I asked my kindergarten teacher why she thinks young students can not stay focused on a task and how might exercising/stretching help them. This is what she told me:
Children
between Kindergarten age and second grade generally have a short attention
span, and some more than others. By breaking up their “on task” time with
intermittent intervals of quick exercise or movement children will be able to
better focus on the task at hand.
She also mentioned that exercises that "cross the midline" helps with developing right-brain, left-brain activity. Our bodies are divided in half (right side/left side) from head to toe. It is important for children to be able to do exercises that cause limbs (arms & legs) to cross over the mid-section of their bodies.
Ex. Stand straight with arms stretched out, feet apart. Bend over and touch left foot with right hand. Or touch right knee with your left elbow.
So I went to google and typed in cross the midline exercises and I found a great website that talks about vigorous physical activity gets the blood flowing and releases stress and some activities helps the brains more alert and to help improve learning. It also mentions that children need to "stand up and stretch" about every 20 minutes. The website also gives me four exercise movements you can do: cross the midline, elbow tap, windmills, backwards. For smaller kids it mentions that you can put a piece of painters tape in the middle of their bodies so they can be aware of crossing the midline.
This is another website that talks about how important it is for crossing the midline. 3 or 4 years old, a child should have mastered the bilateral skill (using both sides of the body together). The crossing the midline also helps you develop a dominant hand and a helping hand. The website also has right brain/left brain teasers that will help develop your brain.
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