Most parents are aware that movement is important for babies and young children. But did you know that movement can actually promote their language skills and emotional development as well as being good for gross and fine motor skills? Here’s Helen Guntrip of Talk & Move to explain why playful movement is so vital for children and what you can do to support it.
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Why Does Movement Matter For Young Children?
Young children love to move and they learn through movement. Development of their core strength, fine and gross motor skills, balance and co-ordination are the foundations of ultimately being able to dress themselves, sit comfortably and write.
Five Ways To Support Children’s Language And Emotional Development Through Movement From Talk & Move
As a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist here are my top five tips to support children’s language and emotional regulation through movement:
Top Tip 1: Encourage Your Child To Be Active Every Day
Make movement fun and a shared activity (throwing and catching a ball, dancing in the kitchen or doing some gentle stretching together) that you join in with. We know that movement supports our mental wellbeing too.
About Movement & Coordination
Every day we need to provide children with the opportunity to experience a range of movement enabling them to benefit from integrating and co-ordinating both sides of the body.
Top Tip 2: Link Movement To Action Words
The next time your child is active e.g. jumping or climbing, tell them the vocabulary that links to the movement e.g. you’re climbing, you’re climbing up, you’re going higher.
About Movement & Vocabulary
Children learn language by doing, not just listening. In my classes, they connect words with actions in a way that helps them understand and remember new vocabulary.
One of the most effective ways children learn new words, especially action words (verbs) and position words (prepositions), is by physically experiencing them, they don’t just hear the word “jump” – they jump. They don’t just hear “tall” -they stretch up, stand on tip toes and feel tall. Words like up, down, low, high, spin, crawl, and stretch become meaningful because they are felt in the body, not just heard.
When a child hears a word while actively doing it, their brain forms a stronger connection between the word and its meaning. This kind of embodied learning helps children understand and remember vocabulary more effectively than just being told or shown.
Top Tip 3: Play With Sounds With Your Child
Animal noises (woof, moo) transport sounds (vroom, beep beep) or other symbolic noises such as pretending to eat (yum, mmm) sneezing (achoo) the phone ringing (ring ring) are easy to incorporate into play. You can also listen for sounds when you are out: birds tweeting, motorbikes revving, dogs barking.
About Movement & Sound Awareness
Phonological awareness (the awareness of sounds in words) is the foundation of learning to read and spell. It prepares children for starting to learn phonics and is a key part of pre-literacy development. Phonological awareness also supports word learning and speech sound production.
In Talk & Move sessions we explore speech sounds and syllables in every class – roaring like lions, buzzing like bees. This helps children tune into the sounds in words in a relaxed, enjoyable way. Whether they’re making the “ch-ch-ch” of a train or the ‘ssss’ of a snake, children are learning to listen carefully, can copy what they hear, and experiment with using different sounds.
There’s no pressure to get sounds right, the children simply join in with the movement and have fun making the sounds or clapping the syllables in words.
Top Tip 4: Encourage Your Child To Tune Into How Their Body Feels
If your child has been running, encourage them to stop and feel their heart beating. Give them the language to link to this: I can hear you breathing fast, can you feel your heart beating?
You can also comment in calmer moments, after a cuddle or a story get them to think about how they feel: My body feels calm and relaxed – how does yours feel?
This build’s emotional literacy and the ability to identify and talk about both physical and emotional feelings.
About Movement & Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation is our ability to recognise how we are feeling and develop ways to manage this. Children of all ages, and many adults, need to have someone to help us and co-regulate. One of the best ways to support this development is through movement. In the same way rocking calms a baby, repetitive physical activities – marching, rolling, swaying, tapping, can help both children and adults to feel regulated.
Talk & Move classes combine active, balancing and calming moves giving children an opportunity to experience different types of movement and explore how they make them feel. Identifying how your body feels inside (a sense known as interoception) is a skill that is continually developing. It helps children to know when they need the toilet, when they are thirsty or when they are feeling worried.
Over time, parents and educators begin to notice the movements that energise or calm their children and can use these at home or in their Early Years setting to support children’s emotional regulation.
Top Tip 5: Sing And Dance With Your Child
Action songs are great but don’t worry if you don’t know any. You can dance and sing to your favourite songs on the radio. See if your child can copy your dance moves. Using both sides of the body at the same time to clap and dance is great for their awareness of rhythm and keeping to the beat.
About Movement & Song
Rhymes and songs are incorporated into every Talk & Move session. They build vocabulary, listening, memory, and rhythm which are essential foundations for language and literacy.
Singing and music relaxes us, it releases oxytocin, extends our exhalation, and makes us feel calm. Songs and rhymes are so important for developing language and phonological awareness. The repetition in songs supports children’s listening and vocabulary skills. Action songs are fun and provide the opportunity for shared movement and interaction. Children who are not yet speaking can join with the actions and feel included.
What I See In Talk & Move Sessions
Every week, I see children gaining confidence, exploring new words and sounds, and being more aware of their bodies and emotions. Parents and educators also become equipped with practical tools they can use daily. Whether it’s a favourite song, a calming movement, or a physical action like marching, it’s a reminder that it’s the simple things – shared movement, sound and songs – that develop children’s language and pre-literacy skills.
Talk & Move: Helen’s Story – Why I Do What I Do
Having worked as a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist for 22 years, it was teaching preschool yoga that made me realise that one of the best ways to support children’s speech, language and pre-literacy development is through playful movement. It is also a powerful way for children to develop confidence and emotional regulation. As a result, I created Talk & Move, a holistic programme that develops children’s speech, language and emotional regulation through movement.
Thanks To Helen Guntrip – Talk & Move
Helen Guntrip is the founder of Talk & Move, a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist and preschool yoga teacher. Talk & Move is a holistic programme that develops children’s speech, language and emotional regulation through movement. Helen provides courses and classes for parents and educators to teach them how to use the programme. Find more about her programme on Instagram and on her website Talk & Move.
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