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Do you have students who are constantly moving? In and out of their chair, constantly changing their body position, falling over even? Or maybe you are noticing students who are slumped over in their chairs, almost spilling their body across their desk?
These classroom behaviors are indicating the need for vestibular stimulation! Why vestibular? Our vestibular system governs movement, balance, and body awareness and is deeply connected to our ability to remain attentive and stay regulated. If your students are showing you that they need vestibular movement, here are some quick in the moment movement breaks that can work for you and them! 👉 Download Movement Snacks – Vestibular Poster
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Month three of our school year S.M.A.R.T. newsletter is all about vestibular stimulation. What CORE movement should be incorporated into your daily schedule? Pencil Roll! The Pencil Roll is essential for helping students build the vestibular endurance they need for balance and coordination, along with the ability to be still and focused in the classroom. This simple yet powerful CORE movement activates the brain systems responsible for body awareness and self-regulation. When practiced consistently, the Pencil Roll strengthens students’ ability to process movement, leading to improved posture, attention, and readiness to learn. How do you keep it fun? Scatter leaves (real or cut out) to mimic rolling in the leaves, add a texture like bubble wrap or small bean bags to roll across for added tactile input, roll down inclines, or do some puzzle rolling.
Drop puzzle pieces at the beginning of your Pencil Roll area and the empty puzzle board or box with a photo of the complete puzzle at the end. As each student rolls, have them hold a piece about their head and work together to complete the puzzle.
If you have been slowly adding CORE activities to your course, this activity should now be in a circuit of movement along with the Alligator Crawl and Slap Track.  We recently completed our final S.M.A.R.T. workshop of 2025! We have had an amazing line up of educators, therapists, and support staff this year.
One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher, Priscilla from Warren, MN, shared a simple yet effective variation of Rainbow Tracing. With this activity, we recommend tracing a word, letter, number, shape, etc with many colors, providing inputs into the brain for correct spelling or formation. Priscilla said her students have really enjoyed writing their sight words multiple times when they get to trace with a colored pencil, a pen, and a marker. Offering a variety of writing tools makes this activity new and novel to the students, adding to the intensity to the brain. Bonus…it helps to keep them on task 🙂 Not sure how to incorporate Rainbow Tracing? Use your reference guides to refresh your memory on how this activity can be a great way to practice spelling words, sight words, names, and letter formation. Reference: S.M.A.R.T. Curriculum Guide page 88 S.M.A.R.T. PreK More Guide page 97 Our vestibular system governs our sense of balance. It is how we learn good posture, balance, concentration, and alertness. We work to stimulate our vestibular system by incorporating specific movements in our day. We spin, we roll, and we often seek to be upside down. Do you know much about this system? Watch this short video that highlights the importance of the vestibular system and the behaviors it can show up as.  You’ve made it through the first few weeks (perhaps months!) of the school year—what an accomplishment!
As routines begin to take shape and your classroom settles into its rhythm, remember that every small step you take with S.M.A.R.T. is building powerful foundations for your students’ growth. Last month we focused on building in the Alligator Crawl, highlighting the tremendous amount of brain-body connections it builds. Do you remember from training the other HUGE movement for building a solid foundation? Crawling on hands and knees! That’s right….it is the Creep or Slap Track. Let’s use this month to make this a non-negotiable in your S.M.A.R.T. routine. Why? Crawling on hands and knees may look simple, but it’s one of the most powerful movements for early learning. This cross-body action helps strengthen the brainstem, building the foundation for balance, coordination, and focus in the classroom. How? Model, if possible, a tabletop position on your hands and knees. Gently move forward slapping the palm of your hand on the card in the track, watching that hand. It is important to emphasize that going “slow is good” so that a smooth simultaneous creep is happening. This allows the visual system to be tracking back and forth, from hand to hand. Where? Creep (Slap) Tracks are a great activity to add to your course around the room. It is narrow and takes up about 12 feet of space. We also love using creeping on hands and knees as a transitional movement from one area to the other. We can’t tell you how many times we have seen this movement going down a hallway too! A note of caution…. Do not fall into the teacher trap with this activity! What is the trap you ask? Read on in our Time Saving Tips section…  Oh no! A teacher trap! We have all been there. And with the best of intentions. BUT… The information we place on the cards in the Creep (Slap Track) must be REVIEW material. Content that is too hard requires the student to stop and decode, thinking through the information, and losing focus on the automatic flow of the movement itself. A helpful reminder can be found in your S.M.A.R.T. guide: “You may use occasional reminders…but keep in mind the children should do this automatically rather than thinking about it.” For young learners, we suggest sticking to a predictable pattern of information. A sequence of 2-3 “content cards” is best. For older students, the material should not be a concept that has just been taught. Use this activity to reinforce content we would love to have them know by rote. Number sequence, heart words (if explicitly taught and reviewed a lot), pattern words, simple sentence, etc Running low on prep time or creativity? We are here to help!  Download a few of these simple starter cards for the beginning of the school year.
Want more ideas? Check out a past post for a creative tip for early elementary students. https://www.actg.org/smartnews/smart-spaces-apr-22 They say a picture is worth a thousand words—and that’s especially true when it comes to S.M.A.R.T. setups! Sometimes seeing how another teacher organizes a space can spark fresh ideas and inspire small changes that make a big difference. Take a look at these photos of the Creep (Slap) Tracks for simple, practical ways to support learning and make your room work for you and the children you spend your days with.
 Hi Families, Have you ever wondered how to best support school readiness at home? One of the most powerful ways is by looking at skill building through a developmental lens. Academic learning rests on a strong foundation in the brain—and that foundation is strengthened through movement. The brainstem, which supports balance, coordination, and core stability, develops best when children have plenty of opportunities for large muscle play. So here’s a simple tip: Head to the playground before picking up a pencil! When children climb the monkey bars, scale ladders, swing, slide, or practice balancing, they are not “just playing”—they are developing the gross motor strength and coordination needed for fine motor control. These large movements build core stability, bilateral coordination, and shoulder and hand strength—all essential for success in reading, handwriting, and comprehension. Remember: Movement anchors learning! Happy playing!  ONE S.M.A.R.T. TEACHERWhether you were trained in the early 2000s, the 2010s, or recently in the 2020s, our messaging about belly crawling has remained the same. S.M.A.R.T. Teachers teach the Alligator Crawl first!
Why?
Alligator Crawling builds essential brain-body connections by strengthening core muscles, promoting cross-lateral movement, and enhancing coordination between the left and right sides of the body. This foundational pattern supports the development of visual tracking, spatial awareness, and readiness for reading and writing. How? If possible, get down on the floor with your students. Show them how to stay low on their chest and not to pop up on their elbows. Practice the long reach of the arm like you are swimming. Talk about your feet pushing off to help your body move forward. And then…..let them go. Encourage them to keep their belly button down and move as fast as they can across the floor. Where? This should be the first movement you teach in your “course”. It can be a great way to transition from one place to another. It can be a fun small group activity in the hallway, or it could be a louder “Alligator Race” in the gym. The benefits of this movement are just far too important to skip. Yes, it is hard. But oh so worth it! We are back! This year, let’s team together to be S.M.A.R.T.er than ever. What are you setting up in your student space that fosters movement? Remember, S.M.A.R.T. is your marathon and not your sprint. The focus right now at the start of the year is to build your CORE floor activities. Allow your students abilities to be your guide in how soon you can roll out new movements. Your target four activities this first month of school are: 🐊Alligator Crawl: a tile floor, mat, or smooth vinyl with a distance of about 16 feet is what you need ✏️Pencil Roll: find the most space in your course for this activity 📏Balance Beam: Yardstick, tapelines, bulletin boarders….you name it, you can heel-to-toe walk across it! 🖐🏽Slap Track: Keep it simple. Review material only!  |
AuthorSCheryl Smythe Archives
May 2026
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