Posture goes beyond the way you sit or stand. It is the overall alignment and position of the body, and it is dependent on a variety of both internal and external factors. When posture is correct it assists your physical and mental abilities, but when posture is poor it can cause pain, poor concentration, and even problems with breathing and digestion.
There are a wide variety of things you can do to help improve your children’s posture. Below we have provided some tips to ensure that your child grows up with a good, strong posture to carry with them throughout their lives.
Be Mindful Of Your Posture
Pay attention to how you carry out activities. Do you or your child shuffle your feet or take heavy steps while you walk? If you can hear the thud of each step, imagine how much less effort it would take to walk if you were lighter on your feet. Apply that to your regular step.
Mirrors provide great feedback. If you notice that you or your child stands with an arched back or a slouch do not try to over-correct, imagine that your head is going up to the sky instead. By thinking up, you allow the head to balance more efficiently on the spine, and the body will follow in that direction as well. Be aware of how much exertion is really necessary to carry out activities, and remember that young children will imitate your actions.
Have Your Children Sit On Stools Or Surfaces Without Back Support
Active or dynamic seating options require awareness of posture for children, resulting in improved balance, stability, and core strength. Options like ball chairs are not only fun for kids to use, but they also help increase trunk stability for better overall posture, as they require awareness to stay upright. This is an important practice in strengthening the back and torso. Using seating options without back support for your child will help strengthen and support muscles that would otherwise be neglected.
Have your child sit on a stool for five minutes at a time, and build on that once this activity becomes easier. Make sure that while sitting your child has a lengthened back. Remember to teach them to think about their head being light and lifting it up towards the sky.
Bring Food and Devices Towards You, Don’t Slouch Down To Them
Think about what your child does as they eat their meals. Are they bringing their heads down towards their food, or bringing the food up to their mouths? If your child eats by bringing their head down to their food, consider the impact it has on their developing spines.
Have them sit at the table with space during meal times. You might want to use a discrete alarm or a visual cue every few minutes to help your child remember to check in on their eating posture.
The same principle can be applied to technology use. Every time the head tilts forward to look at a screen, the spine also experiences added pressure. This is a tremendous load for the spine to endure if children are looking at screens for hours throughout the day. Have them look at their screen at eye-level by propping up the screen to an appropriate height to help avoid any other posture issues.
If you or any of your family members are in need of chiropractic care, contact us today to schedule your appointment.