News — balance board

Growing up, my brother, sister, and I would spend hours and hours outside creating obstacle courses.  We'd take some usual household materials, such as broomsticks, mops, chairs, stools, ladders, and ropes and put together our obstacles.  Brooms or mops across chairs made excellent high jumps (or we would also have to crawl under the jump as another obstacle).  Ladders were for climbing or jumping, and ropes were great for tug-o-war if there was a tie at the end. The obstacles that a child can create are endless. 

Obstacle courses are a great way to get kids active with a fun purpose.  Even for adults, obstacle courses can be fun or a great way to get in a training, especially if you don't have the space or time to get in a long workout.  Obstacle courses can include push-ups, sit-ups, hopping on one foot, skipping, jumping, crawling, climbing, and just about anything.  They can also be done indoors or outdoors.

 

Remember the days when we pretended to be spies looking for a secret passageway? Well, obstacle courses are a great way to relive those memories and maybe prepare yourself for a real boobie trap!  Talk about the coordination, balance, and focus that are required with an obstacle course. Oh, and that's not all.  The fact that you are refining your gross motor skills and fine motor skills is a bonus-all without realizing it.  Just talking about this makes me want to rearrange my furniture into an obstacle course right now!

Motor skills are the movements that we make, anything from writing or painting to throwing a ball or walking.  When we talk about gross motor skills, we are usually talking about the more complex skills that include underlying skills of balance and coordination. These are the skills we see we often times see at the playground; like jumping, running, sliding, hopping, and climbing. Whereas, fine motor skills have to do with our fingers and this usually coordinates with our eyes (drawing, sewing, surgery, cutting with scissors, bow and arrow, fishing, etc).

 

When we evaluate a child at an older age, we would look to see how well the child is walking, jumping, running and catching a ball. We might look at how well the child uses his dominant arm and leg compared to the non-dominant arm and leg. Older children should have a clear preference for their right or left arm as well as a clear preference for their right or left leg.

                                                                                       

Fine and gross motor skills are enhanced at all ages by encouraging your child to move. At a young age a therapist  can help you determine how to support your child and encourage them to increased freedom of movement. At an older age, encouraging movement can not only be fun but it can be accomplished through games.  Balance boards are a great device to introduce to children at any age to help with balance, coordination, fine and gross motor skills.

Today I was brainstorming with one of my coworkers and friend about how to incorporate the balance board in the classroom. We've both been teaching for over 25 years combined and are always ready to try something new...especially in this day in age, where kids in the classroom seem like a box of 64 crayons, versus the standard box of 8 back in the day.  So, here's what we were thinking:

A lot of kids have a difficult time focusing, without moving.  As you may have seen or heard, moving around in the classroom is disruptive, especially when the students are required to be seated.  So, with the balance board, a child can sit on the balance board, and still move around from side to side (and get a core workout while doing so).  This is different from sitting on a balance ball, as the board won't roll away.  I think cushions would also work, but have a somewhat different effect.

So, guess what?  I tried it the next day and it was awesome.  A few of the kids were given balance boards.  When we were having a discussion, they were rocking side to side on their balance boards, but not disrupting class.  Nobody cared that they were rocking, because they were so quiet. They even participated in the discussion and lesson for a whole hour.  The focus and balance was amazing. 

 

1) Instead of the floor, use the balance board to do your plank, sit-ups, or push-ups.

2) Tai Chi or Karate moves are ideal for the balance board.  Watch how your focus improves dramatically.

3) Getting ready to hit the slopes on your snowboard or ride some waves on your surfboard?  Do your stretching on the balance board for extra strengthening and conditioning.

4) Calling all skateboarders who need a little help with balance....try a few 360 spins on this board and see how you compare.

5) Yoga is taken to the next level on the balance board.

6) If you are practicing your swing with the baseball bat, this is a great board to stand on for agility and balance.

7) Basketball players can throw in a curve ball by dribbling on the board.

8) Feeling lazy, but want to work out  your core for a few minutes? Just sit on the balance board and rock side to side.  You'll feel the burn without knocking you off your rocker.

9) Meditate-just sit and relax on  your balance board.  Imagine you are on top of the world and enjoy the moment.

10) If you are feeling a bit ill, lie down on your balance board on your belly.  The coolness of the wood will soothe you.

 

If you can think of anything else that hasn't been mentioned, give it a shot.  What do you have to lose?

 

There are so many cool balancing devices out there, and I thought I'd do a quick comparison of the pros and cons. 

First there's the balance bike. Pretty great workout for the legs, and great hand-eye coordination practice for kids.  This bike is so cool for kids who want to tool around town a bit faster than walking, and way more fun than running.  It's small and fits in the trunk of a car.  It's also a great way to encourage kids to ride a bike and gets them riding a bike without training wheels probably faster than normal.  My niece went straight from the balance bike to a regular bike with pedals (and no training wheels) in less than a day, and she just turned 5!  Not great with babies or toddlers just learning to walk. Unfortunately, this bike is also a bit too small for adults.  Why don't they have one in my size?

 

Then, there's the balance board with the ball roller underneath.  So, this balance device is hard-core.  If you are a skate-boarder, this may be the board for you.  But, beware...it's challenging and can even be dangerous because you can slip and fall quite easily.  Not a great thing to have with little kids, but awesome for older kids looking for that challenge. 

 

 

The all-time balance ball.  These have been around forever, and they are great to have in the house as an extra chair.  I remember hearing one time that they are a good replacement for the office chair, as you can totally workout your core while working on work-related desk projects.  I also remember using them at the gym for total body workouts. Besides tossing or kicking them around, young kids have a tough time with them, as they are pretty big.  And your dog may mistake one for a fetching ball.  If they get a hole in them, it's a bit challenging to fix. They're great for the pool and outdoors.

 

The balance board.  This board is great for the whole family to use.  Even toddlers and Grandma will enjoy the challenge.  The balance board is open-ended and perfect for taking yoga poses to the next level.  It can be used indoors and outdoors and doesn't take up a lot of space.  No helmet is required.  It looks intimidating, but it doesn't bite.  Just be careful that your rabbit or panda doesn't get ahold of it.  It's made of wood and will look quite delicious to those who enjoy gnawing on bamboo or maple.

 

There are a number of other balance devices out there, and they all have their benefits.  I guess it's up to you to figure out which one would be most compatible with your family and lifestyle.  Heck, if you have the room, get them all and enjoy.