Activities for synaptic development

Kids will be kids, right? They will be source of immense joy and pain at the same time, and will make you worried sick and happy beyond any measure every day at least twice. Teaching them about life is not an easy task, and you will wish you could somehow skip all that and simply make them realize how much better it is to behave and not run around and scream. However, you might have forgotten that movement is the way to adapt to the world and learn, it will help them once they grow up.



Encourage their ‘silliness’

Trying to make your kids to behave is one of the most difficult things in the world – some would even say impossible. They will run around, jump, hopping on one leg, spin, scream, try to walk on the edge of the sidewalk, climb trees, and God knows what else. Parents do their best to calm them down but maybe they should let them be ‘wild’ even for a little bit. Believe it or not, it will help them when they get older.

Balls, cards, and blocks

Simple catch-and-throw games with a ball will do wonders for their eye movement, which is necessary for concentration while they study (not to mention what it does for their motor skills). Also, you will notice just how easy it is for kids to learn symbols for different cars (every dad’s pride). Develop these skills, have simple pictures and symbols on one card and words on other and see how quickly they will get it. Building blocks used to create more complex figures and shapes will show them how to use simple things to create something new.



Jumping and spinning

No matter if it’s jumping rope or bounce trampoline, jumping in general is a great way for your kids to burn out their excessive energy and improve their own synaptic development at the same time. MENSA experts recommend these activities to be present in kindergartens and early grades of school, since they help children develop their midbrains – centre for balance and posture, incredibly important for growing children. Spinning with their arms outstretched will more synaptic connections and improve their motor skills too.



What to avoid

Just as there are games and activities which are recommended and beneficial for synaptic development, there are also those which should be avoided. In general, it is bad for children to spend long hours in front of a computer and/or a TV. While educational cartoons and shows are rather informative and beneficial, unless they compensate for this by spending even more hours outside, their motor skills will be underdeveloped.
So, next time your child feels the urge to ‘be silly’ and dance, skip, jump, and crawl, better take them to a park or to the playground and let them just be kids for a while. They will spend countless hours in front of a computer and sitting behind a desk once they get older, but running free is a privilege of the youngest ones and they should enjoy it for as long as they can.

Editor will add in a couple of related articles here. If you have an article you want linked in at the end, please let your Editor know.

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