The Science Behind Our Curriculum
Project Commotion’s curricula is based on emerging research in neuroscience and child development that is uncovering the powerful positive influences of movement and creative expression on the developing brain. Studies on regular physical activity in early childhood show that not only does it improve motor skills, but it has a significant effect on cognitive development: language learning, academic achievement, attention, and working memory. Unstructured recreation time also allows children to develop critical problem-solving, leadership, and social skills. Keep reading to learn more about the amazing benefits of movement and play that inform our programs!
Research demonstrates time and time again that developmentally appropriate play is an incredible opportunity to promote the social-emotional, cognitive, language, and self-regulation skills that build executive function and a prosocial brain.
Play is not just a chance to have fun–although that is absolutely a part of it!–but an amazing opportunity to learn. Social skills, which are part of playful learning, enable children to listen to directions, pay attention, solve disputes with words, and focus on tasks without constant supervision. According to research from the American Academy of Pediatrics, play “leads to changes at the molecular (epigenetic), cellular (neuronal connectivity), and behavioral levels (socioemotional and executive functioning skills) that promote learning.” Learn more about how movement and play supports the whole child below!
Play helps kids remain physically active and is critical for the development of coordination, balance, proprioception, gross-motor skills (large movements like crawling and walking) and fine-motor skills (smaller movements like picking objects up). We help develop these skills in lots of different ways!
In the Project Commotion gym, balance and coordination can be developed through games involving climbing on ladders, hopping around on one foot, or walking across the balance beam. Activities like crashing into mats and swinging from the trapeze provide bio-feedback that helps develop kids’ proprioceptive systems, which give them a better sense of where their bodies are in space. Running, jumping, and dancing all help develop gross-motor skills, while playing with toys or balls helps with fine-motor skills.
Play also helps children develop emotional maturity. When climbing high on a ladder or swinging on a trapeze, kids can experience and process the sensation of fear and risk while in a safe, controlled environment. All youth programs at Project Commotion include designated times for free-play, which allow children to play creative games in which they can safely explore things that excite or frighten them.
Research demonstrates that children who are given time to play show reduced levels of stress and anxiety, and are better equipped to handle difficult transitions. With increased self-regulation and lowered impulsivity, children are better able to process their own feelings when they occur.
Our programs at Project Commotion also help children’s social development. Partner and teamwork games help children learn how to collaborate and compromise, and games like Red Light Green Light help children learn listening skills and practice adhering to the rules.
Playing with peers or caregivers teaches children how to share, take turns, cooperate, negotiate, practice nonverbal communication, make and revise rules, set and maintain boundaries, and take the perspectives of others. Play also supports the building of the safe and nurturing relationships with teachers and caregivers that children need in order to thrive.
Play increases creativity. Our programs allow for a wide variety of creative and imagination-based games, such as moving your body like different animals or dancing in different ways to different kinds of music. And the kids in our programs LOVE to come up with their own creative games during free play, from preschoolers pretending to be dragons to teenagers playing The Floor Is Lava!
Children who recently engaged in active play have been shown to do much better in tests of creativity and cognitive flexibility. Make-believe or pretend play is also linked to self-regulation, which is an amazing predictor of future academic and social success.
Play has incredible effects on cognitive development as well. Children who are given time to play, either alone or with peers, score higher on tests of working memory, language acquisition, speed of mental processing, and early math skills. The proprioceptive sense built through gross motor play may be linked to easier and more intuitive acquisition of reading, writing, and spelling.
Studies show that children coming back from sessions of physical movement have better attention and functioning in school; these effects are weakest in regimented physical education classes and strongest if the children are given time for free, unstructured play.
Eva Desca Garnet, writing in Movement Is Life, said, “Our biological need for movement is ensured by the sensation of pleasure in movement.” In other words, if it feels good, you’re much more likely to want to do it. (Pica, 2018)
Play and movement benefit every single person, at every single stage of life. But programs that prioritize play are especially important in underserved communities, like San Francisco’s Mission District. Our community needs more access to spaces to move our bodies, for both children and adults. This is especially critical for families and children who live in poverty, don’t speak English at home, or have physical or mental disabilities—all factors that make it difficult to access traditional movement programming. In community input sessions held by DYCF in 2016, one of the needs that participants identified was culturally competent, multilingual support to support physical health.
“I want to go on bike rides and walks in my neighborhood, but it’s not safe. I want to learn yoga and Zumba and have physical activities, but I don’t know where to go and cannot afford to pay for them.”
– Mexican immigrant parent, quoted in the 2016 DCYF Needs Assessment
Many children are enduring the stress brought on by poverty and oppression. Food and housing insecurity, an unstable home life, bullying and discrimination: all of these factors and more can cause stress to build to toxic levels in a child. In the absence of systemic changes to address inequities, what can be done to soothe and support a child dealing with toxic stress?
Joyful physical movement and play may hold part of the answer.
“When play and safe, stable, nurturing relationships are missing in a child’s life, toxic stress can disrupt the development of executive function and the learning of prosocial behavior; in the presence of childhood adversity, play becomes even more important. The mutual joy and shared communication and attunement (harmonious serve and return interactions) that parents and children can experience during play regulate the body’s stress response.”
– The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children, The American Academy of Pediatrics
We periodically spotlight articles on our social media and newsletters that reflect our methodology and expertise. Read some of them below!
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Wrestling Time!
An early childhood specialist at University Child Development School discusses “Wrestling Time,” an activity she holds at her childcare center in which children are allowed a sanctioned time for rough physical play with each other. This helps support body awareness, boundary setting, and relationship-building between children—and sounds like a lot of fun!
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The link between the proprioceptive system and skills like reading and writing!
This article by Susan R. Johnson discusses the importance of allowing children to build a stronger proprioceptive system—developed through gross-motor play like jumping, crashing, and swinging—before beginning to teach fine-motor skills like writing.
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The importance of recess!
Recess is more than just a break from learning: the physical movement and social connections that occur during recess are critical to helping children succeed in school. Recess helps children regulate stress, improve executive function, and enhance focus and attention. This all means much more engaged children back in the classroom!
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How to help autistic children during meltdowns
A meltdown is a intense response to an overwhelming situation, and may look like lots of things: shutting down, falling into repetitive movements, screaming, or crying. Autistic individuals can’t control their meltdowns, but there are ways to notice the warning signs and identify the trigger to help calm them down.
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Using music throughout the daily routine!
Introducing music into a child’s activities can help improve their executive function, self-regulation, goss-motor skills, creative thinking and expression, and more! This awesome article contains lots of activities that can get children moving their bodies to the beat.
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Exploring gender identity + expression with children!
This resource page by PBS has everything you need to start exploring gender identity and expression with the kids in your life. Discussing these topics from a young age builds the foundation for children to feel safe exploring their own identities and respecting those of their peers and community members.