Body/Kinesthetic Intelligence

Body/kinesthetic intelligence (see Graphic 12d) is the ability to use the body to express emotion (as in dance and body language), to play a game (as in sports), or to create a new product (as in devising an invention). Learning by doing has long been recognized as an important part of education. Our bodies are very wise. They know things our minds don’t and can’t know in any other way. For example, if I hand you a piece of paper and ask you to lay out the keyboard of the typewriter, without moving your fingers, could you do it? Probably not. But your fingers know the keyboard without even pausing. People such as actors, clowns and mimes demonstrate the endless array of possibilities for using the body to know, understand and communicate; often in ways that deeply touch the human spirit.

Capacities involved:

• Control of voluntary movements
• Control of preprogrammed movements
• Expanding awareness through the body
• The mind and body connection
• Mimetic abilities
• Improved body functioning

To call this intelligence to the fore:

• Perform a dramatic enactment; “role play” an idea, opinion, or feeling. Play charades using current events or modern inventions.
• Play non-competitive games that involve physical activity and a lot of motion; for example, learn names in a group through physical gestures.
• Practice activities that require physical movement, such as folk dancing, jogging, swimming, and walking. Try walking in different ways to match or change your mood.
• Carefully observe yourself involved in everyday physical tasks such as shoveling snow, mowing grass, washing dishes or fixing your car to become more aware of what your body knows and how it functions.

To strengthen this intelligence:

Practice physical gestures and body movement, role-playing, drama, mime and charade games, kinesthetic skills (e.g., sports, exercise, dance), or invent something with the hands.

Vocational pursuits:

Athletics, dramatic acting, mime, physical education instructor, inventor, dancer, choreographer, massage therapist.


Sources: Lazar (1991), Walters (2003)

(Original page by Mary Frangie)