The Importance of Core Strength and Stability in Children & Simple At-Home Core Exercises
- All Care Therapies
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
A strong and stable core provides the foundation for many of the activities children perform every day. The core is made up of the muscles of the abdomen, back, hips, and pelvis that work together to support posture, balance, and movement. When these muscles are strong, children are better able to maintain an upright posture and participate successfully in daily activities.
Core strength is important for many childhood occupations. Children rely on trunk stability to sit upright during classroom tasks, maintain proper posture while writing, participate in playground activities, and complete activities of daily living such as dressing, toileting, and eating. Core stability also supports the development of fine motor skills. Before children can effectively use their hands for tasks such as handwriting, coloring, or cutting with scissors, they need a stable base of support through their trunk.
Research Fun Fact: Research suggests that children may not fully activate their deep trunk musculature during typical core stability exercises. Researchers believe this is because these muscles depend on proprioception, motor learning ability, and respiratory patterns, which are still developing. This suggests that children may benefit from core stability programs.
Kellis, E., Ellinoudis, A., Intziegianni, K., & Kofotolis, N. (2020). Muscle Thickness During Core Stability Exercises in Children and Adults. Journal of human kinetics, 71, 131–144. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2019-0079
The good news is that core strengthening activities do not require expensive equipment and can easily be incorporated into play at home. The following activities use common household items and provide fun, engaging ways to help children build core strength.
- Animal Walks: Encourage your child to walk like different animals (bear walk, crab walk, frog jumps, etc.)
- Wheelbarrow Walk: Support your child’s legs while they walk on their hands.
- Superman Holds: Have your child lie on their tummy while they lift their arms and legs off the floor into the air. Have them hold this pose and repeat.
- Plank Play: Hold a plank while playing a game, puzzle, etc.
- Standing Balance Challenges: Challenge your child to balance on a pillow or stand on one leg while tossing a ball.
- Tall Kneeling Activities: Maintain a tall kneel position (kneeling with bottom lifted off feet) while participating in games, activities, or even watching television.
- Obstacle Course: Build a challenging obstacle course using furniture or household items, having children balance on cushions, crawl under tables, and animal-walk across blankets, etc.
References:
https://www.abilityinnovations.com/blog/core-strengthening-for-kids-simple-play-based exercises-for-better-posture
Kellis, E., Ellinoudis, A., Intziegianni, K., & Kofotolis, N. (2020). Muscle Thickness During Core Stability Exercises in Children and Adults. Journal of human kinetics, 71, 131–144. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2019-0079
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