10 simple ways to improve your child's core strength
It’s the core of our job (pun completely intended!)
Whether it be a baby with developmental delay, a toe-walking toddler, a kid with low muscle tone, joint hyper-mobility, or even just the old ‘my child trips all the time’. It’s the key to almost everything we do. But you might be surprised at the activities we physios do with kids to get their little trunk muscles fired up. No crunches here.
⠀⠀
1️⃣ Vertical wall play. Try drawing on a blackboard, smearing shaving cream on a mirror, painting on an easel or pulling suction toys off a wall. Place a bosu ball or cushion under their feet & you’ve got yourself a serious trunk & shoulder workout. ⠀
⠀
2️⃣Climbing. This could mean climbing stairs or soft play equipment, onto the couch or over cushions for a baby, or up ladders & harder playground equipment for big kids. Climbing is like the big-kids form of crawling, great for glute & limb strength, coordination, reflex integration, trunk activation, & even tiny foot & hand muscle strength.
⠀
3️⃣Walking up & down steep slopes challenges strength, postural control & balance. ⠀⠀
4️⃣Walking on uneven surfaces. Try soft sand, cushions or blankets on the floor, or a wobbly rope bridge at the playground.
⠀⠀
5️⃣Sitting on a peanut ball & bouncing up & down or rocking side to side (with an adult behind)
⠀⠀
6️⃣Stepping stones or balance beams. Balancing activities always fire up those abdominal muscles. ⠀
⠀
7️⃣Jumping! On a tramp, over a stick, or off a rock! So much power needed in those little bodies to leap off the floor & land on their feet! ⠀⠀
8️⃣Squatting. If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know my obsession with squatting. Repeated squatting is the best form of leg strengthening & so easy to encourage. Who knew packing up toys or picking shells off the sand would be so beneficial? Again, add a bosu ball into the mix & you’ve got yourself the ultimate kid core builder! ⠀⠀
9️⃣Stepping over high objects. Try over elastics or ‘hurdles’, through a ‘box maze’ or over pool noodles. No cheating by hanging on! ⠀⠀
🔟And always a favourite- boxing with a punching bag!
⠀⠀
