Foundations are not optional. They are essential: Understanding the Pyramid of Learning

Justine Tarrant
Aug 1
5 min read

Updated: Nov 15

I Know You Can Relate...

You’ve just set up a learning experience. You're about to start a transition with a story, when suddenly, the energy in the room shifts. Irritability fills the air, and the noise level rises. Then, out of nowhere, a cushion flies across the room, and everything changes.

The ripple effect is immediate. Block towers collapse. Someone is in tears. Another child becomes upset because it’s too loud. You’re left wondering: What just happened?

I spent a lot of time reflecting on moments like these. What triggered this? What led up to it? Was it something in the environment, a child’s internal state, or the group dynamic?

I became obsessively curious about the underlying causes. This curiosity led me down a path that transformed my understanding of children’s development, my role as a teacher, and my own regulation and resilience.

A Pattern Emerges

Throughout my teaching career, I often found myself thinking about particular children long after the day ended. Some strategies worked beautifully one day, then fell flat the next. It was frustrating and confusing.

Then, I started noticing patterns.

Take windy days, for example. I began to see a connection between strong winds and heightened emotions. Certain children, not just one or two, but a consistent few, seemed more dysregulated, impulsive, and less focused when the wind picked up.

I could almost predict that we’d need to shift gears: more outdoor time, more movement, and more flexibility in our transitions. Less sitting. Less talking.

Over time, and through exploring the brain-body connection, particularly around our senses, I realized these weren’t random behaviors. They were windows into the child’s nervous system, revealing when something deeper needed attention.

Seeing the Whole Child Differently

I shifted from a behavior-first lens to a strength-based, neuro-sequential one. I reframed my questions and began to ask myself:

What is this child’s nervous system telling me right now?

That’s when I discovered the Pyramid of Learning, a framework developed by Kathleen Taylor and Maryann Trott in 1991. This model helped me map what I was observing into a coherent structure.

The Pyramid of Learning: A Holistic Lens

The Pyramid of Learning helps us understand why some children struggle with focus, transitions, or emotional regulation. It also explains why traditional behavior management strategies aren’t always effective.

Before children can access academic skills like reading or writing, foundational systems in the brain and body must be in place.

Let’s pause and think about this: we’d never build a house starting with the roof, right? Yet, in many learning environments, we expect children to sit still, concentrate, and “behave” without checking whether their foundations are strong enough to support those expectations.

“Foundations are not optional. They’re essential.” Justine Tarrant, Kind Connections Learning

Here’s a simplified view of the Pyramid from the bottom up:

Central Nervous System
Sensory Systems (all 8, including vestibular, proprioception, and interoception)
Sensory-Motor Development
Perceptual-Motor Development
Functional Behavior / Emotional Regulation
Academic Learning

Now, let’s discuss what each of these layers means in practical terms.

The Pyramid of Learning (Taylor & Trott 1991)

Starting at the Bottom

Central Nervous System: The Base Layer

This is where it all begins: the brain and spinal cord. This system processes information and determines whether a child feels safe, stressed, calm, or overwhelmed.

If the nervous system isn’t regulated, learning will be a struggle, no matter how “ready” we try to make them.

“Regulation is the foundation. Learning is the outcome.” – Dr. Stuart Shanker

Consider the child who constantly seeks movement or the one who shuts down during transitions. These are nervous system signals, not defiance.

Sensory Processing: The 8-Sense Puzzle

Beyond the five senses we all know (touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing), there are three others that are crucial in early childhood:

Vestibular (balance & spatial orientation)
Proprioception (body awareness)
Interoception (internal signals like hunger, needing the toilet, or emotional states)

When a child’s sensory systems aren’t processing information efficiently, it can manifest as:

Difficulty sitting still
Resistance to touch or certain textures
Big emotional outbursts seemingly “out of nowhere”
Trouble listening or following instructions

By embracing a neuro-sequential view of children, we appreciate that how they react to sensory information is deeply personal and not always within their control.

Sensory-Motor Development: Moving to Make Sense of the World

Once sensory systems work together, they support physical movement. Crawling, rolling, climbing, and balancing are more than just play; they build essential brain pathways.

When children engage in movement-based activities, they activate multiple brain regions, strengthening neural connections and improving coordination, focus, and regulation.

This is also where primitive reflex integration comes into play. Primitive reflexes are automatic movements babies are born with (like the startle reflex). As they grow, these reflexes should “integrate,” becoming more refined and voluntary. If not, they can interfere with posture, focus, and learning later on.

Perceptual-Motor Development: Where Movement Meets Meaning

Here’s where motor skills meet vision, hearing, and spatial awareness.

Perceptual Motor Skills refer to a child’s ability to interact with their environment by combining their senses and motor skills. This involves brain functions necessary for planning and decision-making, from simple to complex tasks.

Think about:

Copying from a whiteboard
Tracking words across a page
Following multi-step instructions
Timing and rhythm in songs or movement games

These skills don’t just emerge on their own; they’re built on the foundation of movement and sensory integration.

Functional Behavior & Emotional Regulation

Now we begin to see outcomes like:

Following routines
Engaging in social play
Showing independence in daily tasks

These are signs that the earlier systems are coming together. When children feel regulated in their bodies, they can express emotions more constructively, take turns, and participate in group settings.

Academic Learning: The Tip of the Pyramid

This is where formal learning becomes possible, not just because a child is “old enough,” but because their whole system is ready.

We can’t expect focus, memory retention, and impulse control to appear without supporting everything below.

When we look through the lens of the Pyramid, we see that “readiness” is really about integration.

“When children can’t learn, we must ask what’s happening in the layers below.” Carla Hannaford

A New Perspective on Behaviour

Understanding the Pyramid of Learning changes how we respond to challenges in our learning spaces. It encourages us to be curious, not reactive.

Instead of asking, “Why is this child being difficult?” we can begin asking:

What sensory input are they processing (or not processing)?
Is this movement a form of self-regulation?
What do they need to feel grounded in their body before they can focus?

This framework invites us to see behavior as communication, not manipulation.

Your Regulation Matters Too

Let’s not forget something equally important: you.

Your own nervous system is part of the environment. When you’re grounded, children can co-regulate with you. When you’re frazzled, they absorb that energy too.

This is why collective wellbeing for educators, teams, and families is a central aspiration. Regulation isn’t just a child-focused goal. It’s a whole-community responsibility.

“Regulated adults raise regulated children.” Mona Delahooke

Final Thought

If you’re working with a child who seems distracted, disorganized, or constantly dysregulated, it’s not a reflection of your teaching methods. It signals that their foundation needs attention.

Let’s meet them at the base of the pyramid and build upward with movement, understanding, and connection.

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