Sidewalk Balance Challenge

Activity Overview

How can we practice balance with young children in everyday life? This challenge is aimed at helping students gain control over their gross motor movements, while also practicing agility. It is designed to be done by using the cracks on the sidewalk, the curb, or anything else that comes your way that you can use as a balance beam. By bringing along some sidewalk chalk, you can also bring elements of hopscotch by building in hopping or jumping.

What You Need

• Sidewalk chalk (this isn't required but it helps to have it)

• Your imagination

Steps

1. Go outside to your sidewalk. Does it have cracks? Sections? Is there a curb? A bench? A stone wall?

2. Once you have assessed what you are working with, think of three things that your student could balance on. These could be three different cracks, and crack and two curbs, two cracks and a bench, or whatever is available.

3. Walk through the moves with your student and have them follow you.

4. When complete, add more and more to the challenge.

5. If you have sidewalk chalk, get creative and use it as a guide for new balancing movements.

Guiding Questions

• How can you keep your body balanced?

• What path do you want to follow?

• How high can you jump?

• Can you walk with your body low to the ground?

• Should we use a timer to see how quickly or slowly we can move?

Extensions

• If you are trying to do this indoors, you can make a long trail of pillows around the house that the student must walk on. This mimics walking on uneven ground, which is essential in developing control over the trunk and leg muscles.