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October 2005
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
Mrs. Donna - North Canton
Come on boys and hush your talking, all join in, and let’s go galloping;
Gallop along Jack with no shoes on...
 The two and three year-olds in my HeartStrings classes never cease to amaze me! Galloping! Proud parents beam, as I chuckle, “You can check that one on the ready-for-kindergarten list!”
How have they mastered this skill so early? First, your participation has added to their delight in skill development. Second, WeJoySing’s unique teaching strategies have motivated them to joyfully practice the skill. Plus, they’ve been learning about movement since infancy! *
When we stimulate our babies’ tactile (touch) senses, kinesthetic (degree of muscular contraction/release) and vestibular senses (sense of balance and orientation in space), we lay the foundations for a lifelong development and enjoyment of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.1
What a joy it’s been getting to know 1-year-old Keirsten during the past year at HeartStrings. As an infant, Keirsten snuggled into her Mommy’s lap as we sang The More We Get Together... Then one day last spring, Keirsten was sitting on her own, in front of Mommy. Recently, Mommy had to run to the classroom door when Keirsten “escaped,” crawling as fast as her limbs could carry her! Before we know it, she will be walking, jumping, and yes, even galloping! All movement is built upon simpler, more basic, movement. How wonderful to watch these skills unfold in our little ones.
We cannot underestimate the mental processes involved in such physical movement. Our kinesthetic sense,
...allows us to judge the timing, force, and extent of our movements and to make the necessary adjustments...Within the nervous system, large portions of the cerebral cortex....feed information to the spinal cord, the way station en route to the execution of action.2
Though the body seems to “take over” and we don’t have to think about the information sent to execute an action, “all skilled performances include a well-honed sense of timing...”3 Hockey player Wayne Gretzky testifies:
Nine out of ten people think what I do is instinct...It isn’t. Nobody would ever say a doctor had learned his profession by instinct: yet in my own way I’ve spent almost as much time studying hockey as a med student puts in studying medicine.4
Howard Gardner says those with bodily-kinesthetic intelligence have “the ability to use [their bodies] in highly differentiated and skilled ways, for expressive as well as goal-directed purposes....” 5
Those who have exceptional control of their bodies include: mimes, actors, dancers, swimmers, boxers, and gymnasts. Also gifted in this area are those who are able to manipulate objects with great finesse, including: ballplayers, instrumentalists, artisans, inventors, engineers, and surgeons. Obviously, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence also works in cooperation with other areas of intelligence, including logical-mathematical intelligence and spatial intelligence. Acting and dancing also draw heavily upon linguistic, musical, and/or the personal intelligences (our final article in this series...next month!).
Certainly, developmental milestones such as tapping (13-24 month age group) galloping (2-3 years), or hopping on one foot (4-5 years) would not be possible without building upon earlier bodily-kinesthetic development. WeJoySing’s musical activities are an important way to encourage body control. Many parents have been delighted to discover how adaptable the WeJoySing repertoire is to everyday life, as they weave music throughout their daily routines. For them, music has become a natural way to celebrate developmental milestones.
A Note from Mrs. Jo
During our WeJoySing classes, I delight in watching the bonds that are created between parent and child (interpersonal intelligence...next month!) through music and movement activities. Observing the growth of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is just another bonus. With joyful encouragement, music beautifully spills over into all areas of child development.
*or in utero! Look for WeJoySing’s Language of Love Pre-Birth Parenting and Bonding program....to be offered in the Columbus area beginning this January 2006!
1) Thurman, Dr. Leon, HeartSongs: A Guide to Active Pre-Birth and Infant Parenting Through Language and Singing, p 20.
2) Gardner, Howard, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, tenth anniversary edition. New York: Basic Books, 1993, p. 210.
3) Gardner, Howard, p. 208.
4) Gardner, Howard, p. 231.
5) Gardner, Howard, p. 206.
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