From the Summerhill Nursery School
Core strength is the development of the torso muscles that stabilize, align, and move the trunk of the body. Poor core strength can cause poor posture which can also affect gross motor and fine motor skills. Building strong core strength is like building a strong foundation for your child.
For pre-school aged children, the best way to develop core strength is through good old fashioned outdoor play! Children need daily opportunities to run, jump, climb, crawl and explore in an unstructured environment.
Signs of Weak Core Muscles
If your child has difficulty with core strength, you might notice the following signs and symptoms, according to the OT Mom article “Core Strength & Core Stability”
- Getting tired easily when taking part in physical activities
- “W” sitting(sitting with their legs bent and angled away from them on either side)
- Having trouble with balance
- Displaying bad posture (including lying on desks and propping themselves up with their arms instead of sitting upright)
- Not being able to crawl or roll by themselves
- Preferring to always lie down with watching TV, instead of sitting upright
- Avoiding anything that involves climbing (e.g. climbing on jungle gyms or trees)
- Having poor gross and fine motor skillsin general
Fortunately for kids who struggle with these types of issues, there are plenty of simple and effective core strengthening exercises for kids.
Core Exercises for School-Age Children
Building your child’s core strength may take a while so pace the activities. Be consistent and diligent to stick with any program you begin. As time progresses, you should see your child starting to develop self-confidence and endurance. At this point, you can begin adding new exercises/activities. Offer your child support and encouragement.
Listed below are just a few exercises/activities for core strength provided by Childs Play Therapy Centre
- The Wheelbarrow walk
- Bouncing – Such as Hippity Hops or a trampoline
- Exercise ball
- Swivel ride on toys (with no pedals)
- Swinging – without anyone pushing
- Superman Pose – lying on stomach and lifting arms and legs
- Sit ups
- Planks
- Twister – the game
- Crawling through a tunnel
- Climbing a ladder – such as for a slide
- Riding a bike
- Skating
- Swimming
- Climbing on playground equipment
- Walking like a bear or crab
- Tight rope walking
At Summerhill Nursery we regularly practise many of these activities during school time and encourage our families to please incorporate these essential activities into their daily lives and routines in a fun-family way.
Outside Classroom Day is where we get to embrace all these kinds of activities and more!
Summerhill Nursery advocates core strength at an early age
