• All learning uses both sensory and motor skills


But kids need to study!

• Third graders who integrated physical activity within the school day had significant increases in academic achievement.

• After just 20 minutes of moderate treadmill walking versus no exercise for 20 minutes, preadolescents scored a grade level higher in a reading comprehension test.

Source: Graham, Holt/Hale, and Parker authors of Children Moving: A Reflective Approach to Teaching Physical Education (2013)

But kids need to sit still to study!

• Children who increased physical activity four-fold with a 14-week physical education program demonstrated improvements in fitness, academic performance, and behavior.

• Doubling physical education time had no negative impact on reading or math scores.


Source: Graham, Holt/Hale, and Parker authors of Children Moving: A Reflective Approach to Teaching Physical Education (2013)

How does physical activity improve behavior?

• Aerobic Exercise

• Increased blood flow

• Increased size of hippocampus

• Increased levels of BDNF


How does physical activity improve learning and behavior?

• Improved grammar skills

• Improved reading aptitude

• Improved social behavior

• Increased BDNF in cerebellum

• Improved neural plasticity


STRATEGIC, SENSORY-RICH, COORDINATIVE EXERCISE—AKA PLAY!

Sensory Skills and Learning

• Sensory skills allow humans the ability to take in sensory input, process it, then create an appropriate motor output.

Exploration/ Play

Selection

ApproximationFine Tune

Action to Perception

Sensory Skills and Learning

Perceptual motor skills


Program Goals for Exercise, Learning, and Behavior

• Grow the brain with movement by…

Elevating the heart rate

Using a wide array of sensory skills


Directional Awareness for Learning

• An ability to discern personal and global direction from a variety of perspectives

Crossing the midline increases neural speed and connections through corpus callosum

Temporal Awareness for Learning and Behavior

• An ability to discern rhythm

• Improves grammar (words, phrases)

• Increases reading aptitude

Visual Awareness for Learning and Behavior

• An ability to focus and track objects


Myopia is associated with indoor/close up focusing for extended periods of time.

Visual tracking—a skill that is necessary for following words across a page—is associated with improved reading ability.

Auditory Awareness for Learning and Behavior

• An ability to process direct and indirect auditory cues


• Associated with assessing rhythm (grammar, words, and phrases)

• Right ear dominance can improve auditory processing speed

Vestibular Awareness for Learning and Behavior

• An ability to orient the head in relation to the ground and body


• Semicircular canals- Position of head in relation to the ground

• Otolith organs: Utricle and Saccule sense linear acceleration

• Hypo vestibular- Under-stimulated

• Hyper vestibular- Over-stimulated

Vestibular Awareness for Learning and Behavior

• An ability to orient the head in relation to the ground and body


• ADHD: Hypo vestibular, poor balance, motor performance, ability to focus, emotional inhibition.

• Balance and vestibular training associated with improvements in:Auditory processingInhibitionCognition

• Vestibular training stimulates the limbic system

Tactile Awareness for Learning and Behavior

•An ability to process touch appropriately


• Competitive / Cooperative Touch

• Aggression

What to do from here…

• Communicate the value of your program.

• Communicate struggles with parents

Outsource


Thank You!!!Brett Klika

Facebook: spiderfit kids

www.spiderfitkids.com


Health & Medicine

The Power of Play for Fitness, Learning, and Behavior