Balance
Single leg balance - work on standing on one leg for longer periods of time
Tree pose in yoga
"Foot High Fives" - try and give foot high fives with your child to get them to practice standing on one leg for longer periods of time
Static balance - how long your child can stand still
Have your child stand on a pillow or couch cushion while reading a book, watching a show, or while singing "head, shoulders, knees, and toes"
Dynamic balance - you child's ability to change directions or speeds when walking or running without loss of balance.
Play tag - work on changing directions and speeds
Play "Red light, green light"
Walking backwards, taking side-steps
Playing games like soccer, running bases on a baseball field
Strength
Core strength
Decreased core strength can be seen during classroom activities like sitting upright in a chair, or sitting criss-cross on the floor for circle time.
Reduce w-sitting postures
Develop a consistent and quick verbal cue that is used by everyone
Examples: “fix your feet” or “legs forward” or “criss-cross applesauce”
Focus on prolonged postures first – watching a show/movie, playing with magna tiles, etc.
Try when watching a show to have your child sit on the ground with back against the couch and sitting criss-cross if possible (if not having legs straight out is ok)
Sitting criss-cross without something behind their back – if they are struggling with this, try putting a small cushion under their bottom to lift their hips
Lower Extremity Strength
Squats - have your child clean-up their room by squatting to pick up toy/objects, stand up, and walk the toy/object back to
Stairs
Activities to increase strength - navigate to "Strength Ideas" subpage
Coordination:
This is your child's ability to move their body through space in a purposeful manner
Have your child copy movements during Simon Says
Stand on one foot
Stand on one foot and touch your nose
Give high fives across your body
Jumping Jacks
Multistep Obstacle courses
If something is hard for your child, always try to break down the activity into simple steps and work on each step first, then try and bring it all together
Endurance
Have your child try and increase their endurance by being as active as possible each day
It is recommended that children get 60 minutes of physical activity a day - this can be broken down into different intervals
If you feel like you are struggling to keep your child active, try using an activity tracker and have a reward at the end of the week if you meet your goals!
Navigate to Activity Tracker subpage for an example of an activity tracker