We want children to keep the energy going in and out of school, and that’s why we want you to check out GoNoodle.
Written by Sarah Wright, LMSW
Early Childhood Behavioral Therapist, BRAINS
GoNoodle is a free, internet website that is an educational, fun way to get your kiddos up and moving on breaks and during the summer. GoNoodle published that they get 14 million kids moving in classrooms and homes around the world, and now as therapist, I can get them up and moving at BRAINS. When you go to GoNoodle.com it will ask that you sign-up and create a username and password. As soon as you create a username and password, you can start playing and exploring with your child! There are videos that work on mindfulness, concentration, energy regulation, being kind to others, and many more. You can choose between mathematics, spelling, reading and science!
As an Early Childhood Behavioral Therapist, I use GoNoodle for many of the clients I see. Some of their favorites are Purple Stew, Cat Party, Raise the Roof and Melting. Purple Stew works on imagination, gross motor, waiting and teamwork. Indoor Recess works on gross motor skills, following directions and being flexible. Melting works on waiting, following directions, calming the body and deep breathing. Cat Party works on saying kind words to friends, following directions, mindfulness and real vs fake.
GoNoodle is used by teachers, behavior therapists, occupational therapists, principals and physical therapists! There are even videos for ALL ages included on the website. During my time as a preschool teacher, I had families using GoNoodle everynight, on Holidays with the whole family, and when their kids needed to just move their bodies/work their minds/calm down.
The coolest part of GoNoodle is growing your character that you choose to play with! You choose a character from a big list when you start playing. There is a big scale on the bottom, reading 1-10, and each time you fill the line to 10, you get to put your character in a machine and watch it grow! After you have filled the line up five times, your character reaches adulthood and it is time to choose another! If you do go through all the characters, you can start all over again!
Here are some websites that talk about how much parents love GoNoodle and a website to get you started!
http://blog.gonoodle.com/category/articles/
To learn more about Sarah Wright, LMSW, click here.