GM.B.119 WALKS A NARROW LINE UNAIDED

This skill is quite demanding (try it yourself!) but is fun for the child who is ready for it. It requires a gait of normal width and well-developed head and trunk balance reactions.

How to Assess

Method: With chalk, draw a line on the ground about 5 cm wide and 3 metres long.

Demonstrate walking along the line, bringing each foot in front of the other to touch the line. Ask your child to have a go. Score plus if your child can walk with alternating feet on the line without overbalancing and without help.

How to Teach

Always attempt these difficult balance skills in bare feet to make the most of the balance reactions in the feet.

Demonstrate to your child the action you want her to use and emphasise the heel to toe step to help her to achieve the line walking.

In the early stages you will need to hold one hand and walk along with her. Start 1 metre from the end of the line so that she only needs to do 3 or 4 steps. Gradually start further and further back on the line, still holding her hand. Don’t try to increase the distance until she is consistently heel-toe walking the shorter distance. Practice requires a lot of concentration so make your practice sessions short.

Only when she can walk the 3 metres without straying from the linen should you start to reduce your hand support. Go back then to the shorter distance. Make sure she has room on either side of her to use her hands for balance.

Walks to the shops will now take twice as long, as she walks on every join and crack in the footpath. Joins in the lino and the carpet are also good practice places. You may like to draw footprints on the concrete for her to follow.