Summary: Good posture is often reserved just for adults, but there is a lot we can do to help kids have better posture starting now. Use this as a guide to give you five practical ideas to help your child improve their posture.

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As adults, we talk about our posture all the time. Looking for stretches, the latest gadgets and more to help us improve the way we sit and stand. In recent years we have learned through research how important posture is to our health. Good posture can help prevent pain and injury, it improves confidence and mood, and can benefit the function of the heart and lungs. So with all of these benefits, why do we wait until adulthood to start walking about posture? I believe, there is a lot that can be done to help kids have better posture, and help them learn about their health and the importance of movement at a young age.

5 Ways to Help Your Child Improve Their Posture:

Get Outside and Play

Young Child Playing on Playground

There are so many benefits from taking time to play outside, regardless of your child’s age. Building in play time can help make sure kids get adequate daily activity. Play time helps kids explore different movements and activities in a natural way without forcing them to do so. You’ll see kids run across the yard to catch a ball, jump up onto the monkey bars, or squat down to get dirty in the dirt. This is just a few examples of how outside play time encourages complex movements in a natural way. The playground or backyard has all these movements built in (and they have fun while doing it!) These complex movements help to build strength in their body and activate their postural muscles. We also know that being in various positions throughout the day is a huge benefit to our posture. So the more we can let our kids explore and play, the better.

Use a Stability Ball

As kids get older and screen time increases, rather than letting them always get cozy on the couch they can sit on a stability ball. I’ll be honest, couches are terrible for both adults and kids. I love laying on mine as much as the next person, but the couch does nothing for our posture. Instead, as your kiddo wants to watch TV or play video games have them sit on a stability ball rather than the couch. The stability ball will help to engage their core and postural muscles to help them sit up straight. Using a stability ball as a chair does require a bit of work in order for them to maintain their posture; so, they may get tired of sitting there and this might be the easy fix you’ve been looking for to limit their screen time, without arguing an argument! For younger kids who cannot reach the ground even when using a small stability ball, try utilizing a hopper ball. This can be a great way to turn on these small postural muscles and help build their brain-body connection. And for babies, utilizing a stability ball during tummy time can also start to activate their postural muscles. So many of us associate stability balls with core work at the gym, but they have great benefits for kids too!
 

Keep The Textbooks at Home

Two girls with backpacks on
Did you know: a child’s backpack should be NO MORE than 10% of their body weight (this statement is true for adults too). If your kiddo is 60 lbs, that means their backpack should be no more than 6 lbs. And if your child weighs 100 lbs then their backpack should be 10 lbs or less. I don’t know about you, but my backpack was NEVER this light growing up. There are alternatives like rolling backpacks, but I remember how ‘uncool’ those were. So rather than suggesting something your child will never want to use, my recommendation is to lower the weight of the backpack. One of the best ways to do that is to keep a copy of the heavy stuff, usually textbooks at home. Talk to your child’s teachers about what options exist in the school to accommodate for this- often all you need is a doctor’s note. In addition to ensuring their backpack is light enough, make sure they’re wearing it correctly. The backpack should always be worn on both shoulders, snug to the back, and ensure that the bottom of the backpack is at or above their waist.
 

Stretches and Movement

Kids doing upward dog in yoga
There is a common misconception that stretches are only for adults. Stretches, yoga, movement, and breathing benefits everyone; but how they do it looks different depending on the age. If your child sits at a desk in school all day, they’ll get tight in the same places as you would sitting at a work desk all day (neck, low back, and hips). We forget about this because often at 10 years old kids don’t complain of being in pain- their bodies are resilient and adapting. The problem is when unaddressed 10 years later they turn 20 and they wake up one day with this neck pain and they’re like “where the heck did this come from?“. While it’s not always as simple as that, I see that scenario in my office quite often. Whether you introduce your child to a kid or family-friendly yoga or just have them stretch with you, their muscles and long-term posture will thank you for it.
 

Be a Good Example

This one might be the most obvious. Don’t forget that your kids look up to you for everything. From how to tie your shoe, to how you take care of your body. Your kids are watching and learning everything from you. Don’t forget to take care of yourself, move your body, and optimize your posture too. Here are some good places to start:
The posture of kids isn’t all that different from adults. There is so much you can do to support your child’s posture now that will prevent pain, injury, and poor posture down the road. And if your child is 20 and you’ve done none of this, that’s OK. Start little by little, one small change at a time. Any little thing you can help them with will be one more thing done as opposed to nothing.
 
Have questions or other thoughts about helping your child’s posture? Leave them in the comments below!