Body-kinesthetic intelligence is how we understand our bodies to move in space. Part of Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory, kinesthetic intelligence can help people of all ages understand their knowledge of their own bodies.

This can be particularly important for disabled people, including those who have strokes and those who are looking to maintain their quality of life as they age. Historically, Garner’s theory of multiple intelligences has been used to frame the teaching of children, although this has come under significant scrutiny. The types of intelligence posited in Gardner’s theory are:

1. Visual-spatial
2. Linguistic-verbal
3. Logical-mathematical
4. Bodily-kinesthetic
5. Musical
6. Interpersonal
7. Intrapersonal
8. Naturalistic

In this article, we’ll look at the examples of kinesthetic intelligence, how you develop it, and what activities you can do to add to it. 

Characteristics and Definition

Gardner himself defines kinesthetic or body intelligence as, “[The] Abilities to control one’s body movements and to handle objects skillfully.” He gives the example of a dancer or an athlete. Adam King, PhD, an associate professor at Texas Christian University, has a similar definition.

“It’s the ability to manipulate objects and perform physical skills by using our sensory inputs to understand where our body is, relative to itself and within the environment.”

King, who teaches in the university’s Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, says that it’s an important concept for his students to know as they transition into their careers and help support people in maintaining core motor function, like balance.

“When we start thinking about how our students are going to use that [knowledge] when they go into a physical therapy or occupational therapy clinic and being able to help individuals produce those physical activities or those motors feels, it plays a vital role in how that happens within those environments.”

One example Gardner gives of body-kinesthetic intelligence is of a surgeon who needs to be able to use their fine motor skills to achieve certain work tasks. In measuring body-kinesthetic intelligence, researchers have looked at a variety of indicators including body control, sensitivity to rhythm, expressiveness, the ability to come up with ideas related to movement, and the ability to manipulate objects.

King says that understanding this form of knowledge can help inform how medical providers can support further motor development. He gives the example of a child with a cochlear implant, a common medical devices used by some people with hearing loss. 

“When you have conditions where part of those sensory systems are impaired, or gives inaccurate information, the body has to be able to compensate and perform the task. So, children with cochlear implants don’t fall down all the time, they are still able to be active and perform tasks, they do it in different way,” King says.

How to Stimulate Kinesthetic-Body Intelligence

Which activities will help support your knowledge of your own body’s movement in space can differ widely. For kids, King says that there are a broad range of activities that can be useful.

“It can be engagement in typical physical education classrooms, it can be activities around doing different types of balance, where they might be walking on a balance beam, or using a wobble or unstable surface and practicing how to be able to keep themselves steady in that situation. Any gymnastic movements, that they might be able to work on rotations and changing their vertical position and how the vestibular system might be activating. I think those would be the list to target.”

Researchers have also used a variety of environments to teach kinesthetic intelligence. Academics from the University of British Columbia used dance to help support conflict resolution training, it has long been a key part of the Montessori school curriculum, and some researchers have pointed to school-yard games, like the creation of an obstacle course, is a natural way to develop kinesthetic intelligence. 

“Those tasks really mimic a lot of functional activities that those individuals do, such as moving around in the kitchen and grabbing objects from the cabinets, or unloading groceries and all those kinds of activities that help them maintain their independence.”

King’s research also included an exercise routine that integrated non-contact boxing.

Conclusion

Whether or not Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory, which kinesthetic-body intelligence is a core part of, is a framework that you like to use to know your body better, your ability to know how your body moves is a key life skill.

As you age, finding activities that help keep your body moving can help you maintain your quality of life. This can be particularly important for those with disabilities who already face accessibility barriers to physical activity.