By: Nicole Nardiello, MS, OTR/L

Picture this: You and your child are lying on your stomachs on your living room floor, arms and legs extended, zooming through the sky during a pretend play game of superheroes. You and your child are playing, bonding, AND working on core strength. How fun! Let’s talk a little bit about core strength and how to improve core strength through play.

Your core is the center of your body. The core muscles in your stomach and back work together to provide stability for your body and are the foundation for postural control. Postural control is the ability to achieve and maintain an upright posture. Good postural control is viewed as sitting upright with a straight spine, head in alignment, and without the use of support through means of propping or leaning.

Core strength and postural control are foundational to the advancement of many other motor skills as strength develops proximally (at your core) before moving to the distal parts of your body. Achieving age-appropriate core strength is crucial before focusing on the strength and muscle control needed for more refined, skill-based activities, such as handwriting. Developing functional core strength will allow your child to have more success in gross motor tasks, such as during sports or playground time, and fine motor activities, often required for academics and leisure.

If your child appears to have weak core muscles, fatigues easily, or has trouble maintaining an upright seated position, try out some of the activities below to help improve core strength and postural control. If you have any questions or need additional support, reach out to one of our occupational therapists to learn more.

  • Tall kneel position
    • A tall kneel position can be thought of as “standing on your knees.” Both knees are placed on the floor, shoulder-width apart, while your body is upright.
    • This position can be used while completing drawing or coloring activities taped to the wall or even while participating in balloon volleyball. During balloon volleyball, hitting the balloon to either side of your child is an added challenge as he or she will need to reach outside of their base of support.
  • Prone position
    • A prone position (lying on your stomach) engages the core muscles in your back to help maintain an upright posture.
    • Assuming a superman position with arms and legs extended and lifted improves core strength and postural control. Turn it into a game to see who can hold the position longer!
    • You can also maintain a prone position while playing a board game, watching TV, or engaging in nearly any stationary activity.
  • Yoga
    • Participating in yoga activates and strengthens the core muscles to help support postural control. You can keep count of how long your child can maintain the pose as a motivator!
    • Here are a few poses to try:
      • Plank:  Hands planted on floor, legs straight and shoulders in line with wrists
      • Downward Dog: gradually progress with this pose
        • Downward Dog
        • Downward Dog with one leg up in the air
        • Downward Dog with one leg up followed by bringing knee toward nose
      • Table: Hands and feet flat on the floor with stomach towards ceiling
      • Boat: gradually progress with this pose
        • Lift up only the legs or one leg while resting hands on the floor
        • Lift up the arms while putting feet against the wall for support
        • Lift up both arms and legs and try to sit as upright as possible
  • Exercise ball
    • An exercise ball can be used in many ways. Try out some of the suggestions below and remember, everything is more fun during play!
      • Seated on ball lifting alternating feet (try making it playful and pretending you are preparing to join the marching band)
      • Seated on ball maintaining upright posture as you move the ball
      • Using exercise ball for positioning during game
        • Seated on ball reaching for items during game
        • Prone over ball weight bearing onto arms
  • Bosu Exercise Ball 
    • Using a Bosu Exercise Ball is a great way to improve core strength. Start with the flat side down and try out some pretend surfing, swimming, or climbing. Placing the dome side down is a greater challenge as it creates an unstable surface and is a perfect upgrade for balance games.