Body-Kinesthetic Intelligence is associated with the ability to use the body to express emotion, create a new product, or play a game.
People talented in this area are good at the physical movements used in sports, drama, and dance. They tend to have a keen sense of where their body is in space. Often a “body smart” person will not have specific hand dominance, using the left for some tasks and the right for others or using both sides equally.
Parents can influence their children’s “body smarts” by using the following eleven home activities (not in order of importance), developed by Connie Hine and Margaret Lewis Crosby, experts in child development.
- While cooking and baking, let the child use his hands to feel textures. Have him pay attention to the weight of cooking tools, and foods.
- When cleaning a room, create a movement sequence for your child to help remember what needs to be done. How can he clean using the least steps?
- Read stories with and act out the story with your child. Have her make up ways the character might move.
- At bedtime, give your child a backrub (this will be reciprocated in time) and let her hold a favorite toy or blanket.
- When grocery shopping, have your child look for groceries and put them in the cart. After shopping, at home have him touch and compare food items for size, weight, and texture.
- During family game time, play games that include physical movements like Kinect for XBOX 360 ®, Nintendo Wii Fit ® games, PlayStation Move ®, Twister ®, a Smartphone game app, or Tag.
- While traveling, have the child play the different roles that you see: waiter, truck driver, pilot. Take stretch-your-body breaks for everyone.
- During homework, have your child work out math problems and spelling words in shaving cream or with pudding on a cookie sheet.
- For the news, have your child role play newscaster or be the weather person.
- For family, role-play family members’ characteristics.
- To get out of the house on time, build a timeline with your child.
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Adults who have strong body-kinesthetic intelligences may find success in: acting, mime, athletics, dance, choreography, sports games, as inventor.
To spark this intelligence in adults:
- Role-play ideas or feelings. Play charades.
- Play games that require lots of motion but are not competitive; like naming everyone in the room using movements.
- Change physical movements to reflect mood. Swim. Walk. Dance.
- Become aware of your body in space. Notice how you move in everyday tasks.
References:
http://multipleintelligencesoasis.org/what-mi-am-i/
http://www.niu.edu/facdev/resources/guide/learning/howard_gardner_theory_multiple_intelligences.pdf
http://webshare.northseattle.edu/fam180/topics/mi/HomeActivities.html
Next week there will be a performance by Sock Puppet Tim. Here’s the link https://www.youtube.com/c/EllenLBuikema. Come and cheer him on! Let Tim know how he’s doing in the comment section of YouTube.
Join me the following week for the next installment of Multiple Intelligences, a closer look at Interpersonal Intelligence; how to help strengthen it in children and spark it in adults.