Building the roots! A family who I work with used this expression today. As parents we want to build several strong roots for children as they grow and develop. We want them to be rooted to a loving home environment, secure in their relationship with their family, develop social skills to interact with others, understand who they are in the world, connect with their community, etc. As an occupational therapist, we want to build strong roots so that children can participate in functional activities of daily life. Core muscle strength is one of those foundational roots. When children have weak core muscle strength they may have difficulty with simple activities such as their sitting posture on the floor and at a desk. You may find them leaning on furniture, falling off their chair, propping their head up with their hands. Weak core muscle strength may be seen in children who have difficulty with organized sports that involve kicking, standing on one leg, transferring weight or using a bat. You may see a child struggle with agility, balance, coordination and generally look "clumsy". Some children with weak core muscle strength may have difficulties using tools such as pencils, markers and scissors. When core muscle strength and stability is evident, then children will use their intrinsic hand muscles to manipulate these tools in a dynamic way. When there is weakness, we see children compensating by using their whole arm and hand as one unit. This can reduce fluency and lead to fatigue. Read more about core muscle strength:
Gym balls come in different sizes (and a couple of shapes like a peanut)! Try different sizes to depending on the size of your child. We love using gym balls to help build core muscle strength and stability. Try these activities to get started.
These activities are lots of fun and you will also be working on other skills such as bilateral coordination, shoulder stability, neck muscle strength, wrist strength, team work whilst providing sensory input (proprioception and vestibular). Watch our You-tube video to see these activities in action. This video features "Pig the Pug"(aka Master YKOT) who really hopes you enjoy the video. Hit the like button or let us know in the comments if you want to see more videos featuring "Pig the Pug". ---> https://youtu.be/vCd8dJ2BWeA What are your favourite gym ball activities? Do you have songs that you use with these activities? Let me know! Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia. She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning. Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete). Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT. Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team. They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK. HOME The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot YKOT shop: https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/featured Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot/ You may also like: Comments are closed.
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AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. SEARCH THIS SITE
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Disclaimer: The information on this site is general in nature and should be used for educational and entertainment purposes. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. This blog does not replace formal therapeutic professional advice given by a health professional or medical practitioner. Reviews and endorsements of products will only be made based on my expertise and personal opinion; and deemed worthy of such endorsement. The opinions shared in sponsored content will always be my own and not that of the advertising company or brand. Content, advertising space or posts will be clearly identified if paid, affiliated or sponsored. Affiliate links may be found throughout this website in advertising. This means that if you follow through with a purchase from these links, Your Kids OT will receive a percentage of the sale. Your Kids OT undertakes to meet the requirements of the "Social Media Policy" as published by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Further information about this policy can be found here.
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AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. |
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