Have you ever noticed how children, and adults, often move their hands and bodies around when they talk about science ideas? Recent research suggests that we may do this because the way we think is inseparably linked to the ways in which our bodies experience the world.  We call this embodied learning.  

New to embodied learning?   Start here for a quick dive!

Clough, S. and Hilverman, C. (2018).  Hand Gestures and How They Help Children Learn. Published on Frontiers for Young Minds, June 26, 2018. https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2018.00029

Dewar, G. (2019). The science of gestures: We learn faster when we talk with our hands. Published on Parenting Science:  https://www.parentingscience.com/gestures.html

Manches, A. (2017). Three Ways Hand Gestures Can Influence How We Learn. https://vimeo.com/160639180

McNerney, S. (2011).  A Brief Guide to Embodied Cognition: Why You Are Not Your Brain. Scientific American, Guest Blog, Nov 4, 2011.  https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/a-brief-guide-to-embodied-cognition-why-you-are-not-your-brain/#

Schwartz, K. (2015). Why Kids Need to Move, Touch and Experience to Learn. MindShift KQED News, March 26, 2015. https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/39684/why-kids-need-to-move-touch-and-experience-to-learn

For a deeper dive, see our Related Research section –  click on the  Research tab above.