Family Activities: Making Balance Fun
Reaching and mastering milestones such as balance can be fun, playful, and accessible to all! Enjoy these simple exercises with your family and make it something your children want to circle back to!
Making balance fun for children using animal movements!
Why is it important for your child to balance on one leg?
It’s a lifelong skill - important for people of all ages
Important for going up and down stairs
Getting in and out of the bathtub safely
Dressing yourself
These fun exercises target the skill of balance by standing on one leg. Take a few minutes before dinner to practice these together as a family! Let’s walk like a penguin, prance like a horse, stomp like an elephant, and stand like a flamingo.
Younger Children: Try each exercise for 30 seconds
Older Children: Try each exercise for 60 seconds
Encourage your children to come up with some fun and interesting versions of the exercises as well. Remember to keep it fun for everyone.
Download our kid-friendly chart for your child to keep up the progress and stay motivated! Have them use stickers, stamps, or a simple check mark to keep track!
THE EXERCISES
WALK LIKE A PENGUIN
Keep hands at your sides with knees straight
Shift weight back and forth to put all weight on one foot and then the other
Lean sideways while lifting foot
Walk forwards or backwards like a penguin
Walk in circles
Lean as far as you can to left or right putting more and more weight on one leg
STAND LIKE A FLAMINGO
Practice standing on one leg like a flamingo and then switch legs
If necessary, begin by holding onto a surface that does not move before lifting one leg to stand like a flamingo
If necessary, you can hold on with one or both hands
Practice letting go one hand at a time
If unable to let go of one hand, practice for 30 seconds holding on with one or both hands
Challenge:
If older children can stand on one leg for 60 seconds, you can add a challenge to stand on one leg with arms out and then touch finger to nose. Switch sides!
Stand on one leg and try to touch the ground then switch sides
STOMP LIKE AN ELEPHANT
Remember that elephants have much wider bodies than horses!
Bend hips and knees then lower with toes outside of shoulders (marching in place with spread legs out as far as possible)
Put arms together in front like an elephant trunk and stomp like an elephant
PRANCE LIKE A HORSE IN A PARADE
Lift one leg at a time with arms at side then switching legs so you are marching in place
Challenge:
Lift the knees as high as you can
Go as slow as you can while lifting knees as high as you can
Touch your hands to your knee after lifting knee
Touch your elbows to your knee after lifting knee
Questions or concerns about balance and your child? Our physical therapists are here to help you and your family! Get in touch!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sharon Froehle, MSPT
Sharon has been a practicing Physical Therapist for over 25 years. She has worked in a variety of settings with pediatric, adult and geriatric patients. Sharon specializes in movement disorders and muscular imbalances. Sharon was diagnosed with cervical torticollis when she was younger and therefore has a special interest in cervical torticollis.