'Brain Gym' Improves Memory, Focus In Students

CHICAGO (CBS) - Sitting still all day while keeping focused can be difficult for some students. Educators are looking to a new wave idea that teaches kids specific moves to improve memory and organization. CBS 2's Mary Kay Kleist reports.

It's called "Brain Gym." It is a system of 26 movements and processes that improves communication between your brain and the rest of your body.

Kate Wagner is a licensed Brain Gym instructor in the Chicagoland area. She was hired last year to teach the program to every teacher at Sheridan Grade School.

"The teachers tell me their classes become more relaxed, more calm," said Wagner. "There is a sense of focus, and concentration and attention that these children are able to have with their studies. So after Brain Gym, you will see that the class is ready to learn, sitting, and they are focused on the teacher."

Laurie Clausel teaches Language Arts at Sheridan. Last year, she says Brain Gym helped one of her classes improve 8 percentage points on their ISAT scores.

On this day, it helped her students improve on a reading fluency test.

"Many of them made fewer errors. More than half made fewer errors the second time," said Clausel.

The students were even surprised with the results.

Jordan Timm, 11, said, "On the fluency test, I got through about two paragraphs the first time, and then the second time I got through like four. And it helped me a lot."

Jarrid Thorpen, 12, said, "I thought it would be kinda be weird and I didn't think it would do anything, but then after we started doing it I was surprised that it actually worked."

To release neck and shoulder tension, Wagner teaches neck rolls. And she tells the children to do a few neck rolls right before taking a test.

"We hold a lot of stress in our neck and shoulders. And so when we are reading, also any eye strain that we have, we would compensate by tightening our shoulder muscles," said Wagner.

Lazy eights help with eye-hand coordination and reduces eye strain.

Wagner told the students: "This will help you add and subtract faster, easier and better in your head."

Fourth graders at Sipley Elementary in Woodridge tried Brain Gym to improve their thought process in math class.

Teacher Carrier Berger said, "It calms them and puts them more on task. I realize that once we sit down and we get back on task, they work harder and they're more focused."

Berger thinks every teacher should give Brain Gym a try.

"If you get them up and you do two exercises, their performance will be a lot better," said Berger.

Brain Gym can also work outside the classroom. Athletes can benefit. And businesses can use it to increase focus and productivity.

For more information about Brain Gym, click here.