Overhead & Side-to-Side Ball Passing for Trunk Rotation & Extension | Exercise Ball Activities #26

👧🏼🟣 Exercise Ball Pass: Back-to-Back, Side & Overhead | Leia (Age 10) | Pediatric Physical Therapy In this video, my co-instructor Leia (age 10) and I work through a ball gymnastics passing activity using an exercise ball to build core strength, trunk rotation, and spinal extension 🟣🧘🏼‍♀️ The exercise ball itself provides inherent resistance, encouraging two-handed grip, controlled movement, and strong postural engagement. We begin with back-to-back rotational passes, then progress to overhead passes, which add trunk extension and chest opening. This activity can be performed standing or sitting, and I demonstrate positioning tips to help children succeed — including matching partner height when needed. Throughout the activity, we work on: • Trunk rotation to both sides • Symmetry and directional control • Core strength through movement • Spinal extension and chest opening • Concentric and eccentric control, depending on the direction of movement By changing how the ball is passed, the same activity can emphasize lifting (concentric extension) or controlled lowering (eccentric control) — making this a versatile and engaging way to strengthen the core without it feeling like “exercise.” --- 👧🏿 This activity may be helpful for children who: 🧒🏾 Need rotational core strengthening 👧🏻 Are working on trunk control and symmetry 👦🏽 Benefit from resistance built into functional movement 🧑🏿‍🦱 Need strengthening disguised as play 👩🏾‍🦰 Lose motivation with traditional core exercises --- 🧠 A clinical takeaway I often share with families: The same movement can target very different muscle actions depending on direction, speed, and control. When therapy is playful and purposeful, children stay engaged — and the work gets done 💪🏽🟣 --- 👉🏾 This activity is part of my Ball Gymnastics Playlist, where therapy balls are used to support strengthening, 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 --- 🌍 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 (age 10) 0:11 Ball gymnastics overview 0:18 Using ball weight for strength & control 0:30 Back-to-back setup & positioning tips 0:43 Standing vs sitting options 0:51 Rotational passes: side-to-side 1:10 Switching directions 1:25 Overhead passing progression 1:46 Concentric vs eccentric control 2:02 Why this works 2:13 Closing message & sign-off --- ⚠️ Important note: Sensory and motor responses vary widely between children. What is effective or motivating for one child may not be appropriate for another 👶🏿↔️👧🏻 (Please note: I cannot provide treatment recommendations for a child I have not personally evaluated.) 👩🏽‍⚕️📌