Core Strength with a Ball… Using ONLY Your Feet? 👧🏼🟣 | Exercise Ball Activities #31

👧🏼🟣 Ball Gymnastics on the Wall with Feet | Leia (Age 10) | Pediatric Physical Therapy Exercise Ball Activities Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjPlhWjeNnIY3PWbHwrSUtgN In this video, my co-instructor Leia (age 10) and I work on a creative ball gymnastics activity using a therapy ball at the wall—this time using her feet instead of her hands 🟣💪 Leia is lying on her back with her hips positioned close to the wall. Using both feet, she rolls the ball up and down the wall, then practices moving it in a “T” pattern, and finally in a circle. She loses control of the ball once (which is part of the learning process 😊), but overall does a great job maintaining control and adjusting her movements. This activity is a fun and challenging way to build strength, coordination, and body awareness—especially through the core. We are working on: • Lower abdominal strengthening • Core control while lying on the back • Bilateral coordination using both feet • Motor planning (changing directions: up/down, side-to-side, circles) • Body awareness relative to an object (the wall) • Sustained control of a moving object Using the wall adds an important layer of feedback. Leia has to control how much force she uses and where the ball goes in space, which increases both accuracy and awareness. You’ll also see a key clinical point: When children are asked to move an object in different patterns (like a “T” or a circle), it challenges motor planning in a way that simple up-and-down movement does not. 🧠 A clinical takeaway I often share: Adding a ball—and giving it a specific path—can turn simple strengthening into a more meaningful, engaging, and cognitively challenging activity. In this case, Leia is strengthening her core without focusing on “exercise”—she’s focused on the task. 👧🏿 This activity may be helpful for children who: 🧒🏾 Need core strengthening in a supported position 👧🏻 Are working on bilateral coordination 👦🏽 Benefit from visual targets (like the wall) 🧑🏿‍🦱 Need practice with motor planning and direction changes 👩🏾‍🦰 Enjoy ball-based activities 👉🏾 This activity is part of my Ball Gymnastics Playlist, where therapy balls are used to build strength, coordination, balance, and motor planning. Watch the full playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjPlhWjeNnIY3PWbHwrSUtgN 📚 My Books for Kids & Therapists Children’s Books "P is for Poop and Pee Accidents" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLSRJ483 "A is for Anxiety" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LXQ3W6V "A is for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QH9H5HR "C is for Cerebral Palsy" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TSJCYP "D is for Down Syndrome" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P8HH49 "A is for Autism" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F4FFTB Professional Books "Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Hips" https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156736 "Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Knees" https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156760 "Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Ankles" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TX2ZCFD 📧 Contact [amysturkey@gmail.com](mailto:amysturkey@gmail.com) 🌍 Captions Help Everyone 🌍 I carefully review captions so more people can follow along, even if English isn’t your first language 🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻👩🏾‍🤝‍👨🏼👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏻 To turn on captions: Click CC To change the language: Settings (⚙️) → Subtitles/CC → Auto-translate 🌐 ⏱️ Video Chapters 0:00 Intro & meet Leia 0:15 Setup: lying on back with ball at wall 0:30 Rolling ball up and down the wall 0:55 Losing control and recovering 1:05 “T” pattern practice 1:25 Circle pattern with both feet 1:45 Emphasis on using both feet 2:00 Clinical explanation: core, motor planning, body awareness 2:20 Closing message ⚠️ Important note: Sensory and motor responses vary widely between children. What is effective for one child may not be appropriate for another 👶🏿↔️👧🏻 (Please note: I cannot provide treatment recommendations for a child I have not personally evaluated.) 👩🏽‍⚕️📌