Why is balance important for children's learning and development?

Imagine being unsteady on your feet with poor confidence in your balance, and then being required to play on a huge playground at lunch time, find your way through a busy classroom to get to your lunch box, and then be able to balance yourself during a physical education class without embarassing yourself in front of your friends.

Children who struggle with balance often avoid the activities and exercises that they need each day to improve their balance.

This vicious cycle of poor balance can not only impact their time at school, but it can cause risk to their health and development as they age through life.

As an Exercise Physiologist I specialise in the neuro-rehab of balance. What that means is I use specific exercises and activities to improve the 3 systems of balance which include:

• Vision

• Proprioception

• Vestibular

In this video you will learn what these three systems of balance are, and how you can incorporate balance activities in to your classroom.

To learn more - check out our popular online gross motor skills resource package for teachers and educators