How to practice Balance

Balance is a skill that begins to develop in infancy and continues to become stronger throughout childhood. From balancing in sitting, to standing, to walking, it continues to evolve over time. Let's dive into balance, why it is important, and what we can do as caregivers to support good balance at home.

What is Balance?

Balance is the ability to keep the body stable and controlled. This can happen in several circumstances:

1. Static Balance

   Static balance is the ability to maintain the body stable while being still. This includes sitting upright, standing still, standing on one foot for a period of time, or holding a yoga pose. Our goal with static balance is for our body to maintain the static position that it is in.

2. Dynamic Balance

   Dynamic balance is when the body maintains control while moving. Walking, running, jumping, navigating stairs and playground equipment are all good examples of dynamic balance. Our goal is to perform these tasks while maintaining our control (and without falling).

3. Reactive Balance

   This type of balance happens when there is an event that challenges our balance unexpectedly, such as a push or a trip. Reactive balance is the ability to maintain the control even with this unexpected force. Furthermore, there are 3 types of reactive balance reactions:

   1. ankle reactions- with minor balance shifts, the musculature around the ankles will activate to maintain our balance.

   2. hip reactions- with moderate balance shifts, we will bend at the hips to help us maintain our balance when ankle movement is not quite enough.

   3. stepping reactions- with bigger losses of balance, we will step (forward, sideways or backwards) to create a new center of balance.

Why is Balance Important?

Balance is a foundational skill. It is important for everything we do- from walking, to running, to sports participation. Even to perform simple activities of daily living, we need adequate balance. Balance is a necessity because:

• Safety: Balance helps babies and children move throughout their environment with the ability to recover when a loss of balance occurs.

• Gross-motor skills and sports participation: Skills such as walking, running, jumping, hopping, and climbing all require balance. We need balance to kick a ball, catch a ball, turn, weave, and jump.

• Coordination: We build coordination from the brain sending and receiving signals to help control what the body is doing.

• Kinesthetic awareness: This is how kids learn where their body is in relation to the space and make adjustments as needed to nagivate their environment.

• Confidence: Children can build their confidence as they gain balance and try new and more difficult things such as climbing a junglegym, obstacle courses, and hopscotch.

• Independence: Simple activities of daily living like stepping into the bath, putting on pants, and even walking up the stairs all require balance. Supporting good balance also supports independence as kids grow up.

Balance Activities for Every Stage

Lying Balance Activities

• Tummy time: tummy time is a great way to practice balancing the head and neck on the body before they are ready for sitting. On a boppy pillow, flat on the floor, on a physio-ball (yoga ball), are all great ways to practice tummy time.

• Supine playing: practice reaching and pulling up to a sitting position, allowing your child to maintain their core and neck balance

  
  

Sitting Balance Activities

• Ring sitting: Ring sitting is typically the most stable sitting position that children learn. As they get older and their legs get longer, it may evolve into "criss-cross applesauce". Sometimes a TLSO (thoracic lumbar sacral orthosis) is helpful for those with decreased core strength to acheive the desired posture. To further challenge sitting balance, try sitting on a squishy surface like a pillow, air-filled cushion, or folded blanket.

• Side sitting: This is a great transitional position that helps kids get in and out of sitting. If they have a hard time balancing here, you could try elbow immobilizers and/or a TLSO for a little more support.

• Kneeling: There is short kneeling (sitting on the heels) and tall kneeling (where the bottom is off of the heels with hips extended). Tall kneeling is more challenging than short kneeling. If your child needs more of a challenge, try it on a soft or squishy surface like a trampoline or a pillow.

Standing Balance Activities

• Standing with feet together: With the feet apart, we have a wider base of support. When the feet are close together, the base of support is much more narrow, making it harder to maintain balance.

• Standing on a squishy surface: try any of these on a pad (AirEx pad or BOSU ball). If you don't have those, a simple pillow or folded blanket will work.

• Standing in tandem: Tandem stance is with one foot in front of the other like walking on a balance beam.

• Standing in any position with eyes closed: Our eyes are part of our balance system, so when we take vision away, it makes it much more challenging to maintain balance.

  
  

Single Leg Balance Activities

• Put a foot on top of a stool: You still have two legs to use for balance, but this is a good step towards single leg balance

• Put a foot on a balloon or ball: This makes the surface less predictable, so weight is shifted more on the stance leg, further evolving towards a true single leg balance.

• Step over an obstacle: Like a broom stick on the floor or a rolled towel. To pick one foot up, then the other, helps work on the weight shift and single leg balance required for obstacle navigation.

• True single leg balance: lift one foot to pop bubbles or step on a stomp rocket. See how long you can hold it before setting your foot down!

  
  

Jumping Balance Activities

• Jumping in place

• Jumping forward

• Jumping down off of a stool or into the swimming pool

• Hopscotch

• Hopping on one foot

These are all jumping activities to practice and further improve dynamic balance!

Final Thoughts

As you can see, balance is complex. There are lots of components and levels to balance, and everyone has varying levels of balance. Some children sit independently, and some require a more supportive chair like a wheelchair or activity chair. Some children are mobile by walking, some crawl, and some use a wheelchair to get around. All of these activities require balance, control, and coordination. Balance is the foundation of everything we do! How can you practice balance today?