Many teachers believe that when children tap with pencils in class they are trying to distract them and consider it an insult because the student is not listening to what they are saying. However, most neuroscientists know this to be false, and certain parts of your brain have been shown to light up when you move your fingers. So in some respects it means that children are thinking, not unconsciously tapping their pencils, even if their pencils are moving up and down, there is much more upstairs.

The other day, I was discussing this with an acquaintance, and we were talking about the challenges that teachers face with 30 and 40 children in the classroom. This is apparently becoming the new norm due to all the school budget cuts. It is a real problem. And as we started talking, we moved on to the types of distractions children were involved in, like chewing gum or tapping pencils in class, basic annoyances for the teacher.

Did you know that moving your fingers or touching a pencil or perhaps pressing keys on a laptop keyboard actually helps trigger greater cognition and thinking, helps your mind process information, print memory? If you are writing the same thing with a keyboard or with a pencil, like playing a musical instrument, your mind thinks as your fingers walk. It can help you discover new ideas and it works, this is because it is the way the brain is configured to process information.

Then my acquaintance noticed; “I didn’t know that! I’m going to investigate that further, I will always tell my son to stop touching the pen / pencil while at his homework station in his room; NOW I will have him confused, telling him to tap!”

Yes, it is okay to tap with the pencil; If the sound bothers you, put down a napkin or hand towel and tap on it. It has something to do with the dexterity and nerves of the fingers, and how the brain is connected to the movements of the limbs: when they connect people to EEGs or functional MRI scans, they see it.

In fact, I hope you will consider this if you are an educator or a teacher, and then act accordingly. Please don’t take it personally, and after you’ve tried some of my suggestions here, maybe you can email me and tell me what you’ve learned in the real world. Think about it.