Modern learning readiness

Why do so many capable children still struggle at school?

By Monique Peters, Learnerobics

30 January 2026

Many parents sense it before they can explain it. Your child was bright, curious and capable before school — yet now it feels harder than it should, and you notice how much they avoid different tasks, or learning and reading in general. This is not always because of a particular challenge such as dyslexia. It’s because modern childhood has changed, and developing brains are wiring themselves in response.Neuroscience is helping us understand why.

Early Language Exposure Has Quietly Changed

Many modern children have had less rich language exposure in their earliest years — not because parents don’t care, but because life looks different now.Nursery rhymes, songs, repetition, playful sound games and exaggerated ‘baby talk’ once gave children daily practice with rhyme, rhythm and phonemes. Speech therapists describe this as serve-and-return language interaction, which research from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child shows is essential for wiring strong language systems in the brain. Through daily repetition, their brain ‘wires in’ a map of speech sounds through these activities, which they will depend on later when learning to talk and again when learning to read.  When this exposure is reduced, children may struggle with those speech sounds, or phonics, reducing understanding, listening endurance and early reading — not due to ability, but due to how their brain has been wired in response to the world around them in recent years.

 

Movement, Body Readiness and the Brain

Brains develop through the body, or in the process of “doing”. Crawling, climbing, rolling and physical play help integrate primitive reflexes, build muscle tone and support posture, memory and attention.Many children today experience less free movement and more sitting for longer periods of time. When movement is limited, children may fidget, tire quickly or struggle to sit for learning. Their body is working harder than it should, leaving less energy available for attention and thinking.

In particular, bilateral activities (using the upper half of the two sides of the body) repetitively, help the brain to build more and more connections between the two brain hemispheres.  This facilitates faster auditory and information processing speeds for the child, producing greater confidence for both learning and reading.

 

Dopamine, Attention and Screens

Dopamine is the brain’s motivation and reward chemical. It supports focus, curiosity and persistence. Fast-paced screen content delivers rapid dopamine hits, which can make slower activities like listening, reading and writing feel dull or frustrating.Neuroscientists such as Dr Daniel Amen and Dr Anna Lembke reinforce the explanation that brains adapt to repetitive stimulation. This does not mean screens are bad, but it does mean developing brains need a healthier balance of non screen activities to gradually train attention and memory stamina.  Outdoor playing and board games are good examples of these kinds of activities.

 

Stress, Safety and Emotional Readiness

Learning requires safety. When children feel overwhelmed, rushed or confused, their brain prioritises survival and feeling safe over learning and other executive functions such as attention, reading and comprehension.  This is a natural process, millions of years in the making, where all our brains put our safety and acceptance (think of ‘safety in numbers’) before any learning or reading.  To illustrate, imagine a child in a classroom where they are being bullied.  Feeling unsafe, the child focuses on his or her stress and anxiety, rather than what’s being said by the teacher. Neuroscience shows that stressed brains struggle with memory, attention and higher-order thinking. Avoidance, resistance or shutdown are often signs of protection, not defiance.

 

How Learnerobics and Fast ForWord Support Learning Readiness

At Learnerobics, we work with the brain rather than asking children to simply try harder. One of the tools we use is the evidence-based Fast ForWord program, developed by neuroscientists to strengthen the brain’s auditory processing, attention, memory and language sequencing skills.Fast ForWord uses carefully designed sound-based exercises that adapt to each child’s level, helping their brain process language more efficiently over time. When the brain can process sounds accurately and quickly, learning tasks like listening, reading and comprehension become less exhausting and more achievable.Parents are also supported with coaching, so families understand what’s happening in their child’s brain and how to support their work on Fast ForWord and build confidence, consistency and emotional safety along the way. Not just to get through the Learnerobics program, but to be able to build any skills in future.

 

A Gentle Next Step

If any of this resonates with you, know that you’re not alone — and that learning readiness can be built.Sometimes the most powerful shift is not changing the child, but understanding their brain. If you’d like to explore whether strengthening auditory processing and supporting your child’s learning readiness could help, you’re welcome to reach out for a free consult to talk about your specific situation.  Here’s a link if you find it helpful https://www.learnerobics.com.au/freeconsult

 

References

- The Brain That Changes Itself – Dr Norman Doidge

- Harvard Center on the Developing Child (serve-and-return language)

- Dr Michael Merzenich (auditory processing & neuroplasticity)

- Dr Daniel Amen (brain health & attention)

- Dr Anna Lembke – Dopamine Nation