Brain Gym is a set of 26 movement exercises designed to improve cognitive function in children and adults. The exercises were developed in the 1980s by educator Paul E. Dennison, PhD, and his partner, Gail E. Dennison, an artist and movement educator. The Dennisons operate the Educational Kinesiology Foundation, which licenses curricula and resources based on Brain Gym, and trains parents, therapists, and educators on how best to implement them.
Brain Gym exercises enhance concentration and focus, academic functioning (including reading, math and test-taking skills), physical coordination, interpersonal skills, and memory. As such, they’ve been effective for the treatment of autism, processing disorders and traumatic brain injury.
We at Travancore National School has a comprehensive system for the Brain Gym Program for our students.
Learning disabilities can make it difficult for a student to learn as quickly as someone who isn’t affected by learning disabilities. There are many kinds of learning disabilities. Two of those known learning disabilities are autism and ADHD. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can certainly disrupt learning. Children with ADHD often have problems sitting still, staying focused, following instructions, staying organized, and completing homework. Children with autism spectrum disorders may have trouble communicating, reading body language, learning basic skills, making friends, and making eye contact.
Brain Gym helps students of all ages master the mechanics of learning through a series of movements, a teaching format and certain language forms. It addresses the physical components that are associated with learning, rather than the mental, and uses the body as a vehicle through which the student’s learning ability can be enhanced.
Benefits of brain gym:
The basic idea behind Brain Gym is that the brain will develop, and learning will be enhanced, by certain bodily movements. Brain gymnastics is a great way to help kids work out the left and right side to the brain. It’s interesting to note that 80% of the kids identified as learning disabled have trouble with this. These exercises are also useful for dyslexia, autism in children. Be sure to do the exercises with just the left hand, then just the right hand and then both hands.
Based on the most recent research, the prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain with the most impact on focus, attention, impulse control and decision-making. These are the very aspects of behavior that children and family members with ADD/ADHD characteristics find difficult.
The brain gym movements interconnect the brain in these dimensions, allowing us to easily learn through all the senses, to remember what we learn, and to participate more fully in the events of our lives. We are able to learn with less stress, and to express our creativity using more of our mental and physical potential. The movements also assist in clearing emotional stress that can affect us both mentally and physically.
Reported benefits include improvements in such areas as vision, listening, learning, memory, self-expression, and coordination in children and adults. Teachers typically report improvements in attitude, attention, discipline, behavior, and test and homework performance for all participants in the classroom.