Do you know that besides being the best way to greet someone and make them feel welcome, the act of smiling can also be a great way to enhance the muscular coordination of children.

In my three decades of working with children, I have discovered that those who smile more will generally progress and learn new movements and skills quicker than children who show less facial expression. That’s because smiling helps relax the face muscles, and when muscles are relaxed they will react quicker and communicate more effectively with the brain.

Exercising the face muscles is an extremely safe and effective way to improve circulation and stimulate neuromuscular connections in the brain, nervous system and muscles.

By learning to use and control the face muscles children will open the pathways for finely tuned balance and coordination in their whole body.

Do your best to encourage your children to begin doing a Grinnastics activity called Face Push Ups.

Face Push Ups – This activity not only improves your smileage, but also helps improve muscular coordination in the whole body. I have noticed that when two-year-olds learn to coordinate this activity, they show a substantial improvement in overall physical coordination.

1. Just put one hand in front of your chest then bring it up across your face and – smile.

2. Then bring it down and – frown. Keep going up and down until you feel the smile become natural. It shouldn’t take too long.

Smile and keep those face muscle moving and your children will keep look happy and keep improving!

Scott Liebler is the founder of the Hearts Education Foundation and creator of Move to Improve and Funsical Fitness for early childhood development. Move to Improve is a program sponsored by Early Childhood Options and funded by the Summit Foundation. For more information on this program call (303) 902-4985 or e-mail funsical@yahoo.com.