The Joy of Movement by Mary Lynn Hafner

Author:Mary Lynn Hafner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Redleaf Press
Published: 2018-04-02T16:00:00+00:00

• Sit with feet in front and knees bent. Stomp. Alternate loud and soft stomps. It’s fun to make noise when you are often told to be quiet.

• Lift both feet up into a V sit. Hold briefly; replace feet on floor. This motion strengthens abdominal muscles.

• Do crab lifts. Sit with palms on the floor behind the body, knees bent with feet in front, and lift bottom.

• Form each hand into a pincer like a crab. This is a good warm-up for throwing skills.

• Grow bigger, bigger, and jump.

ACTIVITY • Ball Blow

The aim of this activity is to start to work the respiratory muscles as well as to increase time spent in spinal extension. Resting on the belly with the arms in front for support helps build endurance and improves low muscle tone.

Arrange mats in a small circle. I split my class into two groups with at least one adult in each to help maintain fair play. Have five or six small, lightweight plastic balls for each group, but start by giving only one ball to each group.

Everyone lies on their bellies with arms propped up on elbows. Do not use hands. Tell the children to use their mouth and breath to blow the ball to a friend across from them. Have a group of thinkers? Don’t tell them anything. Ask them to problem-solve how to move the ball around and into the middle of the circle without using their hands.

Children with low muscle tone tend to have floppy posture, with the trunk flexed forward and a lack of visible strength. These children will not like being in this position at all and will try to sit up or roll out of the belly posture. They will need encouragement to maintain it.

It’s important to start with one ball in each circle of children. Instruct them to blow the ball to a person across from them, who in turn blows it to another friend.

Be sure all the children get turns, or they will tell you about it. Remind them that if a ball goes outside the circle, an adult will retrieve it. You want to maximize their time in trunk extension on their bellies.

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