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| "Funny Football" is a fun game that helps kids build core strength |
When looking for activities & exercises to help encourage a stronger core for children, keep in mind that the major abdominal muscles have very specific & limited action. There are many different minor muscles (and ligaments, tendons and nerves) that assist in stabilizing the spine and pelvis, and run the entire length of the front & back midsection of the body. Exercises, games and other activities need to focus not just on the front abdominal region, but on a variety of groups of muscles that run from the hips up to the shoulders & neck.
Signs of poor core strength are: tiring easy, poor posture, decreased body awareness, head hanging or holding up head while sitting, poor self image, constipation and frequent injuries. Poor core strength results in poor proprioception, motor planning and balance due to unnecessary torso movement and swaying during all other body movements. This is tiring and frustrating to the student and can lead to de-motivation.
Good core strength will improve posture, digestion & elimination, confidence and concentration, increase energy level and improve balance and motor planning. The key is to keep in fun and challenging. I like to call the exercises & activities "Games" to young children because exercise should always be fun. Try these beginner, intermediate & advanced activities for younger children:
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| Downward Dog |
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| Bridge Pose Photo by B.Gini @2009 |
Funny Football: (Beginner/Intermediate) Pass a spiky colorful ball around in a circle using only your feet. For added challenge, use a balloon, football or beach ball. Have each person say a letter to spell a word or say the alphabet as the ball passes round the circle. (See Photo at Top of Article)
To keep this fun for young children, limit the number of repetitions by having them count to their age. (If they are 5 have them hold "Bridge Pose" for 5 big breaths.) It’s better to do a few repetitions & move on to another activity, and then come back and repeat. This keeps the kids interested & engaged.
Also remember to always remind the children to breath IN through their noses. Its very important for proper respiration, filtering & warming of air, mind/body integration and improved concentration.
For teens or advanced learners, who need a little more of a challenge, here is a down-loadable file showing how to do "Yoga Sit Ups". I showed this to a teen boy who was going through a sensory-motor therapy program and had reached a plateau with sit ups and "Boat Pose". He started to become bored and de-motivated and needed an additional challenge to keep him interested. He liked this activity and stated that it made him feel "awake" & "powerful", like he wanted to "run a race". It will provide the additional challenge he needs to take him up to the next level of his therapy.
Keep in mind that any of these postures and activities can be adapted to slower learners and children with lower tone and underdeveloped motor planning. Use bolsters, pillows, props and mats as needed.
For more information on how to adapt activities for children of all abilities, visit our website: www.bodylogique.com or Subscribe to S.M.Art Kids / Healthy Kids by Email
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Hi Barbara, thanks for your post on games that build core strength. I really like your focus on not only abdominal muscles but also muscles of the shoulders and hips - all important outer core muscles. However I would like to add my comments about the often over-looked inner core muscles, which are key to central stability. The 4 muscles of the inner core (respiratory diaphragm, pelvic floor, transverses abdomens and multifidus) work as a team to stabilize the spine and pelvis before we begin any movement so they are crucial to any work on core. Their activity is dependent on alignment of both the pelvis and the rib cage independently and in relation to each other. And as always, our children should be exhaling before they begin the movement and throughout the movement so the inner core team remains active.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity to weigh in on such an important subject!
Shelley Mannell PT
Shelly-
DeleteThank you so much for your input! I agree that the outer muscle work is much more effective if the inner muscles are also working properly.
Do you have any suggestions on how to help keep those inner stabalizer core muscles healthy and activated so they can better support movement? I know some of the exercises are difficult to master for adults let alone a child who does not have good body awareness. Any activity suggestions would be great!
~Barbara
Hi Barbara, adult research has given us a gift - the activation of the inner core muscles has been shown to improve with improved neutral alignment of the rib cage and pelvis. Then helping children to breathe deeply, expanding their lower rib cage, activates the respiratory diaphragm/pelvic floor partnership. This combination of alignment and breathing activates what we call the "core strategy". The neuromuscular system reinforces this pattern as part of our anticipatory postural control and as the inner core muscles are activated, they feed back and reinforce their activity. Then we can use this alignment as we strengthen those outer core muscle relationships. If you are interested in reading more, please drop by www.heartspacept.com/blogs/ and read about Dynamic Core for Kids.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity to chat about integrating the core into activity.
Shelley