Just as a tree requires a strong trunk to support its branches’ and withstand the forces from its environment, a child needs a strong core to perform their daily activities at their best. Core strength in children is an essential component of development and building a strong core means giving your child a strong foundation to function in their everyday tasks. It is the foundation that provides children with the ability to assume and maintain an upright posture—while standing or sitting—without any support.
Core muscles provide a solid base from which movement can take place, specifically:
- Neck muscles support the head by keeping it stable and upright and helping to control its whipping motion
- Back muscles keep the spine and torso erect and stable
- Abdominal muscles stabilize the lower back and pelvis
- Pelvic floor muscles help with bladder and bowel control
Developing your child’s core strength will keep their core muscles stable, which will enable them to carry out daily tasks and activities with minimal effort and without any physical strain or difficulty.
Core strength development starts as an infant. The reason ‘tummy time’ is vital is because it strengthens your infant’s neck and upper back muscles–preparing them to progress into developmental milestones such as crawling, rolling over, sitting up independently and eventually standing and walking. Your child’s development progresses through play and engagement with new challenging experiences.
On the contrary, poor core strength can cause your child to have poor posture, endurance and balance, which can also negatively affect the development of gross motor and fine motor skills.
How do I know if my child has weak core muscles?
When a child has decreased core strength, they might find it difficult to accomplish a variety of tasks and activities. A child with poor core strength usually demonstrates the following:
- Slouches while sitting on a chair or standing
- Difficulty with fine motor skills (e.g. writing)
- Usually leans/rests head on hand, desk or furniture while writing or reading
- Struggles to get up and down from the floor
- Avoiding gross motor activities (e.g. sports, outdoor plays)
- Easily fatigued and may need frequent breaks from physical activities or writing
- Getting fidgety and finds it hard to sit properly and pay attention
- Difficulty using playground equipment (e.g. slide, swing, see-saw) and needs to exert more effort compared to peers
How does a strong core help my child develop daily skills?
Core strength is a big part of your child’s functional everyday tasks, not only at school but practically anywhere! A strong core helps your child with:
- Attention Span & Focus
A child with weak core muscles finds it difficult to maintain a proper sitting posture, and will spend significant time and mental energy on adjusting their body’s position to compensate, thus impacting their focus on the task at hand. Furthermore, good core strength and good posture (while sitting upright) allow children to achieve optimal breathing. Proper breathing means more oxygen gets to flow into our child’s brain, which significantly improves their attention and focus.
- Better Posture & Fine Motor Development
Good core strength and stability will help your child to maintain a good sitting posture at the desk. This, in turn, builds a stable, supportive base for fine motor movements. A child develops stronger hands and fingers when their core, shoulders, and forearms are stable.
- Enhanced Mobility
Mobility refers to the ability to move from one position or place to another, which is a fundamental element to your child’s overall development as well as their functioning in the areas of self-care and play. Strengthening the core muscles enables your child to use their arms and legs more strongly and in a more coordinated way.
- Gross Motor Development, Balance & Coordination
Gross motor skills are bigger muscle movements that involve the entire body, such as sitting, walking, running and jumping. These skills require strength, balance and coordination. Good core strength is vital in gross motor development as it stabilizes the shoulders, abdomen, back, and hips which is a requirement to maintaining good balance and posture.
- Visual Perception
Visual perception in children is the ability to perceive and interpret their visual environment. Poor core strength is often correlated with weak eye muscles and poor eye coordination skills. Thus, a strengthening your child’s core helps stabilize the head and neck, which allows the eyes to take in accurate visual data for visual processing.
If you feel that your child may have poor core strength, our Paediatric Occupational Therapists are here to help and offer some advice.
Sensation Station Centre is one of the most reputable paediatric intervention and therapy centres that provide bespoke Paediatric Occupational Therapy in Dubai. Our highly qualified, experienced, and multi-cultural team of DHA-licensed Occupational Therapists therapists will work with your child to encourage strong development of their core strength through evidence-based practices which are conducted in a fun, safe, and sensory-rich environment.
If you’d like to learn more about the amazing work that our Occupational Therapists at Sensation Station do on a daily basis, read our separate blog here.
For specific questions about our services or to book a consultation with our therapist, reach out to us and we would be happy to assist you. Call us today at +971 4 277 6769 or WhatsApp us at +971 56 123 5002. You may also visit us at Ibn Battuta Gate Offices, Ground Floor, G-03, Jebel Ali, Dubai, UAE.