"A good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind." — Morihei Ueshiba

There is so much power to the way we hold and handle ourselves. Good posture and coordination are admired in our society. When I think about what it means to have good posture, I think about military personnel or even beautiful models. Iconic sports hero's like Jordan, Jeter, or Nadal, they are all admired for their coordination. When we develop, it is really essential that we ensure our kids understand what it means to have good posture and coordination. Encouraging physical activities that promote these skills can lead to better balance, improved focus, and reduced risk of injury. This is especially beneficial for children with ADHD, as these exercises can help with body awareness, self-regulation, and managing hyperactivity. Here are five simple, but highly underrated, exercises that can help your child build strength, awareness, and stability:

1. Wall Angels

Wall activities have long been a stable in the rehab world. One of the benefits I find from wall activities like this, is that your body will get real time feedback as to where it is in space. This exercise helps strengthen the upper back and improve shoulder mobility. Remember- your back is arched for a reason, try not to focus on keeping your back flat but rather making sure your hips and shoulders are in constant contact with the wall.

• Have your child stand with their back against a wall, feet a few inches away.

• Encourage them to press their lower back into the wall and raise their arms to form a "W" shape.

• Slowly move their arms upward to a "Y" shape, then return to the "W."

• Repeat 10-15 times, focusing on keeping their back and arms in contact with the wall.

This movement can be grounding for children with ADHD, providing a calming sensory experience while improving posture.

2. Animal Walks

Hands down, my favorite way to incorporate movement into everyday activities. Animal walks are a fun way to enhance coordination, balance, and core strength. These exercises not only help build functional strength, but also provides a ton of proprioceptive, tactile and vestibular feedback to the brain, which are essential in understanding your body and position in space.

• Examples include crab walks, bear crawls, and frog jumps.

• These movements require your child to use multiple muscle groups while staying engaged.

• Set up a short obstacle course or race to make it more exciting.

• When home, encourage your children to create these moves when moving between rooms or even incorporating it into an activity. For instance, gathering dirty laundry on the floor can be done with a crab walk.

For children with ADHD, these playful exercises offer a productive outlet for excess energy while fostering motor planning and coordination. ADHD children specifically benefit from balancing activities and movement, as it helps them with improved focus, concentration and working memory.

3. Balance Beam Practice

Improving balance helps with coordination and body awareness. Even something as simple as asking someone to walk heel-to-toe on a straight line offers great insight into how the motor coordination system is working. As a certified primitive reflex specialist, I can tell what reflexes a child has retained simply by watching how they walk a straight line. These activities are not only great because they help improve your balance, it also helps improve patience, attention to detail and encourages modulation.

• Use a low balance beam, a strip of tape on the floor, or a narrow wooden plank.

• Have your child walk forward, backward, and sideways along the line.

• Challenge them to carry a small object or balance on one foot at intervals to make it harder.

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Practicing balance activities can help ADHD children focus and develop patience as they work to stay steady.

4. Plank Variations

The key to control is having good trunk strength and control. Planks are excellent for core strength and stability, which are crucial for good posture. Planks are also the easiest of activities to complete (no equipment needed, no large space requirement either) and offer strengthening and stability to both large and small muscle groups that support the spine.

• Start with a basic forearm plank: Have your child hold their body straight, supported by their forearms and toes.

• Encourage them to hold the position for 15-30 seconds and gradually increase the time.

• Add variations like side planks or shoulder taps to keep it interesting.

The structure of planks can provide ADHD children with a sense of accomplishment and improved focus as they track their progress. What I also love about this activity when completing it with ADHD clients is to. have them try to work on their concept of time. Challenging kids to guess how much time they spend on a particular plank can help give them (and you) insight into how fast or slow their internal clock is working.

5. Ball Toss on One Leg

Eye-hand coordination activities are essential parts of most of our daily lives. When having a catch or tossing a ball, you are interacting with concepts of timing, speed, sequencing, etc. When you do this activity on one leg, the same remains true, but there is a bigger need for body awareness and control, in order to execute activities without a firm base of support. Ball toss on one leg may seem small, but this activity enhances coordination, balance, and focus.

• Have your child stand on one leg and toss a lightweight ball back and forth with you or a sibling.

• To make it more challenging, have them alternate legs or increase the distance.

• This exercise improves stability while keeping it playful.

  
  

For children with ADHD, this game-like activity promotes concentration and self-regulation in a dynamic and enjoyable way. There is also some evidence to suggest studying activities that require balance and coordination may also help improve learning outcomes for ADHD students.

Incorporating these exercises into your child’s daily routine doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Make it fun, interactive, and rewarding! Building better posture and coordination is a gradual process, so encourage consistency and celebrate small improvements along the way. For children with ADHD, these exercises offer additional benefits, such as improved focus, better self-regulation, and a productive outlet for energy. Over time, these simple movements can make a big difference in your child’s overall physical health and confidence. TRY it out and let me know what you think. Like anything you would incorporate into a daily routine, give it a few weeks to see what the benefits or negatives are of it.