Member-only story
5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Child’s Posture
Tips for parents to offset their kids’ pandemic slouching (as well as their own)
While it’s common practice to associate posture with the way a person sits or stands, good posture can actually be applied to every aspect of movement. Merely linking posture to a fixed position — such as “sitting up straight” — is limiting. Instead, thinking of posture as a fluid state of being brings attention to its presence in every activity.
To get a better sense of the ease and mobility inherent in good posture, look no further than the next toddler you encounter. Young children embody the balance that is inherent in a body that moves with ease. This is why their fluid state carries over to every activity they engage in.
The toddler’s head remains poised and upright and most notably, it guides their movement. Just as a tiger leads with its head, so does a baby when she crawls. The head moves first, then her arms and legs follow. In the same manner, the head is also designed to lead the body in other activities, such as while sitting upright in a chair.
Western countries are notoriously sedentary. The impact of excessive sitting on small children’s bodies warrants consideration and care. Expecting little children to sit in a school chairs for several…