why your child needs a strong shoulder girdle

The shoulder girdle. Heard of it? Kind of an obscure term if you aren't in the world of human anatomy often. It refers to the bones of the appendicular skeleton that attach to the arm on both sides; the scapula and clavicle. Stability in the muscles attached to these two bones is essential for coordination, postural stability, and fine motor skill development. Read on for how to tell if your child's shoulder girdle is weak, and 6 ways to help strengthen it.

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Any time you move your hand or fingers, you need your shoulder to stabilize. So, your child needs a strong shoulder girdle so that they also develop a strong core, better handwriting, and awesome shoe tying abilities! Wondering if your child's shoulder girdle is weak? Some signs to look for include shrugging shoulders during an activity or tucking elbows into the body for stabilization. Also, if the core isn't activated and you see exaggerated spinal curves like slouching or arching, the shoulder girdle is likely not able to do its job. All of these postures impact the function of the hands and fingers. So, here are some activities that get the elbows away from the body and the arms moving against gravity:

1. Scooter board activities:

• Prone pull on rope: child lies on their belly on scooter board (arms and legs are both off the ground) and pulls them self up a rope. Add toys or balls along the way to pick up or toss.
• Prone tossing: child lies on their belly, rolls them self around, picking up and tossing bean bags or balls to a target, like a short basket ball hoop, a basket, or a tower of stacked cubes.
• Pushing off a wall: child lies on stomach, arms and legs off the ground, walks on hands to a wall and pushes off.

2. Therapy ball:

• Walk out, reach, and throw: another prone game. Child lies on their stomach over a ball (I prefer "peanut" shaped balls like this one), walks on their hands, engaging their core, to pick up a ball or beanbag to toss. Or, have your kiddo do a small puzzle in this position. Or, sort pom-poms with tongs into an ice tray on an elevated surface like a stool. Look out for an exaggerated lumbar curve and flared ribs as described in this blog post. That is a sign that the activity needs to be modified to support more core activation.
• Roll the therapy ball with hands up and down a wall. 

3. Activities on a vertical surface:

• Writing, painting, magnet activities, shaving cream drawing, spraying soapy water and washing windows, whatever! Get creative with the vertical surfaces in your house. Buy a roll of butcher paper, and tape it to a wall or door. Or, if you're a fan of the chalkboard paint trend, find a wall surface in the house where your kids can go crazy with chalk (a great resistant writing material that enhances muscle memory at the same time!)

4. Animal walks:

• Crab walk, bear walk, donkey kicks, wheelbarrow walk, or alligator?! You tube them here for a short tutorial. Use animal walks as your child's transition from room to room in the house, or build them into an obstacle course.

5. Balloon play: 

• Keep it moving: the classic balloon game of keeping it off the floor, perfect for one or more children. Just be sure to have some space and clear away the breakables.
• Balloon tennis: use rackets or paddles, or make them with paper plates and popsicle sticks. Play in different positions like tailor sitting or kneeling to engage the core and encourage trunk rotation and crossing midline.​

6. Yoga

• Try this sequence: child's pose, wrist opener, shoulder opener to both sides, down dog, plank, sphinx, shoulder lifts, dolphin pose. Encourage taking multiple breaths in each pose before moving on.

​If there is anything you take away from this post, remember that we need "proximal stability for distal mobility." So, if your child is struggling with more refined distal motor tasks of the hands and fingers, try out some of these activities to help strengthen their core and shoulder girdle for a more stable base of support.

Have fun!