Activities for Kids to Improve Balance and Strength

Strength Activities

• Have the children play a game of ball wrestling to improve strength. Place a large exercise ball in between two players on a mat. Ask the children to wrap their arms around the ball. When you say "Go," the children must try to wrestle the ball out of their opponent's arms. Play a game of crack the whip by having all the children hold hands in a line. The first player and the last player can hold on to the hand of the player in front of them with both hands. The first player in line must start running around full speed, making sharp turns as everyone else follows. The object of the game is for the caboose to hold on as long as possible. If he lets go, he is out of the game. If he can hold on for one minute, he is the new leader.

Balance Activities

• Make a tight rope walking activity for children using a rope. Place a rope on the ground and have children walk heel-to-toe all the way down the rope. Add challenges to make the activity harder as the activity gets easier for them to do. For example, have them walk the rope while balancing a beanbag on their head. Make it even more challenging by having them balance the beanbag, stay on the rope and bend down to pick up an object on the rope. Turn this activity into a game by timing the players to see who has the fastest time.

Competitions

• Test each child's strength and balancing abilities with competitions. Build strength by giving two children the same size medicine ball. See who can do the most squats holding the medicine ball. Other ideas include having the children race carrying the balls, or seeing how many times they can lift it above their heads. For balance, have all the children stand on one leg. See which player can stand on one leg the longest. If they touch the ground at any time, they are out of the game.

Beanbag Activities

• Ask the children to stand in a circle and give each child a beanbag to place on his head. When you say "Walk," they must walk around the circle balancing the beanbag on their head. If a player drops a beanbag, he must freeze until another player bends down, picks it up and places it back on his head. However, if that player drops the beanbag, they must both freeze. To enhance strength, have the children select a partner and practice tossing a beanbag back and forth. See which team can toss and catch the beanbag from the farthest distance.