The Importance Of Movement For Brain Development

Why is motor development and play so important for your infant’s overall development? 

I have always been fascinated with the science of movement and how it connects with our overall well-being and brain function.  After having children of my own and watching them develop and grow, I have gained a great appreciation for the complexity and variability of how each child gains motor function and learns new skills.  And as I continue to learn in my practice and personal life, I strive to pass along as much as I can to help my little clients become strong and healthy adults. 

When you interact and physically play with your child, she/he is gaining physical, social, and cognitive skills.  Even more importantly, when you nurture, love, and soothe your child - which can be integrated with physical play - the baby's brain produces oxytocin which activates and grows new brain connections. This amazing chemical in the brain helps develop the baby’s part of the brain that regulates his emotions and executes thinking. A healthy relationship does develop intelligence.  And dopamine, the reward chemical in our brain, is also produced when we have friendly interactions with others and when we do physical activities and play. 

Babies and toddlers are always on the move - their brains are in full development mode and they want to feel, learn, and explore EVERYTHING.  Their little bodies are working hard to develop postural control against gravity in order to eventually be able to stand up and run and explore!  This is all about survival.  They start with lifting their head, trying to see who is in front of them, or figure out how to reach for that toy in front of them, how it feels in their hands, how it tastes and feels in their mouths.  Do they ever like to explore with their mouths!  Motor development continues down to the trunk and integrating the extremities at the same time.  They then repeat movements over and over to gain precision and strength.  These experiences are stored in the brain and used later as references when they are faced with a new challenge or experience. 

Physical and sensory play enhances a baby’s motor development by stimulating the nervous system to connect the brain and the body.  Motor development is a somato-sensory experience, which means not only are they building muscles and getting stronger, but they are also learning about different sensations such as touch, pain, body position (proprioception) and pressure.   

How do they connect?  The sensory system comprises our senses: vestibular, proprioceptive, interoceptive, tactile, visual, auditory, taste and smell.  Although each sense is very important, for this article, I will focus on the systems I work with the most to gain strength and function.  The vestibular system tells us where we are in space (standing, lying down, swinging...), and the proprioceptive system helps us feel the position of each section of our body. (elbow bent or straight, ankle flexed...).   The visual system is also very important and is the primary sense used for balance up until age 6. 

With this information in mind, here is an example of how sensory-motor stimulation can be easily integrated in your daily routine with your baby.  When you change your baby's diaper, their brain is recording the different body position changes and tactile pressures.  At the same time (or once the diaper is on), you can gently move their arms and legs up and down, slowly or a little faster, together, then opposite sides and directions.  And remember, enjoy the moment, sing or just smile at your child. To foster eye-hand coordination, with your child on their back, hold a toy to have her try to reach for it and grasp it, and eventually let her grasp the toy, hold it, and look at it.  And then, place your child on their tummy so that they can start strengthening neck muscles and lift their head to be able to see what is going on around them, place toys or just lie in front of her so that she can connect with you.  Even though it does not look like you are doing much, just pause and observe your baby move, explore and know that there is so much development happening in the brain, even during moments of pause.

Although these are basic activities among many others, they cannot be underestimated as well as the role of physical play in a child's development.  Most importantly, have fun while playing and getting to know your little one!  

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