Moving for development
health​ & wellbeing

Movement wires the brain

Early childhood is a critical window

Movement in childhood is the foundation of your child’s whole development.

The connections and abilities they develop in this crucial window – between learning to walk throughout primary school ages – will influence their health and physical abilities throughout adult life.

Mini Movers activities are the ideal way to support children’s confidence, self esteem and physical skills, as well as their abilities in the classroom.

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Sensory Integration

In “Sensory Integration: Part 1”, Dr Nalda explains what sensory integration is, and how moving through childhood wires the brain and supports effective balance systems.

Movement connects the body and brain

Movement and sensations in babies and young children build connections in the brain – this is called ‘myelination’, which is a key part of sensory integration. 

Watch “Sensory Integration: Part 2” to learn more about sensory integration and brain development.

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Crawling fires the brain

Crawling fires up both sides of the brain and integrates motor and balance systems. It also develops core, back and shoulder strength which helps with handwriting.


Professor Jackie Goodway explains how many of the activities in MiniMovers include crawling and putting weight on hands when moving on all fours which fires up both sides of the brain. 

Physical Development starts from birth

As we have seen, lots of movement and play is needed in the early years so that the brain is able to make the connections for more complex thinking. If you have a baby that is not yet walking, see our Baby Movers Section for ideas and activities

Mental Health & Well-being​

Support your child’s well-being

Movement underpins all your child’s development by improving their balance, strength and coordination. Supporting their physical development builds their confidence, self esteem and improves their abilities in the classroom.

Playing MiniMovers games with your child is a great way to have fun together and see your relationship grow even more.

Give your child confidence to move

Developing good movement in early childhood supports your child’s confidence in trying lots of different activities, making them more likely to be active and healthy.

The MiniMovers games are designed to help you be more active with your child, giving you the power to support both their physical and mental health.

Physical Development

Physical experiences in the early years help children make sense of their world and understand language – both verbal and non-verbal – such as interpreting body language, which helps their social skills.

Stability is needed for fine motor skills

Children need a strong stable base before developing fine motor skills, like holding a pencil. Mini Movers games involve whole body movements and work on gross motor actions to develop strength and stability.

“If a child doesn’t have a nice strong base, when they try and control things at their fingers and hand level, they are all wobbly and cannot control it’”

Eye Tracking

Professor Jackie Goodway explains how, the Mini Movers App includes lots of catching activities to develop eye tracking, which is crucial for reading. Activities for children in the Mini Movers worlds will be tailored to their level, using slow moving equipment like scarfs and balloons to make sure they have success and positive experiences.

Children need to develop control

Children tend to do movement skills with lots of force. Professor Jackie explains how children need to learn to control the force of their body.

In Mini Mover,s we encourage children to control their movements through activities like tapping equipment softly.

Download to the MiniMovers app for fun activities when your child is walking

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Fun, engaging activities for parents to play with their children anywhere

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Mini Movers Equipment

Children need the right equipment and activities for their stage of development. Learn about equipment for supporting your child on our dedicated page