Dino's Reflections: Before you buy another “brain-boosting” programme, try the playground.

Have you ever watched a child learning to ride a bike, climb a playground, catch a ball or balance on a skateboard and considered how much learning is happening?

We readily recognise the physical effort. We sometimes overlook the thinking, planning, problem-solving and persistence involved.

Children are naturally curious. They want to explore, discover what their bodies can do and gain some mastery over their surroundings. Once a challenge becomes manageable, they often find ways to make it harder: climbing higher, riding further or inventing a different game.

Within these experiences, children practise something occupational therapists call praxis: developing an idea, planning the actions needed and carrying them out. They judge distances, adjust their position, coordinate movements and respond when something does not go to plan.

A ball arriving slightly to the left requires an adjustment. A bike leaning too far requires a response. A paper plane that falls immediately invites another attempt.

These apparently simple activities are rich opportunities for learning.

Movement and active play support physical and cognitive development. They also provide opportunities to practise taking turns, negotiating rules, managing frustration and asking for help. The playground offers challenges that involve the whole child.

That is why I question the assumption that time spent moving is time taken away from learning. For children, learning happens through their bodies, relationships and experiences, as well as through books and instruction.

Yet families are constantly presented with products promising an academic head start, enhanced intelligence or some extraordinary boost to brain development. There always seems to be another subscription, specialist programme or educational video that parents are encouraged to believe their child needs.

I understand the appeal. I have bought into some of those promises myself.

But an expensive package, colourful graphics and a generous sprinkling of the word “neuroscience” should not be enough to convince us.

A marketing claim about the brain deserves the same scrutiny as any other claim about a child’s development.

Targeted literacy and numeracy support can be valuable. Some children need explicit teaching, specialist intervention and carefully adapted opportunities to participate. The question is whether a particular programme addresses an identified need and has evidence to support its promises.

Meanwhile, we should give everyday play the attention it deserves.

Get on the floor with your child. Build something. Throw and catch a ball. Fold paper planes and see which design travels furthest. Explore a park. Help them learn to ride, climb or move in ways that suit their interests and abilities.

Follow their curiosity. Offer encouragement. Allow time for repetition, mistakes and the satisfaction of working something out.

For children who find movement difficult, adapt the challenge and seek support where needed. Enjoyment and participation matter more than keeping pace with someone else.

Giving children a strong foundation does not require turning every moment into a lesson or purchasing every product that promises an advantage.

It requires making room for connection, movement, exploration and play.

Before adding another programme to your child’s schedule, consider whether they have enough room in their week simply to play.