How-To-Guide Youngsters
In a Basic Balance Training Program
As teachers, caregivers and parents, understanding the
importance of coordination as a child develops…is essential.
Let’s make the balance
basics very clear: there are three
elements in coordination:
1.
An
awareness: A sense of balance.
2.
The
Timing: The ability to react.
3.
Variations: Perceptual adjustments to a certain
situation.
The broad coordination concept brings skilled performance of
motor skills to mind.
When a person is able to assess their surrounding setting,
observe the details of current location, determine their challenges in
selecting movement options/patterns and react effectively to achieve a desired
intention: we have good movement
coordination.
What training should a child experience to be able to use
their abilities in a successful manner?
The big picture: a good series of lessons would offer: a l-o-n-g series of motor
experiences, We observe that: from infancy (through subtle movement refinement) our young baby gains the ‘mover’
with a set of small acquired movement patterns that can be sequenced to achieve
a great motor pattern. Kids learn to move!!
When a youngster begins to stand, initiates walking [with its
elements of balance] and then accomplishes those life altering skills: crawling
and walking, their world changes!
Those abilities/skills do open their vistas; change the
dynamics of interacting with others; give enriched sensory information to
expand their brains!
Let’s follow a pathway that is, essentially a Training
Program, that builds achievement into a child’s early movement explorations!
When cultivating a sense of balance and encouraging a
student to develop their ability to coordinate the desire to move in a balanced
way, a teacher should understand that they can design and provide a series of
simple tasks that will build balance as one task is mastered and it leads to
another that is scaffolded upon the first task.
Step-by-step…is the pedagogy! Practice a task and, in time, that task will
give the child that “I Can Do That!” confidence.
When you use the Balance Concepts
as teaching hints the benefits come:
1. When a
small child tries a balance that is testing their balance, be close by but
hesitate to rush in…allow some balance experiences with you nearby.
2. And another tool for youngsters is trying a moving base of
support: bounding on a mattress, a pillow or an exercise tool called a ‘Bosu’
ball. Be close by but allow experimentation. The moving/wiggly base of support saturates
the brain with sensory information that builds a great mental database for
future movement trials.
3. Offer simple experiences with small balls [size equals just
larger that a hand can grasp] so two hands are needed to control. In the
beginning of work with a ball, there will be wild actions. Suggest that the
child try simply dropping the ball and watching its bounce. Easy tosses can
build the child’s understanding of cause and effect of force, height and the
nature of a sphere. All these trials are
building the child’s understanding of actions. Their gain visual tracking
experiences and begin to be able to assess and predict actions.
4. Use the
available outdoor spaces to build a child’s experiences with slight elevations
[slope ion a park]. Try their abilities to climb, slide, swing! All these active play actions give rich
sensory data [especially: vestibular input].
Children develop their ability to support themselves and
their hanging ability through climbing, hanging and swinging. Upper body
strength gives them control of their body and posture.
When they
carry objects, push and pull objects, they are building their torso
strength. These actions improve an
awareness of movement and improves the child’s self-confidence. Seek and provide many varied experiences in
safe climbing settings.
Build their
confidence by encouraging their hanging by their hands. Use a progressive
approach: lower heights, short distance to traverse, slight aid by caregiver.
This brachiating action is powerful in enriching the brain.
Remember that the first testing of
balance requires some adult support: narrow plank, bouncy mattress, uneven
rocks in a row. But our goal is enabling the child to recognize their own
potential; learning that they are able to master a task and gain confidence for
a lifetime of physical activity.
As movement educators, we seek to
cultivate children’s abilities to
observe, assess a situation and experience a feeling of success.
As they try
to push and pull objects they nurture their abilities to observe well. In these
experiences they will develop their abilities to describe these actions, a bit.
When they decide to ‘help’ you in your work, these actions are doubling as play
activities. These work efforts strength a child’s self-confidence
When
teaching, encourage a child’s learning through their observation and expression
of what they see. These observations
build understanding of their movement performance, even if they do not express
those gains in words. Their body has larger knowledge by their trying skills.
Remember the minutes of your own ‘watching yourself’ in a mirror!
In an
overview, I am urging your use of a child’s own observations [visual,
auditory, tactile], as well as, encouraging simple imitation of models. Another factor for
movement education is the use of perceptual learning. This involves a variety
of elements:
·
Use of force against the ground [repulsion]
·
Use of force against an object: ball, stone,
stick.
·
Exploring simple playground settings: swings,
slides, ladders, ropes, tires.
Yes, there are
elements of risk in these actions, but the stimulation of the settings gives
rise to an interest in mastering a situation.
As
experiences accumulate generalization will begin. These acquired perceptual
gains lead to the next layer of learning:
the why?
Try to
design your play times and lessons: to engage your students in activities that allow discovery
of new actions:
·
Different speeds of action.
·
Changes in the path of an action.
·
Increase in height -or- decreases in height.
·
Changes in movement direction: explore all.
In conclusion, I urge to use
[progressively] widest range of explorations that are safe. The opportunities in play and guided play
are enriched by the wealth of experiences that sensory and exploratory activity
provide.
We move to learn. We learn to move! We learn to learn
Use this poster in your classrooms, homes and physical education teaching spaces to provide the children with a good visual of good posture and form for good balance!
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| Poster for children to use as a model for good balance skills. |
