The Power of Play Through Movement

They say infants and toddlers learn through movement, but why is movement so important for infants and toddlers? On this episode of the Learn With Less podcast, Ayelet sits down with Wendi McKenna, a pediatric physical therapist, family coach, and founder of the website Move, Play, Grow. Ayelet and Wendi’s discussion centers around the fact that young children learn through movement. Even though our culture often places a strong focus on cognitive and social/emotional development, these areas are most efficiently addressed through movement! The episode also covers Wendi’s journey into providing education for new parents (and her strong belief in the power of play), the reasons why movement is so important for infants and toddlers, Wendi’s best tips for incorporating more movement and play experiences into our lives with our young children, and her favorite resources for more – and deeper – information about the benefits of movement and play, and how these impact learning. QUICK ACCESS TO LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE Learn With Less podcast episode with Tracy Cutchlow on the Language of Listening Pathways.org Dr. Michele Borba Dr. Laura Markham (founder of Aha Parenting) CONNECT WITH US! Ayelet: Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube Wendi: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter  Text transcript of this episode Ayelet: Welcome to episode 55 of the Learn With Less Podcast. Today, I’m speaking with Wendi McKenna, a pediatric physical therapist, family coach, and founder of Move, Play, Grow. Wendi merges the science of infant and child development with the art and energy of daily living to support parents to create, trust, and live their authentic vision, to connect deeply with themselves and their family, and to love and nurture their babies and children profoundly. She is also the mother of three incredible, unique beings! Wendi, welcome to Learn With Less! Wendi: Thank you, Ayelet, it’s wonderful to be here! Ayelet: We’re so happy to have you – I’m finally having you – I’ve been on a couple of your projects, and I’m just so happy that we are connected! It’s wonderful. So, I’ve asked you to come onto the show today to speak about some of the reasons why movement is so very important for our tiny people.