Move to Learn: Active Play Grows the Brain

Movement Is How Young Brains Are Built

It is tempting to think of "learning" as something that happens sitting still — with books, puzzles or flashcards. But for babies and young children, the opposite is true: movement is learning. When a toddler climbs, runs, balances, throws and tumbles, they are not taking a break from developing their brain; they are actively building it. Physical movement and brain growth are deeply intertwined in the early years, and active play is one of the most important things a young child can do.

Every time a young child moves, they are wiring up their brain. Crawling, climbing and balancing build the neural connections behind coordination, attention and even later reading and maths. The parts of the brain that handle movement are closely linked to those that handle thinking, so a child who moves a lot is, quite literally, growing a stronger, better-connected brain.

How Active Play Feeds Development

What movement builds

• Gross motor skills — the big movements of running, jumping and climbing
• Fine motor skills — the small, precise movements behind drawing and, later, writing
• Balance and spatial awareness, which underpin focus and learning
• Confidence and a willingness to try, take small risks and persist
• Better sleep, mood and appetite, the foundations of healthy development

Why "risky" play is good play

It can be hard to watch a small child climb high or balance on a wall, but a bit of manageable physical challenge is genuinely good for them. Within sensible safety limits, this kind of play builds not just strong bodies but resilience, judgement and confidence. A child allowed to test their physical limits learns what they are capable of — a lesson that reaches far beyond the playground.

Getting Young Children Moving

1. Prioritise active play every day — young children thrive on lots of movement, indoors and out.
2. Get outside — gardens, parks and woods are the best gyms a young child could have.
3. Keep it free and unstructured — climbing, running and exploring beat formal "exercise" at this age.
4. Limit time sitting still — break up long stretches in buggies, highchairs and in front of screens.
5. Join in — your enthusiasm makes movement fun, and you get the benefits too.

"Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn." — O. Fred Donaldson

Movement and the Modern Childhood

One reason this matters so much today is that young children are, on average, moving less than previous generations did. Car journeys instead of walks, more time in buggies and highchairs, and the powerful pull of screens all add up to more hours sitting still. For a young child whose brain and body are built through movement, this quiet shift towards a more sedentary early childhood is something worth gently pushing back against — not with guilt or pressure, but by deliberately making space for active play.

The good news is that young children do not need classes, equipment or anything formal to get the movement they need. They are wired to move when given the chance: a garden, a park, a pile of cushions to climb, a puddle to jump in. The most valuable thing you can offer is simply time, space and permission to be physical — and a willingness to tolerate a bit of mess and noise in the process. Free, active, child-led play is worth more than any structured "exercise" at this age.

It also helps to think about reducing the time spent sitting still, not just adding activity. Breaking up long stretches in the buggy, the car seat or in front of a screen, and weaving movement into ordinary days — walking part of the way, dancing in the kitchen, a quick run-around in the park — keeps young bodies and brains doing what they are designed to do. Small changes, repeated daily, add up to a childhood rich in the movement that growing brains depend on.

When to Check In

Children develop physical skills at their own pace, with a wide normal range. But if you have concerns — your child is not reaching movement milestones, seems unusually clumsy, or avoids physical activity altogether — it is worth a chat with your health visitor or GP. Movement is so central to early development that getting any difficulties looked at early can make a real and lasting difference.