LEARN FROM AN EXPERT WITH MORE THAN 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE
Hi I’m Alene. More than 25 years ago I founded Integrated Learning Strategies to help students excel in their education and reach their academic potential. When I began my journey, I realized there were so many kids struggling in more areas than just reading and writing.
I watched kids struggle with attention and focus, fidgeting in their chairs, lying on their desks, sensory sensitivities, eye tracking issues, little to no hand strength, following directions, copying notes from the chalkboard and much more. How could I possibly teach a child to read and write if they were constantly walking around the room, rocking back and forth in their chair or lying on my desk?
These kids were smart, but they didn’t have the connection between the body and the brain to help them reach a higher level of learning. That’s when I realized the true importance of a strong motor foundation to support each step of the higher learning process.
For a child to excel in topics like speech and language, reading, problem solving, reasoning, critical thinking, sequencing, and writing words on the page, we need to develop the lower levels of the brain first. So how do we do this?
Integrating movement-based activities into your child’s daily routine from infancy all the way through the teenage years is an essential step in building your child’s neurological readiness for higher learning.
Parents and teachers may think “ok, I need to send these kids outside to play more. That will get the job done” However, it’s so much more than that. It’s important for us to be more calculated and provide opportunities for purposeful movement that not only awakens the brain for learning, but also helps prevent other learning challenges from developing.
Many students who struggle with simple motor movements and tasks like balance and coordination, riding a bike, hopping, skipping, catching, kicking, throwing, climbing, swimming and tying their shoes, may need more movement-based activities to help build those lower levels of the brain to pave a better path for higher learning.
That is why we created an easy-to-use program for Occupational Therapists, parents, teachers and other professionals to incorporate specific purposeful movement activities in their daily routines for better neurological readiness. The Integrated Movement Activity Center is guided by exercises we developed and created, and are executed by a trained and licensed Occupational Therapist.
Our overall goal with the Movement Center is to awaken the brain and provide movements to build and strengthen a connection between the child’s body and their higher learning development. We provide activity recommendations, calendar and duration for movements and a guide to equipment you can use to enhance the child’s experience for the best results possible.
Remember, even if your child is seeing a professional or therapist, they cannot do it alone. They need your help! Kids typically only see professionals 2 to 3 times a week, which doesn’t provide enough time to work on these brain-building movements. By helping at home, you may see quicker outcomes and faster progress.
If you are a therapist or professional that needs new fresh ideas, additional help with your students, direction on what you may see in a struggling child and how to help make the exercises more efficient for the child, this Movement Center is also for you. It can open a whole new area of progress for your students.
Integrating purposeful movements in your child or students’ daily “diet” may be just what they need to excel in the classroom and reach their fullest academic potential.