How to build the lower levels of your child’s brain with movement-based exercises for better attention and focus, balance and coordination, emotional grounding, visual and spatial awareness, core muscle strength, hand-eye coordination, sensory preparedness and much more.
The Integrated Movement Activity Center establishes a strong motor foundation to “awaken” the brain for higher learning. Just like a block tower, all learning depends on the readiness of the foundation. When a child’s motor skills are not fully developed, the brain may not be adequately prepared to learn at higher academic levels.
Our Movement Center uses play-based exercises to prepare the body and target the brain for reading, writing, arithmetic, speech and other higher learning functions. To read and write well, students not only need good control of language, but good control of their body.
To better support your child or student’s foundation for learning readiness, we focus on four main areas of motor and academic development:
Our movement-based activities create an environment to enhance processing in the brain and improve the student’s ability to learn in the classroom. The exercises “awaken” the right and left hemispheres of the brain to form the right connections and bridge any gaps between a child’s creative and organizational learning development.
Using integrated movements, (for example, crossing the midline), requires both the left and the right sides of the brain to work together to reach a common goal. We want learning to become automatic in the brain and strengthen each layer for better problem solving, fact retention, following directions and much more.
The more finely tuned the brain is, the more efficiently students process information.
When children enter school, most parents and teachers expect kids to already understand how to sit still, pay attention, stay in their seat, listen to the teacher and stay emotionally grounded throughout the day. While this is a lofty goal, most children aren’t yet age appropriate for sitting in their chair for long periods of time or they have not fully developed the centers of the brain for attention and focus, and emotional control.
Integrating movement-based activities in a child’s every day routine from ages three to 13 can build the child’s cerebellum. The cerebellum is the “all-star” of the brain that regulates a child’s emotions, movement, balance and coordination. Practicing specific motor movements can help calm a child’s body, prevent fidgeting, enhance behavior, support social skills and help a child attend to what the teacher is teaching.
Many people ask why does my child need to develop their motor skills and core strength? How could it possibly help in the classroom?
As a child strengthens their core and builds their motor skills, you will see improvements in the child’s posture for sitting upright in their desk, better head and neck control for copying notes from the chalkboard, stronger shoulders and arms for supporting handwriting, and even better speech and language skills as we boost airflow in the diaphragm and lungs.
As we use movement to develop proper head control, muscle tone, strength and posture, students begin to improve in balance, coordination, attention and focus, and behavior at school and with friends.
Once a child’s body and the brain are adequately prepped and ready for learning, we see learning become automatic. Movement is the anchor for learning and is often called “miracle grow” for the brain. It fosters and supports all academic achievement.
When the lower levels of the brain are fully developed, the higher levels of the brain are ready for solving problems, studying homework, retaining facts, processing information, following directions, and much more.
By incorporating movement into daily activities, we train the brain to do the following:
As a child builds a strong foundation through purposeful movements, they become neurologically ready to reach their highest academic potential.
16 introductory videos providing direction, duration, frequency and other recommendations for exercises
178 movement-based activities to awaken the brain for learning and develop critical motor skills for (10 to 12 videos per series)
Videos include support and direction from experienced trainers and a licensed Occupational Therapist. Support help from our trainers is available anytime you have questions or need additional help.
Our recommended schedule for performing the exercises. How many days to do the activities per week and what variety of exercises may provide the best results.
Our recommendations for equipment to use for the exercises. A list of equipment we use is included and where to find many of the items for the exercises. Equipment is not necessarily needed and can be adapted to the child’s individual needs.
The membership provides an annual or monthly option for the individual needs of your child or students. Monthly members receive access to a new video series every 30 days while annual members receive access to all videos upon enrollment. Exercises are completed according to the needs of the child.
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.
Hi I’m Tera! When I want to pretend that I’m a “real grown-up,” I describe myself as a mom, wife and Occupational Therapist (OT). But…I rarely feel like a “real grown-up,” so deep down, I would always rather choose playing and exploring with my favorite peeps.
I have worked with children of all ages for many years and have seen so much in a child’s development. I am a fascinated observer, student and audience member of all things from children and their development. They cause me to laugh out loud in delight, be amazed, inspired and intrigued by their genuine uniqueness.
I am a licensed OT in the state of Utah, certified with the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) with a Practice Area of Emphasis in Pediatrics.
For the majority of my career, I worked as an OT for Primary Children’s Hospital. I’ve spent the last several years working as an OT at a K-9 charter school and developing my private OT practice in northern Utah. After graduating from OT school at Colorado State University, I worked with adults who had neurological injuries at McKay-Dee Hospital. I’ve really enjoyed learning from the wide variety of the many children and adults of all ages and abilities I’ve worked with in my OT career. My specialization is with children who struggle in gross and fine motor skills, oral sensory concerns, feeding issues, and sensory integration disorders.
I am excited to work with Integrated Learning Strategies on creating a new movement-based center that could help kids all around the world. I’ve seen many positive changes in students who use movement to learn and excel in the classroom. So many kids fall behind and need programs like this to help bridge the gaps in their learning development.
More parents, teachers and therapists can use programs like this one for better direction and guidance on how to make a difference in each child’s academic future.
Normally $1650
$19.99/ Month
-Gain access to a new video series every 30 days
-Automated monthly payments
-Great option for parents
Secure Order Form – 100% protected and Safe Access
Normally $1650
$219.00/ Yr
-Gain access to all videos within the membership for one year
-Automated annual payments
-Great option for therapists, professionals and teachers who have students at different levels
Secure Order Form – 100% protected and Safe Access
The Integrated Movement Activity Center is for children anywhere from three years old on up. Parents and professionals typically use these types of exercises for younger children through primary school, but they can also work with teenagers if they are delayed and willing to do the movements.
Members who sign-up on a monthly basis will receive access to a new video series and updated materials every 30 days. This option is especially good for parents so they don’t get overwhelmed by too many exercises at once or don’t know where to begin. Access to videos prior to 30 days is not permissible.
Annual members receive access to all the materials and videos at once. This option is good for therapists and professionals who have students at all different levels and who need activities that are readily available.
You will continue to have access to the course as long as your automatic payments are in place. If you decide to cancel or you do not renew your membership, the account will be closed. The monthly membership is renewed automatically each month and the annual membership is renewed automatically on an annual basis.
We specifically geared the Movement Center toward parents and professionals in an effort to help both parties work together to provide the best care for their child or student. The center provides simplified terms and instructions so parents don’t feel the information is too technical, yet it is still informative enough for therapists to gain the full benefit.
Yes! We love to help professionals and therapists receive continuing education credit wherever we can. Once you have gone through the videos, please email us at info@ilslearning.com with the name, title and any other details you need on the certificate and we are happy to provide you with one.
The Movement Center is not approved by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) nor the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) due to the manpower needed to facilitate every state, country and organization requirement. However, we will help you in anyway we can to get the credit you need for joining the Movement Center.
The Integrated Movement Activity Center is approximately six hours long from beginning to end if you go straight through the course so it would count for six credit hours. However, most members work through the course in segments so it will take much longer to complete.
The Integrated Movement Activity Center is a one-stop shop for unique and targeted brain-building exercises designed specifically for helping kids build their core muscle, motor skills, balance and coordination, and much more. While you may be able to find exercises that build these areas of development online, they are very rarely all compiled into one location.
These activities also target specific areas of the body and the brain for growth and development rather than just normal every-day activities to keep your kids busy. They were designed and created with a specific purpose in mind. Out of all the books and classes we have read or taken, this is our own customized membership tailor-made to the knowledge and experience we have obtained over the years to achieve the best results.
The membership’s comprehensive and detailed structure is more helpful and cost effective than anything that can be found on Google.
If you want to see real results in your child or student, you have to be 100% consistent with the exercises. Once you have started the exercises, taking a break or cutting back will slow the progress or you may see your child fall backward in some areas. The best practice is to continue exercises consistently.
Even if a child does not have learning challenges or developmental delays, these types of movement-based activities are still important for all children and should be completed all the way through a child’s primary education if possible. These activities will help awaken the brain for higher learning development.
When you join the Movement Center, we will provide you with a list of the equipment and tools we use in all the videos. These are only recommendations. You do not have to have all the pieces of equipment in the videos we use and you can adapt the activities to what helps your child or student perform them successfully.
Even if the child uses no equipment, performing the movements is the most critical part. However, we find most kids are more willing to perform the activities with some type of object or tool while completing the exercises. “Fun” objects like ribbons, balls, bean bags and other items make it more interactive for the kids and they have a greater desire to perform the activities.
If you can’t access your account or if any of the videos are not working, please email us at info@ilslearning.com. We will assist you as best as we can or we will contact our IT team to ensure they fix any issues on your account. Turnaround is typically 24 to 48 hours depending on the issue.
If you need additional help with the exercises, recommendations or have general questions about your kids and students, please email us at info@ilslearning.com and we will provide you with all the resources and direction we have to help your experience be more successful.
Yes! If you are no longer using the membership or you find your child or students have progressed to the levels desired, you can discontinue your membership. There is a cancellation option when you login to your account or you can simply email info@ilslearning.com. Please do not assume your account is cancelled simply because you stop using your membership. Payments are made automatically each month or each year and will not stop unless you cancel your account. There are no cancellation fees unless you do not cancel your membership prior to the next automated payment.
Unfortunately, no. Access to the Movement Center works much like a streaming service where you only gain access when your account is active. Once you discontinue your service, your access is terminated. However, you are welcome to renew your membership at anytime
This situation rarely happens if you are following the correct cancellation process, but if you find yourself in that situation, email us at info@ilslearning.com and we will assist.
We understand that many of you have special circumstances, or you may even forget you have signed-up for the Movement Center. Life happens! However, there is currently a no refund policy once you sign-up for the membership. If you fail to cancel your monthly or annual membership by the time the automatic payment is issued, you have a three day grace period after the automatic payment to contact us for a partial refund. After that time period, the full amount applies.
Disclaimer: Integrated Learning Strategies (ILS) is a learning and academic center. As a reminder, ILS is not a health care provider and none of our materials or services provide a diagnosis or treatment of a specific condition or learning challenge you may see in your child or student. If you seek a diagnosis or treatment for your child or student, please contact a trained professional who can provide an evaluation of the child.