Mr. Sillymoovs and His Silly Moves by Marveline Bazelais
What's It About?
A picture book by an occupational therapist to promote body-awareness and sensory self-regulation in children. Another great tool for grown-ups to help their preschoolers.Ask any parent, guardian or teacher of a young child, and they will be first to tell you — kids move! Whether they’re running, jumping or wriggling, little kids are eager to expend their energy however they can. And while their increased motor function is a cause for celebration, distracting their peers and getting underfoot is not.
As an occupational therapist, Marveline Bazelais sees behaviors like these all the time. Her work in teaching children about exercise and self-regulation inspired Mr. Sillymoovs and His Silly Moves (Marvelsourceot LLC). This informative book shows how movement, stretching and overall activity can improve body-awareness and wellness in readers of any age.
Sensory Self-Regulation Made Fun
Mr. Sillymoovs is here to groove! As he introduces himself to readers, he encourages them to follow along with his moves. “Hey there friend, I’m Mr. Sillymoovs. Look at me and what I can do! Do you know how to do it too? Now it’s your turn. You try it too. Hold for 10 seconds. Ready?? Go!!”
The aforementioned instructor is a stick figure who stretches, contorts and bends his body into a variety of poses. The minimalist illustration style of Mr. Sillymoovs helps get his poses across to young viewers without any distractions. The book’s text also includes directions, further helping kids understand the moves they should be mimicking. The text is written in a friendly tone of voice as Mr. Sillymoovs guides his young students. “What about this one move! Two hands high! Feet down low too … Now we stand just on one foot! One hand up and other hand too!!”
Meant to be read aloud as a physical activity guide, Mr. Sillymoovs and His Silly Moves also uses clip art images as built-in intervals to break up the exercise. Prompted by the images of pizza, trains and ice cream, kids can call out the recognizable objects, getting quick breaks between poses where they can feel included in the read-along.
The result of author Marveline Bazelais’s hard work is an easy and fun guide for parents, guardians and teachers. With the instruction of Mr. Sillymoovs, children gain a further understanding of their bodies, the space they occupy and the movement that they are capable of. Mr. Sillymoovs and His Silly Moves is a beneficial addition to everyone’s bookshelf and a great tool for instructions in self-regulation and educational fun.
For even more fun occupational therapy activities for kids, readers can check out the book’s accompanying website, MarvelsourceOT.org.
Marveline Bazelais is an occupational therapist who teaches body awareness and sensory self-regulation to children. She wrote Mr. Sillymoovs and His Silly Moves as a tool for “grown-ups” to help their pre-schoolers.
