Breaking Brain Barriers
How Your Child's Biggest Learning Breakthrough Might Happen Outside Their Brain
Summer brings longer days, wider horizons, and a natural invitation to expand beyond the confines of classroom walls. But what if I told you that this season of expansion could unlock something revolutionary about how your child learns?
There's a concept that's quietly transforming how we understand intelligence, creativity, and academic success. It's called the extended mind—and it suggests that your child's most powerful learning doesn't happen solely inside their brain.
It happens when they think with their whole body, their environment, and their relationships. And summer? Summer is the perfect laboratory for this kind of expansive learning.
🧠 Beyond the "Brain in a Vat" Myth
Our culture has taught us that thinking happens in one place: the brain. That "smart" students are those who can sit still, focus intensely, and process information in their heads.
But the head- and heart-bursting work by Annie Murphy Paul in The Extended Mind reveals something fascinating: the most brilliant thinkers throughout history have used the world outside their brains to think.
Consider this: Nobel Prize-winning psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman did their most groundbreaking work not at desks, but walking together through the streets of Jerusalem and along California coastlines. "I did the best thinking of my life on leisurely walks with Amos," Kahneman reflected.
What if your child's struggle to concentrate at a desk isn't a deficit—but a sign that their mind wants to expand beyond traditional boundaries?
🌱 The Three Pillars of
Research shows that thinking extends beyond the brain through three powerful channels:
1. The Body (Embodied Cognition)
Your child's body isn't just carrying their brain around—it's actively participating in their thinking process.
What This Looks Like:
Gesturing while explaining concepts (helps mathematical understanding)
Standing or moving during difficult cognitive tasks
Walking while practising information (increases retention)
Using hands-on materials to work through problems
Summer Application: Let them think while walking, use their hands to explain ideas, and solve problems through building, creating, or moving.
2. The Environment (Situated Cognition)
The physical spaces where your child learns become part of their thinking process.
What This Looks Like:
Different spaces inspiring different types of thinking
Natural environments enhancing creativity and problem-solving
Organized spaces supporting focused attention
Varied environments strengthening cognitive flexibility
Summer Application: Take learning outdoors, create different "thinking spaces" at home, and let them discover where they do their best thinking.
3. Relationships (Distributed Cognition)
Your child's mind expands when they think alongside others—not just individually.
What This Looks Like:
Explaining concepts to someone else deepens understanding
Collaborative problem-solving generates better solutions
Teaching others solidifies their own learning
Different perspectives enhance their thinking
Summer Application: Encourage them to teach you what they're learning, engage in conversations about their interests, and explore ideas together.
Summer: The Season of Extended Mind Learning
Summer naturally invites the kind of expansive, embodied, collaborative learning that our children's minds crave:
Longer Days = Expanded Thinking Time
Without the rigid schedule of school, your child's mind can wander, wonder, and make connections at its own pace.
More Movement = Enhanced Cognition
Summer activities naturally integrate movement with learning—hiking while discussing nature, building projects while problem-solving, traveling while exploring history and geography.
Diverse Environments = Cognitive Flexibility
From beaches to forests to museums to their grandparent's kitchen, summer exposes children to varied environments that stimulate different types of thinking.
Social Freedom = Collaborative Learning
Summer friendships and family time create natural opportunities for the kind of collaborative thinking that enhances understanding.
🏠 Creating Extended Mind at Home
Support Embodied Learning:
Let them pace while working on remembering information
Encourage gesturing when explaining concepts
Use manipulatives, building materials, or art supplies for problem-solving
Take "thinking walks" together when working through challenges
Design Thinking-Friendly Environments:
Create different spaces for different types of work (reading nook, creation station, movement area)
Bring learning outdoors when possible
Let them work in unconventional spaces if it helps them think
Notice where they naturally gravitate when processing information
Foster Collaborative Thinking:
Ask them to teach you something they're curious about
Work through problems together rather than sending them to figure it out alone
Encourage them to explain their thinking process out loud
Create opportunities for them to learn alongside peers, siblings, or family members
📚 Connecting Extended Mind to Traditional Learning Contexts
As September approaches, you can help your child apply these insights to their school experience:
Study Sessions: Instead of isolated desk work, try study walks, teaching sessions, and using physical spaces intentionally.
Homework Time: Support movement breaks, collaborative work when appropriate, and varied environments for different subjects.
Test Preparation: Help them use their body (gestures, movement) and environment (study spaces, props) as thinking tools, not just their brain alone.
🌟 The Extended Mind Summer Challenge
This week, try this gentle experiment with your child:
Notice where and how they naturally like to think and process information
Experiment with one new way of thinking together (a walking conversation, hands-on problem-solving, or teaching each other something)
Reflect together on how different thinking approaches feel in their body and mind
No pressure, just curiosity about how thinking really works.
💭 A Gentle Invitation
What if this summer became a time of discovering how your child's mind really works? What if you got curious about their natural thinking patterns rather than trying to fit them into traditional moulds?
Your child's mind is already extended—it's already thinking with their body, environment, and relationships. The invitation is simply to notice, honour, and support what's already happening.
