On Movement

“Our new conception stresses the importance of movement as a help to the development of the brain, once it is placed in relation to the center. Mental development and even spiritual development can and must be helped by movement. Without movement, there is no progress and no health (mentally speaking). This is a fundamental fact which must be taken into consideration. I might be asked to demonstrate these facts, but they are not ideas, nor even personal experiences. They are demonstrated whenever we observe nature, her facts, and the precision given to this observation comes from watching the development of the child. Watching him, one sees that he develops his mind by using his movements. The development of language, for instance, shows an improvement of understanding accompanied by an ever extending use of the muscles of production. Besides this and other examples the child, scientifically observed, shows that he develops his intelligence generally through movement. Observations made all over the world have shown that the child demonstrates that movement helps psychic development, that development expresses itself in its turn by further movement and action. So it is a cycle, because both psyche and movement belong to the same unity. The senses also help. Without opportunity for sensorial activity the child is less intelligent. That is why the examination of the development of the small child is of such great aid to the whole of education.”

Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind.

Whenever I feel like my daughter is moving nonstop and has so much energy, I need to remind myself that she needs all of that movement. Her need for play and active movement is different from mine, but I feel that it’s also important for me to be playful and move in ways that make me feel good.

I sewed a dress for the first time in my life. My stitches are wobbly, it took a long time to cut my fabric, set up my sewing machine, ironing board, iron, and figure out how to follow the pattern. All of these movements are still new to me and I haven’t had a lot of experience doing them, but I finally finished it. I feel so accomplished and happy that I made a dress all by myself. It’s a feeling that children likely have whenever they get to do something for themselves. It’s good for me to keep learning new skills so that I can be constantly reminded of how frustrating it can be in the beginning, and how much time it really takes to master something. It definitely puts what young children are going through in perspective and helps me be more patient in dealing with Joule.

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