We often hear from parents that they feel their child lacks good balance because they’re always falling down.

What parents need to understand is that children, especially ages 2-8, love falling down.  Children love to move on all planes (hi, mid, lo, back and forth).  It’s stimulating and fun.

Unfortunately, an important area of physical development such as balance, tends to get overlooked by many parents and even coaches.  We see our child falling down on purpose and we discipline them because we’re worried they’re going to get dirty or hurt themselves.

Let them flop around, but do it in a structured, game-like environment.

Here are some simple ways your child can improve their balance:

1.  Balance and Pick-Up:  Balance on one foot and pick up an object from the ground without letting the opposite foot touch the ground.  Start with a large object like a soccer or basketball.  This will help build their confidence and get them to learn the technique. Add a challenge by having them pick up smaller objects such as a tennis ball or even a quarter.

2.  Spiderman, Hulk and Wonderwoman:   When you call out a super hero your child must do the movement that is associated with that particular super hero.

Spiderman – Get into a push up position and start crawling forward on the ground.  Keep belly from touching the floor.
Hulk – Stand in low squat position with feet spread wide.  Flex arms and chest. Growling is encouraged.
Wonderwoman – Stand on tip toes reach hands above head and make an X with your arms.

3.  Kick and Run:  Start by kicking a ball with the dominant foot, run after it and stop it with dominant foot. Stand with foot on ball for a few seconds. After a few kicks, kick the ball with the non-dominant foot and stop it with the non-dominant foot.  Switch back and forth.  See how many times they can do this in 30 seconds.

4.  Push and Catch:  Using two hands push a ball straight up in the air above your head and catch it with both hands.  For a challenge try to catch it with one hand, balance on one foot while pushing the ball in the air, or change the size of the ball.

For more great tips or to find out more about our services, contact Bonita@EnergeticJuniors.com, or call 212-879-1566.