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Literature isn’t only for learning. In fact, it has also become an effective avenue to get readers, primarily children, moving. This is especially crucial in today’s generation, where they’re mostly indoors, attention stuck to gadgets and the internet. For this reason, obesity is becoming an epidemic among children. Hence, concerned parents are taking it into their own hands to devise ways to make their children budge.
This is where books for movement come in.
As the demand for making children healthier through exercise increases, creatives are coming up with new ways of encouraging them to do so.
What Are Books for Movement?
As the definition outlines, books for movement are essential materials designed to encourage children to move. Depending on the author’s idea and goal, these books can be delivered differently. Some are woven into narratives, typically action-packed storylines, that entice readers to move along with the protagonists. Others are simple yet engaging instruction books that provide clear (and often humorous) prompts for children to imitate actions.
Overall, books for movement turn storytime into playtime, making it more enjoyable for children.
Kristina Orliczky writes an exercise book for children under 10 years old. In Mona’s Mitten, she encourages her readers to engage in physical activities alongside her protagonist. Children are enticed to move with the compelling narrative and the character’s exciting adventure as they go along the story. The author successfully combines an engaging story with enjoyable exercises, each chapter requiring readers to mimic or put themselves in the protagonist’s position.
Books like this do not only promote literacy but also help children stay physically healthy.
What Are the Benefits of Reading Movement Books for Storytime?
Children’s fundamental benefit from books for movement is physical wellness and a better grasp of the language. But why is movement crucial to their development?
Outside of simple wellness and health, movements offer more benefits for children, especially regarding their development. Physical health is intricately linked with mental development.
Through movement, children can learn more not only about themselves but also about the world around them. They develop strength, coordination, flexibility, and overall wellness that will help them fulfill their dreams. After all, what’s a good goal to set if they don’t have the body to support them?
By incorporating exercises in stories, books about movement instill the idea that exercises don’t always have to be exhausting. They can also be fun and creative, benefiting children’s imaginations.
Mixing mental and physical stimulation better assists children in their development. Movement helps prepare the brain for learning, and reading provides this learning. Thus, these materials are the most useful for a developing brain and body to grow healthier.
Will These Materials Truly Inspire Children to Move?
Children are highly imaginative, and by sparking their minds to create vivid pictures, authors also ignite their desire to love. Children’s books about movement are highly effective in encouraging physical activities because they excite their audience’s imagination, curiosity, and enjoyment of mimicking characters.
They’re Fun and A Better Approach
One of the primary reasons books for movement are effective is that they’re fun. Just like how children move along to videos they see, books with actions for toddlers also prompt them to follow what they’re reading.
Incorporating imaginative stories in exercises takes away the tiring nature of exercises. It distracts them from what they may perceive as tiresome by adding an element of creativity.
When videos can be detrimental if children are exposed to them for long, parents can shift to literature. With more materials inspiring movement in children, this becomes a healthier approach, providing the same benefits.
They Encourage Family Bonding
These books aren’t only fun for readers, but they can also spark the perfect time for family bonding. They allow parents to play with their children while combining learning with fun. Parents can even join in the fun. Who says books for movement are also for children? Parents can also follow the instructions, guiding their children to follow them correctly.
Children, especially their parents, are more inspired to exercise with company. When they see others enjoying the activity, they feel more enticed to do so.
Hence, beyond teaching children the language and encouraging them to move, these materials provide families uninterrupted time with each other, further nurturing their bond. By incorporating reading without limiting these materials, families invest in a more connected family unit.
Above participating in their children’s development, parents also ensure they’re creating a healthy and safe environment for the family. If you’re looking for the perfect material to get your children moving, check out Kristina Orliczky’s Mona’s Mitten.
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I think this is a rather better option to make kids active, instead of letting them be stuck in ipads and phones.