Brain Gym

The Brain Gym program is based on the claim that learners carrying out specific Brain Gym movements prior to a learning activity can improve stability, mobility, and/or sensorimotor coordination. In turn, these motor skills support ease of learning. The 26 Brain Gym activities are said to foster eye teaming, hand-eye coordination, and whole-body flexibility, and so activate the brain for optimal storage and retrieval of information.

The Brain Gym website refers to more than a hundred pilot studies, case studies, and anecdotal reports, done with people of all ages and abilities, that explore the effects of the 26 Brain Gym activities in such areas as reading, writing, memory, self-reported anxiety, and computer-related eye-and-muscle strain. Numerous books have been written describing research and case studies in which use of the Brain Gym activities has benefited specific populations, including children recovering from burn injuries and those diagnosed with autism.

The program has previously been criticised as pseudoscience for the lack of references for some of the theories in its 1994 book, Brain Gym: Teacher's Edition and the absence of peer review research that performing the activities has a direct effect on academics. A new edition of the book was published in 2010, with updated references to educational and neuroscientific theories.

The Brain Gym activities have been incorporated into many educational, sports, business, and seniors programs throughout the world. They are also widely used in British state schools.