Balance
Balance is a highly important and fundamental motor function. Balance underpins postural control in sitting, standing, and with movement of all kinds. Not only is balance needed to keep a child safe, balance is the function that allows a child to optimally use other areas of skill with control. (For example, strength without control creates risk.) When good balance is absent, sensory integration, bilateral coordination, and upper limb coordination are much more difficult to develop. There are two types of balance children may need to address:
Balance is a highly important and fundamental motor function. Balance underpins postural control in sitting, standing, and with movement of all kinds. Not only is balance needed to keep a child safe, balance is the function that allows a child to optimally use other areas of skill with control. (For example, strength without control creates risk.) When good balance is absent, sensory integration, bilateral coordination, and upper limb coordination are much more difficult to develop. There are two types of balance children may need to address:
- Static Balance: Ability to maintain the body and head in a fixed position (i.e., watching the teacher, maintaining posture and reading the chalkboard).
- Dynamic Balance: Maintains body and head position when responding to sudden movements or when the body is in motion (i.e., rotating your head while you write, performing stairs, playing on the playground).
balance beam.pdfrope walk.pdfBalance Challenge.pdfDon't have a balance beam available? No worries! Try walking on a curb, a 2 x 4 or plank, taped line on the floor, chalk line drawn on the driveway, or along the lines in a sidewalk.
Nothing happens until something moves.
Albert Einstein