Training Brains and Bodies

Lots of our Foundation (Prep) students were having difficulties with their movements, hand-eye coordination, and speech after missing out on Kinder during COVID lockdowns. As Chaplain, I helped launch Brain Gym, a play-based learning program that links movement and learning together with an element of fun and play.

We quickly saw the impact! We had a child who had started school this year so anxious that he struggled with everything and wouldn’t participate in anything in the classroom. The first time he joined Brain Gym he just sat and looked—I could see that he was taking things in, but he wasn't ready to participate. It took a couple of weeks, but he slowly started to engage. He would stand up, and once the music started, he would just be moving a little bit. Soon that grew to full participation—he was into it! The look on his face brought tears to my eyes. That blankness had gone, his eyes were brighter, and he was interacting! And for that time, there was no anxiousness. He knew he could do it, and he was enjoying it. That moment was worth its weight in gold.

—Val, Chaplain