The girls came down with some long-lasting fevers and coughs this past week, so we’re finally coming around to our In-Sync activities. It’s hard to get your kids moving, when all they want to do is sleep it off on the couch. But now we’re up and running and trying something new.
- Wheelbarrow
This exercise is exactly like what you’d do for field day. You hold your kid’s legs while they walk on their hands to a specific target. This develops: Motor Planning, Proprioception and Vestibular Processing.
Since Aeris is a toddler, I followed behind her on my knees instead of standing, so she could better hold her weight while she walked on her hands. As they get better, you can adjust to standing, or adjust your hands further toward their ankles so they are holding more of their weight.
The first run of this exercise, Aeris made it halfway on her hands and then switched to her elbows and army-crawled. The book says to avoid this, and to make sure hands are flat and eyes are facing forward. By the second run, she definitely got it.
Once Aeris got it, Z wanted to try it out too. If your kid is unsure of what you’re asking, try doing it with another person so they understand and want to copy.
This also reminded me of a something we’ve been doing with the girls before bed. One night, to entertain them, I did a yoga inversion and walked my feet up the wall. They thought it was so cool and now ask to do it every night. So if your kid wants to practice holding their weight and standing on their hands, they can place their hands flat on the ground and slowly putting one foot at a time against the wall
2. Car Seat Scramble
The have been trying to do this on their own for some time, so for this “official” exercise, I made it a race.
For Car Seat Scramble, you’d have you kid’s car seat on the floor and they would climb in and buckle themselves. This also develops motor planning and proprioception, as well as spatial awareness. Depending on the buckles, it could also help with fine motor skills.
Since our convertible car seats are obviously in our car, this gave the girls the added challenge of climbing into the car, pulling themselves up into the seat and getting the buckles together.
Need a visual? Check out our Car Seat Scramble TikTok or Instagram Reel.
3. Superkid
Finally, this exercise we’ve been doing with the girls since they were babies. Lying on your back, you grab their hands and put your feet on your kid’s stomach. Extend your legs so that your kid is off the ground. Superman, Airplane, Flying baby; whatever you want to call it.
This fun game also develops: Balance, Bilateral Coordination, Motor Planning, Proprioception and Vestibular Processing.
You want to make sure your kid is evenly balanced on your feet, that they maintain an extended position and holds their head up, and that they are comfortable being up off the ground and shifting with you.
Aeris had a difficult time keeping her legs straight since this is the first time it’s been for form instead of fun. But don’t worry, we’re working on it a little each day and she loves being up in the air.
To change the positioning up, I moved my legs up and down, as well as shift them forward and backward. For littler kids and infants, have them lay on your shins so it’s easier for them to balance and they aren’t as high off the ground.
These three exercises are from the Beginner section of the book, corresponding to my girls’ age. The book says that these activities should take some time for kids progress and move on to Intermediate and Advanced activities. For more activities and information about the In-Sync Program, check out the book!
Sources: Growing an In-Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz and Joye Newman.
Child(ish) Advice 