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What is balance?
Balance is the ability to maintain a controlled body position during task performance. (Sitting, walking, climbing). To move through tasks and across environments, the ability to maintain controlled positions in both static (still) and dynamic (in motion) activities is a must.
What is the difference between static and dynamic positions?
Static balance is the ability to hold a position while remaining stationary, i.e. standing on one leg, or playing freeze tag (in the frozen position). Dynamic balance is the ability to remain balanced while the body is engaged in movement, i.e. running, jumping, cycling, etc.
Why is balance fundamentally and developmentally important in the learning process?
Balance is the building block for learning skills in a child. When a child has poor control of their vestibular system, static balance is difficult to achieve. The ability to be able to hold head position (static balance) is necessary for a child to remain still in a relatively fixed position. This may cause the child to have difficulty staying still in their chair, fidgeting, walking around the classroom, to have trouble focusing, and to create eye movement error. The underdeveloped vestibular system then requires that they spend much of their subconscious brain capacity to focus on balancing rather than learning. It can also affect how they integrate other primitive reflexes resulting in sensory integration issues, body awareness, spatial awareness, letter directionality, fine and ocular motor skills issues, and various learning struggles.