Neuroscientists know it.

Many parents, child development professionals and learning specialists know it.

The development of good balance in infancy and early childhood can profoundly affect how well we learn and eventually read later in life.

Learning is fun, right?

Reading is fun!

Not always so for children whose vestibular system is, well, off balance.

An underdeveloped vestibular system, the part of the brain that keeps us from toppling over, among other things, may be at the heart of many struggles with learning, reading, concentration, language, and even emotional difficulties.

Why is balance so important?

1)  Balance is the foundation for most motor skills.

2)  It helps us walk, hop, skip, play, sit in our chairs without falling over.  (Are you propping up your head in your hands as you read this?  I hear that Tai Chi can work wonders for good balance.)

3)  Balance is important in

– perceptual motor development (i.e. How do I make my hand draw this letter I see?)

– directionality (i.e. Which way is that letter facing?  Is that a b or a d?)

– spatial organization (i.e. Where does this shape belong in relation to the others?)

– and other critical skills required for efficient learning.

4)  Balance and coordination skills allow children to interact with their environment, which allows for new experiences, which allows for more connections in the brain.

No wonder I immediately fell in love with Balance Animals created by the designers at The snowroom in Sweden.  Just to be perfectly clear, The snowroom makes no claims that Balance Animals will make your baby smarter.

Here’s the Inner Pieces Gallery perspective on that:

As long as we’re looking for great design for our homes,

and we LOVE pieces that are just as fun to look at as they are fun for kids to play with,

and we appreciate designers who keep the environment in mind,

Balance Animals already deliver.   Why not enjoy the added benefits of helping children develop their sense of balance and POTENTIALLY boost their brain power, too?

If you would like a Balance Animal of your own visit The snowroom’s website and contact their office in Sweden.  If you do, and your baby just happens to become a genius, you can always come back and thank me for the tip!

For now, though, I’m happy to send you toward more design inspiration here.

And don’t be shy about sharing this post.  After all, your well balanced child genius is sure to want some well balanced child genius friends, don’t you think?