Movement
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Stand on one leg without falling? Admittedly, it’s not always easy. Various postures can help develop balance. The “airplane” is an example. Looking forward, stretch one of the legs backwards, extend the arms to the side and hold the pose for a few seconds.
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
To reproduce the posture of the “pink flamingo”, one leg is lifted in order to place the foot on the side of the other leg. Additional challenge: we place a light object on his head. Will we manage not to drop it?
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Nicknamed “the dancer”, this other balance position is done in two stages. At first, we grab his ankle with one hand. In a second step, you bend slightly and extend your opposite arm in front.
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
You can even perfect your balance upside down. Here, we raise one leg by placing both hands on the ground. How long can we stay still? Five, ten, fifteen seconds?
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The game
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
To exercise your balance, we offer you a variant of the game “the floor is lava”.
Imagine that the ground is a body of very cold water. To cross the surface, children will need two objects that are light enough to carry, but large enough for them to step on. Cushions, pellets, sheets of paper will become icebergs for this fictitious expedition to the Arctic. To go from point A to point B, the children will only have to walk on these two objects and do balance postures with each step. A slightly more difficult version of the timeless “floor is lava” game.
Why develop this skill?
Developing your balance helps you adopt better postures. This skill also reduces the risk of falls and injuries. A much appreciated asset when you live in a country where the streets and sidewalks are sometimes icy.
The activities presented in this section were developed by Champions for Life, whose mission is to help preschool and elementary school children develop their physical literacy. Thank you to the students of the École des Marguerites, in Montreal, who showed us the different movements.