(repost from May, 2023…this has, interestingly, come up multiple times with multiple toddlers in our classes over the last few weeks…there must be some developmental bursts happening!)
I wondered a couple of posts ago why kids stick out their tongues while they concentrate, and yes, there is a study!
(More than one, actually, with some interconnectedness.)
1) In one study, kids were asked to do a variety of cognitive tasks. They did stick out their tongues intermittently while they worked, most often during the “knock and tap” game, which requires sophisticated communication planning. The researchers theorized that tasks requiring heavy use of the communication centers of the brain trigger the movement, offering that evolution might explain why our mouths follow our hands: humans gestured before they could produce organized speech, so we may activate our tongues (modern language area) when our hands (ancient language area) become busy.
2) Another theory is that for tasks requiring heavy concentration, keeping the tongue still interrupts its communication with the brain, thereby freeing up thinking power.
3) The “motor overflow” theory suggests that language areas of the brain overlap with the neural networks responsible for tool use, so when one is fired, there’s a spillover effect to activate the other.
Consolidating, it’s apparently hard to be sure of the exact cause, but it seems to be related to the interconnectedness of the fine motor and language areas of the brain.
Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that it’s pretty cute to see a kid working on a puzzle with his tongue stuck out! (And what does this mean for parents? It’s a built-in signal to us to hold back and let them think and work!)
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I’m Jessica Brown, and at Clementine, we offer Montessori parent-child classes for ages 0-3+.
We learn and chat about topics like this one and more, both in and out of the classroom. If you’re local to Libertyville/northern Lake County, IL and are interested in finding more about our community, I’d love to hear from you!