Just as a tree needs a strong trunk to be able to hold its branches up, and withstand storms and winds, your child requires a strong core to participate in life’s daily activities efficiently! Essentially, core strength, or postural control, is both the anchor and launching pad for everything that we do. Thats where our physical culture classes are a huge benefit for girls of all ages. – if a child does not have a strong core, this will affect their head position – shoulder position – elbow position – wrist position – finger position.
So what exactly is core strength? The core refers to the muscles around the abdomen, pelvis and lower back. It is the foundation for children to be able to assume and maintain an upright posture whilst standing and sitting without support. If a child has poor core strength, they will therefore have difficulty controlling fine motor skills, such as handwriting, and participating in gross motor activities like school sport.
At school, incorrect posture when writing means a child’s body is doing more work than required. This can often lead to fatigue and sometimes pain. A child with poor core strength usually fatigues easily, and may require frequent rest breaks during writing and physical activities. They may Slouch when writing, and may use the chair to support all aspects of their body
They may move around in their seat a lot or even hold their head up with their non- writing hand.
Other tell-tail signs may be difficulty on playground equipment such as slides, poles, see saws, and swings – needs to exert more effort than peers, they may Struggle to get up and down off the ground and won’t like to to participate in rough and tumble play
How can I help improve my child’s core strength and postural control?
Simple and fun activities that help build up your child’s core strength can easily be incorporated into their daily routine.
The use of therabands is a fabulous tool for getting kids started with some core strength exercises. we include these exercises into our Physie classes every week.
Jo-Ann Wardrop Is an Exercise Physiologist and Clinical Pilates Instructor. For more information and sample exercises visit us at www.easternsuburbsphysie.com