Once your child begins to
walk and talk, you soon realize with astonishment how much they can actually do
on their own – both good and bad. But one thing they cannot do – at least in
our modern world, especially our winter lockdown world – is move as much they
need to in order to develop the necessary coordination to have a healthful,
full life of physical engagement.
Parents’
Brock Armstrong – AKA “the Get Fit Guy” – knows these difficulties, but
maintains you can still do right by your kids by introducing them to “movement snacks.”
As he writes: “Similar to not
simply giving your child one big meal per day, which would probably leave them
grumpy, trying to give them all of their movement in one big recess or PE class
per day is typically going to have them first exhausted and then rambunctious.
“There are also little things
called mechanoreceptors in all of their little developing bones that can only
feel certain styles of movement. Based on those styles of movement, there
are important chemical changes created by the different angles and bone
positions a child uses.”
To help you help your child
build coordination, he offers a list of types of movement exercises, many of
which are perennial and timeless, the very opposite of sedentary playing of
video games or watching television, which everybody knows will turn your kid
into a miserable slug. Armstrong’s list reads like an account of middle-aged me
running around an early 70s playground.
READ MORE: Being careful vs. being brave
Armstrong
advocates what he calls Structured or Unstructured Play, for example playing tag, jumping rope, throwing and catching
a ball. “Anything that involves moving their bodies (and having fun doing it) is
on the table here.”
Other
suggestions include Walking, Hanging from the Upper Body, Hanging from the
Lower Body, and Swinging through Space using swinging on “traveling rings.”
Armstrong
is also a fan of Crawling, Running, and, my favorite: Falling Down.
As to Falling Down, he
writes: “Believe it or not, falling down (and getting back up again)
contributes to building strength and coordination. It does wonders for the
development of proprioception, our innate awareness of where our bodies are in
space.”
Armstrong strongly advises not purchasing “a bunch of expensive
toys” or enrolling your child in time-consuming lessons. Rather, simply take a walk
– actually a lot of walks – with your
youngster. Just like old times.
Thanks to Parents.com.
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