A UNIQUE program at O'Connell Public School is helping children get their bodies ready to learn so their minds will follow.
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The small school south-east of Bathurst has designed the Body Ready program, in which physical activities are used to help students improve everything from their handwriting to their concentration.
"We're finding a lot of younger children coming to school and they're not physically ready to sit in the classroom," principal Trish Forsyth said.
"We've seen huge improvements [through the program] in handwriting just through doing physical activities and in the children's ability to self-regulate and keep on task.
"It also helps them be aware of where they are in relation to other people.
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"It's a program that we're pretty proud of. We've been doing it for a couple of years, have seen some great results and the kids love it."
Kindergarten students spend a half hour in the school's occupational therapy room each morning.
"At times during the year, we do two-week intensives where we pull a child out for one hour a day for two weeks and just work on any sensory issues that they have - balance, hand strength and different things," Ms Forsyth said.
"That's another program that the kids really enjoy."
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Through the program, some students are now allowed to chew dental-approved gum because it has been shown to help with their focus, while others have had their posture improved.
Ms Forsyth said occupational therapy service, SEED Paediatric at Orange, helped O'Connell Public set up the program.
