Teaching Somatic Movement to Children with Flow Form

Unlock the potential of whole-body learning in your early childhood setting through Flow Form – a somatic movement approach that nurtures the whole child and aligns seamlessly with the EYLF and NQS.

Introduction: Why Movement Matters More Than Ever

In early childhood education, we often emphasize literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional development – and rightly so. But what if there was a foundational tool that nourishes all of these learning areas at once? A method that strengthens the brain, nurtures the body, supports regulation, and builds confidence – all through joyful, purposeful movement?

Welcome to Flow Form: a unique approach to teaching somatic movement to children that’s revolutionizing early years education. Rooted in Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals, and neurodevelopmental sequencing like Brain Dance, Flow Form offers a structured, playful, and deeply integrative experience for young learners.

In this blog, we’ll explore:

What Flow Form is
How it supports holistic development through total body connectivity
How it promotes the 5 EYLF Learning Outcomes
Its alignment with the National Quality Standards (NQS)
Why becoming a Flow Form Instructor is a must for every educator passionate about child development

What Is Flow Form?

Flow Form is a somatic movement system designed for children aged 2 to 6. Built on developmental movement patterns, it guides children through sequences that awaken neuromotor pathways, enhance body-brain integration, and build confidence in how they move, think, and relate to others.

Unlike random physical activity or even traditional dance, Flow Form sequences are developmentally intelligent. They are based on patterns of total body connectivity – such as core-distal, head-tail, and cross-lateral movement – which mirror the way infants naturally develop strength, coordination, and neural networks.

These sequences create flow – smooth, rhythmic, and connected movement – and a form – intentional shapes and spatial relationships that support proprioception, balance, and awareness.

💫 Flow Form’s Total Body Connectivity: The Blueprint for Whole-Child Learning

Flow Form is built upon the six foundational movement patterns of total body connectivity. These patterns are not simply movement styles — they are developmental templates that the body and brain use to organize function, emotion, and cognition. Each pattern builds on the last, just as babies do when they learn to move, think, relate, and communicate.

Here’s how each one contributes to child development across the EYLF Learning Outcomes:

1. Breath

The first and most primal pattern. Breath supports emotional regulation, nervous system balance, and vocal development. Breath-based movement helps children:

Calm their bodies and minds
Transition between activities with ease
Begin to develop verbal communication and self-expression

EYLF Outcome 3 – Wellbeing: “Children take increasing responsibility for their own health and physical wellbeing.”

2. Core-Distal

This pattern connects the center of the body to the limbs, supporting strength, expansion, and spatial awareness. It helps children:

Understand their personal boundaries
Regulate impulses through “gathering” and “reaching”
Develop confidence and autonomy

EYLF Outcome 1 – Identity: “Children feel safe, secure, and supported.”

3. Head-Tail (Spinal)

This pattern organizes the head and tailbone along the spine, critical for postural control and attention. It supports:

Spinal integration for sitting, crawling, rolling
Focusing the eyes and body together
Foundational reading readiness and classroom participation

EYLF Outcome 4 – Confident and Involved Learners: “Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity and concentration.”

4. Upper-Lower (Homologous)

This divides the body into upper and lower halves. Children explore pushing, pulling, lifting, and grounding. It supports:

Stability and balance
The ability to take action or remain grounded
Body-brain integration for gross motor skill development

EYLF Outcome 3 – Wellbeing: “Children demonstrate strength and coordination.”

5. Body Side (Homolateral)

This splits movement between the left and right sides. Children practice side dominance, rolling, and stabilizing. It supports:

Laterality, which is essential for language and literacy
Body schema and directionality (“left/right,” “up/down”)
Coordinated writing and reading pathways

EYLF Outcome 5 – Communication: “Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work.”

6. Cross-Lateral (Contralateral)

This is the most complex pattern, integrating opposite sides of the body and brain (e.g., right hand to left foot). It supports:

Cognitive flexibility and executive function
Problem-solving and abstract thinking
Bilateral coordination for writing, dancing, and sports

EYLF Outcome 4 – Learning: “Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another.”

🌿 These Patterns Are Not Just Physical – They Are Foundational to How Children Learn, Feel, and Relate

In a Flow Form session, these patterns are woven into dynamic sequences that:

Mirror natural developmental movement
Support sensory integration and self-regulation
Foster relational attunement and group cohesion

By intentionally engaging with all six patterns, educators give children the building blocks of physical, emotional, social, and cognitive growth.

Flow Form and the EYLF: A Powerful Match

Flow Form doesn’t just “fit” the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) – it embodies it.

Let’s look at how Flow Form directly supports the 5 EYLF Learning Outcomes:

✅ 1. Children Have a Strong Sense of Identity

Children develop awareness of self, agency in movement, and confidence through structured sequences and partner play.

✅ 2. Children Are Connected With and Contribute to Their World

Co-regulated group movement and mirroring deepen social bonds, turn-taking, and empathy.

✅ 3. Children Have a Strong Sense of Wellbeing

Breath and grounding patterns support emotional balance and nervous system resilience.

✅ 4. Children Are Confident and Involved Learners

Flow Form cultivates attention, curiosity, and persistence through pattern repetition and embodied learning.

✅ 5. Children Are Effective Communicators

Movement becomes language — gestures, rhythms, and expressive movement lay the foundation for verbal fluency and storytelling.

Flow Form and the NQS (National Quality Standard)

Flow Form supports multiple elements of the NQS, helping early childhood centres meet and exceed their quality goals:

🔹 QA1: Educational Program and Practice

Flow Form is intentional, evidence-informed, and play-based.

🔹 QA2: Children’s Health and Safety

Movement supports physical wellbeing, sensory regulation, and resilience.

🔹 QA3: Physical Environment

Sessions adapt beautifully to indoor and outdoor settings.

🔹 QA5: Relationships with Children

Mirroring and co-regulated movement nurture strong, attuned educator-child connections.

🔹 QA6: Collaborative Partnerships with Families

Parents are often delighted to see how movement transforms their child’s engagement and behaviour.

Why You Should Become a Certified Flow Form Instructor

Now more than ever, early childhood educators are seeking holistic, brain-body approaches that are:

Grounded in research
Inclusive of diverse learners
Aligned with the EYLF and NQS
Joyful and sustainable

By becoming a Flow Form Instructor, you’ll gain:
✅ A complete toolkit of movement sequences for daily use
✅ Deep understanding of child development through somatic patterns
✅ A unique edge in your professional practice
✅ Resources and training that uplift your whole centre community

You don’t need to be a dancer or therapist – just someone who values movement, presence, and connection.

The Bottom Line: Movement Is Not Optional – It’s Foundational

Teaching somatic movement to children through Flow Form isn’t a bonus or an enrichment – it’s a necessity. In an age of rising sensory issues, emotional dysregulation, and screen-based learning, Flow Form offers a return to the wisdom of the body.

It’s a way of giving children the tools they need to thrive across all domains: physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and communicative.

Flow Form supports:
🌱 Neurodevelopment
🧠 Learning readiness
💬 Communication
🧘 Self-regulation
👫 Connection

And most importantly – it does so with joy.

Ready to Make a Real Difference?

Become a Flow Form Instructor and transform how children learn in your classroom, centre, or community.
This training is open to educators, therapists, carers, and movement enthusiasts who believe in the power of body-based learning.

Click here to register now and bring Flow Form to life in your setting.
Empower the next generation – one joyful movement at a time.

🌊 Flow Form Lesson Plan: The Journey of the Octopus

Duration: 20 minutes
Age Group: 3–6 years
Theme: Exploring total body connectivity through imaginative underwater movement
EYLF Outcomes: All five (1–5)
Movement Patterns: Breath, Core-Distal, Head-Tail, Upper-Lower, Body Side, Cross-Lateral
Linked NQS Areas: QA1, QA2, QA3, QA5

🎯 Learning Objectives

Children will:

Explore all six total body connectivity movement patterns
Strengthen coordination, regulation, and communication through movement
Express imagination through creative role play
Develop spatial awareness and confidence in group learning

🐙 Introduction (0–2 minutes)

“Ocean Arrival Ritual”

Invite the group to sit in a circle. Guide them through three slow, deep breaths. As they inhale, arms float up like waves. As they exhale, arms ripple down.

Say:
“Imagine you’re a baby octopus, floating safely in your ocean cave…”

Focus: Breath
EYLF: Outcome 1 (Identity), Outcome 3 (Wellbeing)

🌬️ Warm-Up (2–5 minutes)

“Bubble Expansion”

Children lie on their backs curled in a ball, like an octopus egg.
Cue: “Feel yourself growing… stretch your arms and legs out wide like long, soft tentacles. Then curl back into your bubble. Grow and shrink, just like you’re breathing under the sea.”

Repeat 3 times, slowly and with breath.

Focus: Core-Distal
EYLF: Outcome 1, 3, 4

🌀 Head-Tail Activation (5–8 minutes)

“Spine Swirl – Octopus Wakes Up”

While lying down, children gently sway their heads and pelvis side to side. Guide them to roll to sitting and begin undulating their spines like an octopus waking up.

Say:
“Let your body ripple like seaweed… from your head all the way to your tail.”

Focus: Head-Tail
EYLF: Outcome 3, 4

👋 Upper-Lower Movement (8–11 minutes)

“Tentacle Play”

Begin in kneeling or sitting. Explore only arm movements: waving, reaching, flowing.
Then, only legs: pushing, sliding, stomping.
Then combine both.

Say:
“What can your top tentacles do? Now your bottom ones! Let’s put them together like a dancing octopus!”

Focus: Upper-Lower
EYLF: Outcome 2, 4, 5

⬅️ Body Side Exploration (11–14 minutes)

“Side Tentacle Swims”

Guide children to move only one side of the body at a time — left arm and leg, then right. Movements can be crawling, reaching, or sliding sideways.

Say:
“Swim to the coral using your left-side tentacles. Now switch — your right-side ones are leading!”

Focus: Body Side
EYLF: Outcome 4, 5

❌ Cross-Lateral Pattern (14–17 minutes)

“Octopus Treasure Pick-Up (Personal Space)”

Children remain seated or standing on their own spot.
Guide them through cross-body movements to “collect imaginary underwater treasures.”

Examples:

Right hand to left foot
Left elbow to right knee
Cross-body twist to “grab a floating shell”
Stretch up and across to catch a drifting bubble

Use story prompts:

“Can you grab the treasure hiding behind your opposite tentacle?”
“Pick up a glowing pearl near your opposite foot!”

Ask at the end:
“What treasures did your octopus collect?”

Focus: Cross-Lateral
EYLF: Outcome 3, 4, 5

🌊 Cool Down (17–19 minutes)

“Floating Home”

Children lie on their backs, arms softly waving. Guide them through three calm breaths.

Say softly:
“You’re floating home in a warm ocean current. Your tentacles are light and slow. You’re safe in your underwater cave.”

Focus: Breath revisit
EYLF: Outcome 3 (Wellbeing)

🧘 Closing Reflection (19–20 minutes)

“Octopus Sharing Circle”

Invite each child to share a movement or a treasure they loved.
Others gently mirror them.

Prompt:
“What was your octopus’s favorite move today?”
“Can you show us how your octopus felt in the water?”