Strong to the Core
Your core muscles are the muscle that "center" your body. These consist of:
1. stomach muscles
2. back muscles
3. upper back and neck muscles
4. shoulder muscles
Your "core" muscles are important for STABILIZATION. Your OT may use other words such as "proximal control" or "core strength" to refer to stabilization - but it is all basically the same concept - the process of holding a part of the body in place so that another part can move freely. For example, your shoulder is a "stabilizer" when you are printing. It holds the arm in one position for the the wrist and fingers can move about freely to guide the pencil. If a child has weak core muscles, the muscles that act as "movers" (i.e. the hands) can't work efficiently. You "core" is your foundational piece, if there is a problem with strength or endurance, you cannot build upon it. And therefore, all other skill areas may be, and often are, impacted.
1. stomach muscles
2. back muscles
3. upper back and neck muscles
4. shoulder muscles
Your "core" muscles are important for STABILIZATION. Your OT may use other words such as "proximal control" or "core strength" to refer to stabilization - but it is all basically the same concept - the process of holding a part of the body in place so that another part can move freely. For example, your shoulder is a "stabilizer" when you are printing. It holds the arm in one position for the the wrist and fingers can move about freely to guide the pencil. If a child has weak core muscles, the muscles that act as "movers" (i.e. the hands) can't work efficiently. You "core" is your foundational piece, if there is a problem with strength or endurance, you cannot build upon it. And therefore, all other skill areas may be, and often are, impacted.
Back in My Day....
When my children come home from school and daycare, I have a variety of modern day devices to entertain them while I cook dinner and do my evening routine. My two year old traces letters on my iPad. My five year old plays math games on his LeapPad. They are quiet, and they are learning. We are a generation of technology - our brains are growing and expanded. But what about our bodies?
When I was younger, I had one thing to keep me busy while my parents did their after work routines - OUTSIDE. I ran. I climbed. I played tag. I built forts, rolled snowmen and rode my bike. I MOVED. Now more than ever, our kids AREN'T moving. Parents buy Leapsters and Educational Apps, and they are WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL tools. But they are stationary activities that do nothing for working a child's muscles, challenging their coordination and helping them develop a sense of their body. In the classroom, children work on computer based programs - and in some districts, even on their own individual iPads. Centers are focused on ELA and Math and teachers are afraid to deviate from the Core Curriculum. I've gone into so many classrooms to offer suggestions on movement breaks or gross motor activities - and so many times I hear, "Amanda, I USED to do that, but now with the standards and APPR hanging over my head - I just don't have the time!"
I cannot tell you how many children I have on my caseload who are so very bright. Reading above their grade level, comprehending above their age range. But they sit down to write......and they fall apart. Holding their bodies upright in a chair is exhausting. Keeping their arm stable to hold a pencil.....frustrating. Gripping a pencil? Forget it - their hand has only had to move one way - to swipe their thumbs from button to button on their electronic devices. The teacher tells them "Move your pencil down to make a line, move around to make a curve." What do these terms even mean? They haven't had the opportunity to perform these directionality terms with their own bodies in three-dimension - and now they have to figure out how to do it on paper?! They get all As on their report cards, except penmanship, art and gym. At first, it's not a big deal, because they are so above average. But then, state testing comes around.....they can't finish their writing passages. They get frustrated with printing tasks and act out to avoid them. They can't align math problems, and seem to make careless errors as a result. What happened?
We have shifted to a cognitive based society - and while that is extremely wonderful - in itself. Our primitive "motor" instincts are suffering. In many household, children do not get the opportunity to do "rough and tumble" play to build those stabilizing muscles. They miss out on essentially sensory activities - not only where they build muscle strength and control - but also when they learn about the world around them and how their bodies are apart of that world.
If you take nothing more from this website, take this - I fully support Santa Claus bringing your child iPhone23 this holiday season - but promise this OT he'll also stick a game of Twister, or better yet, a registration for the indoor soccer league at your local recreation center under the tree as well.
When I was younger, I had one thing to keep me busy while my parents did their after work routines - OUTSIDE. I ran. I climbed. I played tag. I built forts, rolled snowmen and rode my bike. I MOVED. Now more than ever, our kids AREN'T moving. Parents buy Leapsters and Educational Apps, and they are WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL tools. But they are stationary activities that do nothing for working a child's muscles, challenging their coordination and helping them develop a sense of their body. In the classroom, children work on computer based programs - and in some districts, even on their own individual iPads. Centers are focused on ELA and Math and teachers are afraid to deviate from the Core Curriculum. I've gone into so many classrooms to offer suggestions on movement breaks or gross motor activities - and so many times I hear, "Amanda, I USED to do that, but now with the standards and APPR hanging over my head - I just don't have the time!"
I cannot tell you how many children I have on my caseload who are so very bright. Reading above their grade level, comprehending above their age range. But they sit down to write......and they fall apart. Holding their bodies upright in a chair is exhausting. Keeping their arm stable to hold a pencil.....frustrating. Gripping a pencil? Forget it - their hand has only had to move one way - to swipe their thumbs from button to button on their electronic devices. The teacher tells them "Move your pencil down to make a line, move around to make a curve." What do these terms even mean? They haven't had the opportunity to perform these directionality terms with their own bodies in three-dimension - and now they have to figure out how to do it on paper?! They get all As on their report cards, except penmanship, art and gym. At first, it's not a big deal, because they are so above average. But then, state testing comes around.....they can't finish their writing passages. They get frustrated with printing tasks and act out to avoid them. They can't align math problems, and seem to make careless errors as a result. What happened?
We have shifted to a cognitive based society - and while that is extremely wonderful - in itself. Our primitive "motor" instincts are suffering. In many household, children do not get the opportunity to do "rough and tumble" play to build those stabilizing muscles. They miss out on essentially sensory activities - not only where they build muscle strength and control - but also when they learn about the world around them and how their bodies are apart of that world.
If you take nothing more from this website, take this - I fully support Santa Claus bringing your child iPhone23 this holiday season - but promise this OT he'll also stick a game of Twister, or better yet, a registration for the indoor soccer league at your local recreation center under the tree as well.
The COVID Times
That's right, I said it - the C-word. The word that put us at home, in front of the computer, for almost two solid years. Student's classrooms became living rooms and bedrooms. Student desks became couches, beds and floors. Sitting upright was no longer a demand, and that was absolutely okay - because we were all just trying to navigate and SURVIVE an unprecedented time. We joke about the "COVID weight" that resulted from us not moving for 24 months, but we really didn't move, and neither did our children.
Now more than ever, we need to work on our core skills. We need to build back our strength, control and endurance so that we can have a strong base to move functionally. As you adapt to post-COVID life, keep in mind how much motor function we have lost due to our COVID habits. Has anyone seen the movie WALL-E? You get my point.....
Now more than ever, we need to work on our core skills. We need to build back our strength, control and endurance so that we can have a strong base to move functionally. As you adapt to post-COVID life, keep in mind how much motor function we have lost due to our COVID habits. Has anyone seen the movie WALL-E? You get my point.....
The Child With The Weak Core
Here are some signs to look for to determine if your child may have weak core muscles:
- Tends to avoid activities like climbing, crawling or balancing; tends to only enjoys in the same gross motor tasks (usually just running); avoids playground equipment
- Appears to have trouble maintaining their balance; appears clumsy or awkward; often bumps into peers; hangs onto the wall or furniture; difficulty staying in his own "personal space"
- Difficulty staying in his seat - seems to fall off the chair frequently; tends to slump downward on chair or slouch forward onto desk top; frequently puts head down on desktop or supports self on elbows more so than peers
- Trouble staying in a "criss-cross" position when sitting on the floor; frequently "leans" on other children or furniture for support; tends to t "W" sit when sitting on the floor (sitting with his bottom on the floor, with the hips turned inward and legs spread outward around the body)
- Tends to use large muscles for tasks that normally require smaller muscles (i.e. moves whole arm from shoulder when coloring rather than just hands/fingers)
A Perfect Core
The best way to encourage good core skills is to just let kids be kids :) Let them run, jump, skip, climb, crawl, tumble, chase..... But if you need some ideas to usher these skills along, check out some Core Activities by clicking below.