Dr. Howard Gardner from Harvard University said in his book Multiple Intelligences:  The Theory in Practice that “Rather than seeing intelligence as a single, general capacity that each of us possesses, we have at least eight distinct types of intelligences.”  Bodily Kinesthetic he feels is the one, which people solve problems in a concrete physical way using their body.  This kind of learning includes information and concepts formed about the world through physical activities.  Athletes and dancers are prime examples of this.

Infants: Sensory motor stimulation is needed for brain development, and infants start this process with physical activities.  A baby is born with 150 billon neurons.  These neurons must be stimulated to create pathways for learning to take place.  A nursery rhyme like “Jack and Jill” from my book Teaching with Heart, is one that adults can use to encourage infants to roll on the floor.  This will help them to develop balance and strengthens their large motor skills.

Toddlers: Since body language is a toddler’s first language it also has an impact on language development and other intellectual skills.  Adults need to set up an appropriate environment to help facilitate learning.  There should be a mix of hard and soft play surfaces.  When using “Jack and Jill” the play space should have pillows and large balls to make up an obstacle course for toddlers to roll over and under to help them develop their spatial relationships skills.

Preschoolers: As children get older their use of language becomes much more important in advancing both their physical and intellectual development.  Early childhood is the prime age for learning through movement.  It brings young children the potential for a sense of well-being in their lives.  It is though movement that they experience the power of mind and body working together.  To that end I suggest a game called “Caterpillar” found in The New Games Book to mimic the actions of “Jack and Jill” rolling down the hill.  Have the children lay side by side on their stomachs making sure that their bodies are packed close together with smaller children squeezed in between two larger ones.  Now have a child on one end of the line roll over onto their neighbor and keep rolling down the row of bodies.  When they get to the end of the line, they lie on their stomach, and the next person at the starting end begins to roll.   Not only is this game fun for all, but it helps to strengthen the body’s core.

George Leonard said in The Ultimate Athlete, “The body opens us to wonders in this and other worlds.  Its movements through space and time can launch us on a timeless voyage to a place beyond place.”