Why is balance so important?

Only with a finely tuned balance can we straighten ourselves against gravity and assume different postures – even do a handstand and view the world upside down. Anyone who watches small children learning to walk quickly recognizes that our upright gait demands a lot from our body and our head.

Just as later when swinging or balancing, the brain is heavily challenged: it must continuously determine position in space, it must process and coordinate all sensory impressions and body movements.

High-performance computing in our 'control center'

Our 'control center' learns through trial and error to estimate which muscle needs to be activated how strongly and at what time in order to walk, to balance on a narrow board, or not to fall when spinning. Once learned, these mathematical feats disappear into our subconscious and from then on we never have to think about which muscle groups are used for climbing stairs or for standing on one leg.

The 'motor basics' mature already in the first years of life. From six or seven years of age the brain focuses on the development of other areas and draws on the knowledge already available.

How to promote balance?

For children to develop healthily, they need a variety of movement. To strengthen their balance and body awareness, children should try different body positions and different ways of moving, and test their body balance in different orientations and on different surfaces.

Translated into everyday family life this means: lots of play and rough-and-tumble, swinging, swaying, rolling, turning in all directions or balancing, preferably on narrow and wobbly surfaces.

This way children also learn about the fantastic possibilities of their bodies and can assess risks. And don't worry: children usually know very well how far they can go. Only if they are allowed to dare do they develop self-confidence. How else are they supposed to find out how high they can climb, how fast they can run, or how strong they are if they are not allowed to try it out?

Children also love discovering the world from a different perspective: from right down below or from way up high. And whoever wants to get there has to move.

Five fun games that train balance

When the weather outside doesn't invite swinging, balancing and climbing, these games are fun to play indoors:

1. A train ride

The child sits or lies on a blanket. You pull them through the room and the whole apartment. The little passenger must hold on tight so that they don't tumble out of the train carriage.

2. Wobbly hanging bridge

A duvet cover is filled with half-inflated balloons. From both ends, a child walks over the 'wobbly bridge' – each to the other side. Whoever arrives first without 'falling off' has won.

3. Always keep very still

Who can manage to walk with a book on their head from one corner of the room to the other?Who crawls this distance with the book on their back? Who reaches the other corner of the room by balancing a table tennis ball on their outstretched hand

4. Wobbly course

Lay out a course of air mattresses, cushions, blankets or mats, with small cushions or tennis balls underneath. This creates uneven surfaces that the child should preferably walk on barefoot . The path becomes more exciting if small objects are carried or an obstacle to climb over is added.

5. Seesaw indoors

Place a board on a sturdy round log or pipe. Standing in the middle, your child can seesaw.