Dance along with a few of these videos or dance to three of your favorite songs.

I Get Loose Don't Sit Down A Very Simply Dance MILK A Moose-Ta-Cha Pop See Ko Poppin' Bubbles Snow Ninjas Ski Chase I Want to Build a Snowman Penguin Dance The Freeze Game

• Click here for a fun kids workout led by two sisters and their little brother. This is a great workout for kids of all ages.

Balance, being able to hold your body in a position without falling over, is an important skill for your child to develop. Good balance will help students be able to sit in chairs, move about with less injuries, participate more successfully in various activities, and have better control of their bodies. Some studies even suggest that balance activities may help with cognitive function.

We try to incorporate balance activities into our daily PE routines. Videos to watch and do are below.

Here are some ways to encourage balance practice:

• Walk up and down stairs or curbs – each time you take a step you are balancing on one foot.

• Ride a bicycle – this task requires postural control and balance

• Ride a scooter – obviously three wheeled scooters are easier than two wheeled scooters

• Walk on uneven terrain – walk on grass, rocks or dirt.

  • • Wet, thick, mud is a big challenge.

    • Walk on uneven terrain with no shoes on for a bigger challenge (Soft sand at the beach).

• Play a game of kickball or soccer. You need to stand on one foot to kick the ball.

• Play follow the leader practicing walking fast, slow, backwards and sideways.

• Pretend to be a tight rope walker – Walk heel to toe along any line, try on your toes or your heels.

• Try putting on your pants while standing – this is a real balance challenge to stand on one foot while putting the other leg in pants. Want to make it harder? Try putting socks on in standing without falling.

• Walk along curbs or balance beams at the park.

• Go on a hike searching out some logs or big rocks to climb.

Balance Activities

• This video challenges students to balance in different poses for 30 seconds. If the student loses balance or needs to put a foot down, just get back in the pose again and try to hold it longer.

Body Part Balances

• This video works through different balancing challenges using different body parts. After the video, let the student challenge his or her family to balance in different ways.

As children grow up they will be to participate in competitive activities and games where there will be winners and losers. As parents and teachers, we need to help children learn how to be a gracious winner and a gracious loser.

Here are some ideas from the Akron Children's Hospital on Sportsmanship.

• • Click here to see the May calendar.

  • These are ideas to get you and your family moving.

  • Set a goal for how many of these can you do this month.

How to tie your shoe

Learning how to tie a shoe gives students confidence, independence,

and more time to participate in PE and other activities.

Click here for five different shoe tying methods. The first way is the traditional way

and will work with the most laces and the most shoes.

Help your student chose the one that works best for them and then practice at least four times a day.