Working with Children and Students on Standing Better-From the Feet Up
Following a request, here are some fun suggestions on standing that go beyond the classic "Draw your feet on a piece of paper" activity.
Here are some of the close-ups of the suggestions- Post-it stars that have little arrows on them, and then I can line up my feet with them. You can also put stickers on your young student's feet or shoes for extra fun.
With the dinosaurs, you can see that my feet point forward, but the risk is that one foot will creep ahead of the other. With little kids, this is not a big deal, since they are fidgety, but it is a good basic border.
The Classic texting "Shlump" that can be seen in teenagers (and most people walking down the street). My spine is rounding and my head is forward and I will probably run into something. Don't believe me? Look at this video below!!!
The position of the feet and knees are really the base of a good standing posture, and affects everything up the chain. Feet affects knees, which affects the tilt of the pelvis, which can affect the curvature of the spine, and finally the position of the head. Are there legitimate reasons that you or your student can't point your feet straight? Yes-and I will talk about those next time.
Remember this comic from a few weeks ago?? See how curved the spine is? While I can't claim it's due to feet, I do see it in students, teenagers, and people at large, and beginning to notice it in the people around you is the first step.