Physical Development, part 2: Strategies to develop co-ordination and balance

Balance is not something we have, it is something we do every day. The more children move, the more the essential vestibular system (see box) is stimulated and the more fluent children’s movement becomes.

Daily movement is fundamental to development. For example, movement ensures links to hearing and vision are established and children’s emotional security may be supported by the brain’s limbic system and the vestibular system working closely together. The more ‘automatic’ movements become, the more children’s brains are freed up to absorb higher-order learning.

What type of movements best support the optimal functioning of these critical skills from birth? How can practitioners build this into their day-to-day practice? Many external sports and activity providers include a significant element of balance and co-ordination, but to what extent is this inclusive and does it embrace the breadth of what children need to know?

‘Remember co-ordination can fluctuate and during periods of rapid growth it’s common to see children lose co-ordination and forget where their limbs are in space – you may see increased trips and falls and general clumsiness,’ says Dr Ben Langdown, senior lecturer in sports coaching at the Open University.

WHAT CAN SETTINGS DO?

From birth to three years, experts agree, a wide range of movement experience that stimulates the vestibular system is essential. Gill Connell, Australian child development expert and author of Moving Smart, advocates for babies experiencing lots of ‘tippy time’ – being held in a face-down flying position close to the carer’s body and tipped gently nose down then heels down – graduating to ‘dippy time’, when they are held away from the adult’s body, which challenges them to use their core muscles to support themselves.

Sally Goddard-Blythe agrees that babies need to be held and enjoy lots of spinning, swaying and rocking. Lying on their backs, tummies and sides on the floor, ‘their best friend and first playground’, they can freely kick, roll and wave.

Penny Greenland at JABADAO says we should be much more observant of ‘halfway play’ and the different movements that may emerge before children become properly upright. She says that ‘sitting and toppling’ is an important stage on the way to independent sitting and ‘embracing instability’ builds up essential sporting skills like ‘leaning into’ a fall and allowing arms and legs to counterbalance. Toppling should be allowed to happen as it is good for supporting balance and co-ordination.

None support the use of devices, including baby walkers, baby jumpers and supportive seats. Adults should interfere as little as possible with the natural development of children’s movement and be an available and supportive presence as children’s skills unfold.

As children grow and develop, they need lots of opportunities for climbing, swinging/hanging on monkey-bars, twirling, spinning and rolling slowly, running very fast, and using scooters and balance bikes. At three they will be the most active of any period in their lives and need to be almost continually on the move.

Many will begin to engage with a range of sports and activities that may have a very different approach to supporting balance and co-ordination than the natural, child-led way our experts suggest.

SPECIALIST SPORTS/ ACTIVITY PROVIDERS

Many sports emphasise practising a movement or series of movements. Ballet teacher Angela Grant says, ‘We support balance through repeating slow, measured movements like plies and in encouraging children to hold specific ballet positions. We repeat the same movements each week and I can definitely see the children’s balance and poise improving.’

Colin Heath from Boxingtots says, ‘To support their balance we ask the children to practise their boxing stance standing on a bench, so it’s a smaller area – we also use noodles that they can stand on and maintain particular positions, and fabric ladders on the floor to step in and out of at speed.’

HOW WOULD EY/PD EXPERTS RESPOND?

‘Given the right environment and open-ended activities, children will create their own opportunities to challenge balance and co-ordination by making bridges, tunnels and small climbing structures,’ consultant/trainer Helen Battelley says. ‘I’ve also seen so much unsuitable stimuli and equipment like wobble boards being used. Adult intervention is often inappropriate – such as holding a child’s hand above their head as they walk along a beam.’

Children should have continual and accessible opportunities to challenge their balance and co-ordination throughout the day, inside and outdoors. They should allow for changes of position and have a range of interesting resources, e.g., camping mattresses, tyres, pallets, cushions to create obstacle courses, and add a ‘bit of balance’ to all activities and transitions.

Remember also that balance may be affected by exhaustion, earache, toothache, wrong-sized shoes, eye problems and illness.

• Colin from Boxingtots suggests drawing ladders on the ground if outside – or using rope or masking tape inside – to practise different ways of stepping, then jumping in and out, forwards/backwards, sideways.
• Gymnastics coaches suggest putting skipping ropes parallel on the floor to represent a balance beam; encourage children to be very precise in their footwork as they walk along on tiptoes – turn and come back.
• Ballet teachers encourage bending knees then pushing up onto tiptoes – arms above head and holding this position; try running, stopping then holding a balance position, turning/twirling then standing very still with feet together.
• Josh Candy at Grandir UK suggests asking children to stand on something six inches from the ground; now practise throwing/catching – starting with a large ball in one direction, then progressing to a smaller ball in different directions.
  
  

Unpicking balance and co-ordination

Balance is ‘the core of functioning’. It informs and underpins all movement skills and influences how, when and where they are acquired and refined. Balance is all about our relationship to gravity and is intricately related to emotional equilibrium.

Co-ordination is ‘the ability to move different parts of the body, independently or together, automatically’. It is very dependent on balance. Efficient and effective movement is based on co-ordinated action involving the entire body.

Balance is dependent on the vestibular system, which is located in the inner ear and detects the position and movement of the body in space. This is the first to be fully developed and operational by 16 weeks in utero. From birth onwards our relationship with gravity is critical as so much effort is required to become upright and walk.

During the first year the vestibular system familiarises the brain with the sensation of movement to develop stability and balance, enabling the brain, muscles and vestibular system to work together effectively.

CASE STUDY: Ore Church Mice Pre-School

‘We managed to find a rope swingin [a supermarket] – it has been a wonderful way for our children to develop their balance capability’, says manager Glen Russell (pictured). ‘They have been propelling themselves and progressing to spinning and standing. The little ones have been watching and asking to be spun in our arms. There has been lots of collaboration and discussion– turn-taking and supporting.

‘I often tape down one set of folding legs on a child-sized table [to create a slope] so they can run up and down it and we have a pipe that they can hold onto and swing upside down. There has been lots of talk around angles, gradients, speed, direction and ‘what is the best way’ of doing things – and finding their boundaries in terms of risk and challenge.

‘I am another useful landmark in the environment, so the children will often use my body as a resource to help their balance – or to balance on.’