bricks and boards

Published January 21, 2009 by Nancy

The last post was for northern hemisphere people who are dealing with record snowfall.

This one is for southern hemisphere folks who are watching palm trees sway.

Bricks and boards make a simple backyard vestibular game for younger children.

Place the boards on top of the bricks to make a balance beam pathway that twists and turns. The child walks along the boards keeping balance, as on a balance beam. Falling is not a big deal, since it’s a drop of a mere 4 inches (10 cm).

Into grass.

Except that it’s not grass. It’s an ocean full of sharks!

That’s part of the game.

Unlike a regular balance beam, this brick-board combination is not rigid or fixed. The boards wobble and move, depending where the child shifts his/her gravity. The child gets strong vestibular information from this activity, and doing it again but faster helps reinforce the skills.

You can turn this balance beam into part of an obstacle course, running from the swing set, over to the yoga ball, then back to the swing set.

Another option is to get the child to set up the bricks and boards to form letters, such as each letter of his/her name, then walk along the beam. Lifting and placing the bricks is a good proprioceptive activity, since bricks are heavy. Offer garden gloves if your child doesn’t like the feel of the brick against his/her hands.