Children at the UWM Children’s Learning Center became “Body Scientists” for a day this summer, exploring how their hearts, muscles and balance help their bodies move.
On July 14, Zilber College of Public Health Kinesiology teaching staff and students led three Movement & Body Science workshops as part of the Children’s Learning Center’s Community Tuesdays summer program. The workshops were led by Sara Luelloff, assistant clinical professor of Kinesiology and program director for FitWell at UWM, with help from Isabella Hart and Eilleen Tocco, both MS Kinesiology students, and Malik Sharqawi Akram Sharqawi, a BS Kinesiology student.
The Children’s Learning Center launched Community Tuesdays last summer, inviting people and programs from across UWM to spend time with school-age children and share their areas of expertise. Rona Kader Wolfe, assistant director of Kindergarten and School Age Programs at the center, reached out to Luelloff this spring about bringing Kinesiology into the program.
“I was immediately excited about the opportunity,” Luelloff said. “Although I had never designed a movement workshop specifically for young children before, I was excited to research and create a developmentally appropriate curriculum that combined movement, exploration and simple body science concepts in a fun and engaging way.”
Becoming “Body Scientists”
Rather than focusing only on physical activity, Luelloff designed the workshop to help children understand what happens inside their bodies when they move. Participants rotated through three investigation stations: Heart Helpers, Muscle Movers and Balance Builders.
At the stations, children explored how the heart and lungs respond to activity, how muscles work together to create movement and how the brain and body coordinate to maintain balance.
“Our goal wasn’t simply to keep children active—it was to help them become curious about how their bodies work and why movement matters,” Luelloff said. “By combining movement with simple scientific exploration, the children were learning while they were moving.”
The children quickly embraced their roles as Body Scientists, she said, trying new movements and sharing observations about what they noticed happening in their bodies.
“They discovered that their heartbeat changes with exercise, that muscles work together to create movement and that balance is a skill everyone can practice and improve,” Luelloff said. “My hope is that experiences like these spark curiosity about how our bodies work and help children see movement as something enjoyable they can carry with them throughout their lives.”
Wolfe said the workshop also reinforced an important message for both children and their teachers: Movement contributes to much more than physical development.
“We understand that movement in early childhood is not only crucial for physical development but cognitively and social-emotionally as well,” Wolfe said. “Having the Kinesiology program partner with us helped both children and our teachers understand the benefits of movement and how these experiences affect all learning.”
Learning goes both ways
The partnership also gave Zilber College Kinesiology students an opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom in a real-world setting.
Hart, Tocco and Sharqawi helped guide children through the activities, explain body science concepts in age-appropriate ways and adapt activities based on the children’s interests and responses.
“I was equally impressed by our Kinesiology student facilitators,” Luelloff said. “They did an outstanding job guiding the curriculum, connecting with the children, encouraging participation, adapting activities when needed and creating a fun, welcoming environment.”
Wolfe also saw the experience as an opportunity for the college students to develop their teaching and communication skills.
“Not only did they gain experience in teaching the benefits of movement, but also experiences in children’s learning styles and behavior needs that sometimes arise in classrooms,” she said.
Those skills can translate across a range of Kinesiology-related careers, Luelloff said.
“Whether they pursue careers in exercise physiology, strength and conditioning, physical therapy, coaching or community wellness, these kinds of authentic experiences help prepare them to inspire others to lead active, healthy lives,” she said.
For Luelloff, one of the most rewarding aspects of the collaboration was seeing both groups learn from one another.
“The children have the opportunity to explore movement in new ways while interacting with positive role models, and our Kinesiology students gain valuable experience translating what they’ve learned in the classroom into engaging activities for young children,” she said.
Wolfe praised Luelloff and the students for their preparation, enthusiasm and ability to meet children at their developmental level. Luelloff likewise credited the Children’s Learning Center staff for helping make the workshops successful.
“The Children’s Learning Center staff were wonderful partners throughout the process,” Luelloff said. “I hope this is the beginning of an ongoing partnership between our programs.”