Kinaesthetic Learning in Early Childhood

Book excerpt: Strongly grounded in research and rich with practical examples for educators, this book demonstrates the importance and benefits of kinaesthetic learning in young children’s learning and development. Kinaesthetic or hands-on active learning is extremely important for young children’s personal, social and cultural development. Without this kind of learning children may be at risk of poor behaviour, social development and academic learning outcomes. This book shares concrete examples of authentic kinaesthetic learning experiences, across different discipline areas, in a range of Early Childhood contexts. The chapters outline practical approaches to kinaesthetic learning in the classroom to help educators to engage young children, covering curriculum areas such as the arts, mathematics, literacy, digital technologies and English as a foreign language. These practical examples are supported by a range of research and theories related to the benefits of kinaesthetic learning for young children, as well as authentic classroom data. Written by leading experts in the field, this book shares authentic, appropriate classroom strategies for implementing kinaesthetic learning with young children and will be essential reading for researchers as well as pre- and in-service educators.