While most of us know the five senses—sight, sound, touch, taste and smell—there is a sixth, less obvious sense doing constant work behind the scenes: the vestibular system. Located in the inner ear, it monitors every tilt, spin, jump and turn of the head, sending this information directly to the brain. Pediatric occupational therapist Dr. Chanie Messinger describes it as our movement and balance system, likening it to an internal global positioning system (GPS). Before a child can focus on reading, writing or sitting through a lesson, the brain must first understand where the body is in space.

Movement and Self-Regulation Work Together

A 2025 feasibility study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health tracked preschoolers in four Massachusetts childcare centers through a 10-week program focused on physical literacy, pairing short, playful lessons with active free play. Children in the intervention group showed significant improvements in gross motor skills and behavioral self-regulation compared to peers that maintained their usual routines. These findings add to a growing body of evidence that movement and self-regulation are interconnected aspects of childhood development.

Each Child’s Movement Experience Is Unique

Not all children experience movement the same way. Occupational therapist Crae Akerson, with a private practice in Stamford, Connecticut, explains that children have varying neurological “ceilings” for vestibular input. In other words, their nervous systems are able to process balance, spatial orientation and movement in unique ways before they become overwhelmed. A child with a high ceiling constantly seeks movement, which may appear as restlessness or getting into trouble. A child with a low ceiling quickly reaches their limit and avoids movement altogether, often seeming shy or staying at the edge of recess. Neither pattern is a character flaw; both are nervous systems expressing different needs.

Proprioception, the body’s sense of pressure and position, can help regulate these patterns. Akerson recommends activities like crab walks, wheelbarrow walks, jumping, cartwheels and leapfrog. As she explains, any activity that applies pressure on the body tends to calm and organize the system, supporting focus, motor planning and emotional regulation.

Screens Are Not the Enemy

Messinger emphasizes that digital screens are not inherently bad. “The bigger question is how we are using them and whether we are creating healthy boundaries around them,” she explains. Prolonged periods in one position—head down, body still—are simply crowding out the climbing, crawling and balancing that growing bodies need. “You can learn about riding a bike by watching videos,” she points out. “But eventually, you have to get on the bike.”

Encourage Purposeful Boredom

Unstructured free play is as important as organized activities. Messinger has watched children choose a cardboard box over an expensive toy time and again. During open-ended play, kids develop creativity, negotiation skills, confidence and body awareness simultaneously, and such lessons endure well into adulthood.

Recognizing the Need for More Movement

Signs such as difficulty sitting still, frequent clumsiness, poor posture, trouble winding down at bedtime and constant sensory-seeking (crashing, chewing and fidgeting) may indicate a child's need for more movement. Messinger advises, “I always encourage parents to ask, 'I wonder what my child’s body is trying to tell me?’”

Simple Ways To Build Balance at Home

Movement activities can be fun for the entire family, inviting creative play and a sense of accomplishment. They are designed to build core strength, coordination and body awareness. None of these require perfection, equipment or a therapy clinic in the basement. They simply need snippets of time throughout the day dedicated to swinging, spinning, climbing and resting.

• Animal Walks: Invite kids to travel sideways like a crab, leap like a frog or waddle like a duck.
  
  
• Pillow Obstacle Course: Create a safe sequence of challenges across the living room, using blankets, bed pillows and couch cushions to construct stepping stones, a crawl tunnel, a small mountain and even a jumping area with built-in crash pad for safe falling.
  
  
• Balance Beam: Using a fallen log in the backyard or a line of painter’s tape on the patio, invite kids to walk a straight light and maintain their balance.
  
  
• Dance Break: A five-minute dance break between homework subjects is a great way to keep kids active while helping to develop their balance and spatial skills.
  
  
•  Stretch and Breathe: A few stretches and deep breaths before bed can help calm the nervous system and signal the brain to wind down.

Balance is not a skill children master once and move past. It is a practice they revisit repeatedly, in bodies that are always growing and changing. Organized sports, gymnastics or swim lessons each build their own type of coordination and confidence, but they are most effective alongside ample unscheduled time to simply move. When children's bodies feel steady, their minds tend to follow.

Christina Connors is a burnout prevention specialist, keynote singer and author. Learn more at ChristinaConnors.com.

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