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Those five little activities were windows into some of the invisible work kids’ brains and bodies are doing all day.
The skin sends the brain information about texture, pressure, vibration, temperature, and more. The same material can feel very different to different people. How a kid approaches it gives us clues about how they’re experiencing it in that moment.
Movement gives the brain lots of sensory information. The vestibular system helps detect head movement and orientation. Proprioception gives information about body position, movement, and force. Kids can respond to that information differently.
Your nervous system gets information from inside your body, too: heartbeat, breathing, hunger, thirst, fullness, and more. Noticing and making sense of internal body signals is called interoception. Some signals are easier to notice than others.
Putting a sequence in order uses more than you might think. It can draw on what a kid already knows, what they can hold in mind, what they compare, and what comes next. More steps, less familiarity, or more distraction changes the thinking demands.
To copy another person, the brain has to notice, track, coordinate, and respond in real time. That kind of noticing and responding is part of nonverbal interaction, too. Communication is much bigger than words.
What looks like “behavior” from the outside can involve sensory input, body signals, task demands, communication, attention, movement, and a whole lot more.
We don’t need to figure out exactly what something “means” from one moment. We’re learning what to look for.
Take this home
Start with the free Five Domains Guide. It’s an overview of the five brain + body systems that shape everyday kid moments.
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