What is Brain Balance?
Brain Balance is a unique program that combines physical and sensory exercises with customized
Confession time: I absolutely hate summer sometimes. I know—summer is supposed to be full of blue skies, popsicles, and sprinklers. But it can be a lot of pressure to keep the kids occupied when school is out. It’s hard for me to set the kids up with activities that keep them learning and engaged. It can be particularly tough for parents of kids with behavioral, social, or learning difficulties.
So I partnered with Brain Balance a
First, here’s the context I learned from Brain Balance about why my son sometimes acts up. We all know about the left and right halves of our brain—but did you know that the root cause of most learning, behavioral, and social difficulties is an imbalance between them? Left hemisphere dominant children are very detail oriented and logical, while right hemisphere dominant kids tend to be more emotional. It’s because of this imbalance that programs that combine sensory motor stimulation, academic stimulation, and nutrition can correct brain imbalance and ultimately
Now are some of those Brain Balance summer tips I told you about.
TIP 1: GET YOUR CHILD MOVING
Activities that involve active physical motion help children to read with greater comprehension and retain more information. Enjoy the spring sun by taking your child on an outdoor gallery walk, or take the fun indoors to an exploration-style, hands-on museum. Additionally, children should maintain a daily practice of prescribed left/right brain stimulating activities, including primitive reflex, core, and eye exercises.
TIP 2: COME UP WITH A DAILY SCHEDULE WITH YOUR CHILD
Routines keep children grounded—and they are especially necessary during breaks, when the regular school schedule goes out the window. Let your child have input into their schedule—it will give them agency and make them feel empowered.
TIP 3: SPEND TIME IN THE KITCHEN TOGETHER
Sugar-free, processed-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free foods bring tremendous benefit to your child’s overall health and development. Spending time as a family cooking together also allows everyone to enjoy discovering healthy eating through a fun and engaging activity. It’s also a great idea to let your child do simple activities like measuring ingredients, dividing up portions, and reading recipes. This reinforces their reading and math skills without making them feel intimidated. Plus, it helps you with dinner!
My son always did much better with a set schedule. He liked having more structure. Even in the summer, we would do “school” because he wanted to keep the same schedule he did during the school year. Of course, once the novelty of school wore off, about 4th grade, he was happy to have time off in the summer. He has always been a reader so he spend his vacations reading and playing games with friends.
Not sure whether your child has a right- or left-brain weakness? You can find out HERE! Check out the simple online assessment to gain some preliminary insight into your child’s functional strengths and weaknesses.
Brain Balance Achievement Centers are located all over the USA, and you can find one near you here.
About Dr. Melillo:
Dr. Melillo is a clinician, professor, brain researcher and author of several bestsellers, including Reconnected Kids and Autism — The Scientific Truth About Preventing, Diagnosing and Treating Autism Spectrum Disorders, and The Disconnected Kids Nutrition Plan. An expert in ADHD, Learning and Behavioral Issues, Processing Disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorders, Dr. Melillo has been helping children overcome learning and developmental challenges for more than 25 years.
Would you like to get more summer activities straight from the source? Check out Brain Balance.
How do you plan to make your child’s summer productive? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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