9. Week

Files:

Let’s clean it up!

Have the child stand on one foot and pick up small items such as Legos, beans, papers, etc. from the floor using the foot and then placing them into a container. Therefore, the child maintains balance on a single leg while completing the task.

Goal:

• Improve balance

• Prevent flat feet (improve the foot arch)

• Relieve excessive sensitivity feet (if there is one)

Lizard

1. Have the child lay face down on the mat with arms and legs extended. Forehead is resting on the mat.

2. Now the child turns the head to the right side and simultaneously bends the right leg and arm so that the elbow and knee are close together. At the same time, the child looks at his right arm (the one he is bending)

3. Then the child slowly returns to the original position and repeats the exercise on the left side

Note: The movement of the leg originates from the pelvis, indicating that the child elevates one side of their pelvis, causing the leg to bend at the hip and the knee rotates outward. It is not the case that the child bends their leg and then pushes the knee out to the side. By lifting the pelvis on one side, the leg instinctively bends a little as if the child were about to crawl, causing the knee to roll out, and then the movement is exaggerated.

Goal:

• Improve coordination of movement

• Inhibit the Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (if it persists)

• Improve hand-eye coordination.

Airplane

We have two options here, either on the ground or on the big gymball.

On the ground:

1. Have the child lay on his belly, the hands are bend or extended like the “wings of the airplane”. The feet are resting on the toes.

2. Then the child lifts the torso up so that the centre of gravity is as low as possible - thus raising the shoulders and torso

Note:  The feet stay on the ground. If he/she lifts them up, try to help by pushing down the pelvis (not the feet).

On the ball:

1. Have the child lay on his/her belly on the gymball, his bottom is on the highest point of the ball. We hold the child's ankles and extend their legs downward towards the ground (it depends on the size of the ball, whether the child's legs reach the ground or not)

2. Then the child lifts the whole torso with the support on the pelvis

Note: the child's pelvis should be at the highest point of the ball. This is the only way to get him/her to lift his/her whole torso so that he engages not only his back muscles but also his abdominal muscles. In doing so, he pushes his pelvis down into the ball. If the child is lying with his tummy on the highest point of the ball and/or his legs bent, you will see that he/she can do just a back bend.

Goal:

• Strengthen the back muscles, interscapular and abdominal muscles (i.e. the whole torso, core)

• Inhibit the Landau reflex (if persists)

The bell

1. Have the child sit (in a chair or on the floor)

2. Then he/she lift the shoulders (up) and bows the head as if to put the ear on the shoulder (e.g. on the right shoulder)

3. Then, with an exhalation, slowly bow the head in the largest possible arc (across the chest) to the other shoulder (in our case to the left). Then it arcs back to the right again

4. Then he pushes his shoulders as far away from his ears as possible (down) and repeats several times bowing his head to the right and to the left (again with as big an arc as possible)

Note: if you tell your child to push down his shoulders, he probably won't know how to do it properly. But if you first push the movement to the other side ("lift your shoulders as high as you can and put your ear on your shoulder"), then he will do much better ("now let's put our shoulders down as low as we can, but leave our ear as it was, as if it were still on our shoulder")

Goal:

• Relax the cervical spine

• Improve the ability to cross the imaginary midline of the body (important for cooperation of the cerebral hemispheres)

Where is it?

Take a moment to examine the image of "houses in trees" with your child and attempt to identify any intricate details within the picture. The following day, have a discussion about what you both observed in the image. On the subsequent day, encourage your child to express their preferences and dislikes regarding what is going on in the image. In the picture, there is a girl with a guitar. Which songs do you think she could be playing? Are there any songs that you know?

Goal:

• Enhance visual perception

• Improve concentration

• Improve vocabulary expansion.

I hope your home is looking lovely and neat now.

Do you still have stilts at your place? If not, why not give making them a try? Simply grab two empty cans, drill holes into them, and thread a rope through the holes. If you do not want to or do not have time, we can find an alternative way to have fun next week. However, it would be even more enjoyable if you were able to bring some stilts along. I'll see you next week!