Why stability is important
Stability is necessary for all locomotor and object control skills. In essence, all movement involves an element of stability. Stability skills are focused on gaining and maintaining balance. Your child is constantly seeking to maintain stability throughout the day. This means he needs to be sensitive to how his body changes posture, and then he needs to be able to make the necessary changes to be stable again. Stability skills in a baby can be observed by him controlling his neck, head and trunk whilst sitting and standing.
Stability skills in older children include:
- Static balance (maintaining the body in the same posture/position)
- Dynamic balance (maintaining postural stability whilst the body is moving)
- Bending and curling
- Turning
- Twisting
- Stretching
- Transferring weight
These stability skills are refined throughout childhood until a child reaches the sport-orientated stage of motor development, which starts at 7 years of age according to Gallahue.
For a child to sit behind a desk with good posture and maintain that position, they need well developed static balance!
Static balance games
Ask your child or the children in your class to balance…
- Like a dragonfly on a leaf
- With eyes opened/closed
- While swinging your arms like a helicopter trying to take-off
- On tiptoes like a flamingo
- On three different parts of your body
- On a low stool
- Standing on one foot with the other foot on a soccer ball
You might want to read about how movement develops.
