Display Patient Information Leaflets

Date issued: August 2024

For review: August 2026

Ref: C-581/LB/Physiotherapy/Paediatric Pilates: Level 1 version 2

PDF: Paediatric Pilates final August 2024 v2.pdf [pdf] 1000KB

Little and Large (Balance)

Aims:

• To teach proprioception.

• Challenge tip-toe balance.

• To move through spine, hip and shoulders.

• Body space awareness.

Instructions:

• Standing with feet hip width, neutral pelvis, shoulders back and down scapulae set and gentle chin tuck.

• Inhale to prepare.

• Exhale, as you curl into a crouched position.

• Inhale, as you reach up to the ceiling stand on your tip toes.

• Repeat x 5.

Variations:

• To work further on body space awareness, proprioception, you could trial standing wide, standing narrow etc.

• Consider adding holds of position to challenge stability.

 

Humpty Dumpty (Balance)

Aims:

• To challenge sitting balance.

• To teach good sitting posture.

• To challenge core strength.

Instructions:

• Sitting on a gym ball with knees and hips approx. level.

• Set posture here with neutral pelvis, shoulders back and down, chin gently tucked.

Tips:

• “Sitting up tall, pulled by the piece of string from the crown of your head”.

• “Aim for even weight in both bottom cheeks”.

Variations:

• Completing this in a mirror may contribute to visual feedback.

• Challenge trunk control by adding marching feet or arm movements.

• Challenge balance by closing eyes.

 

Flamingo (Balance)

Aims:

• Improve standing balance.

• Challenge body space awareness

• Muscle strengthening

Instructions: 

• Standing with feet hip width, neutral pelvis, shoulders back and down and chin gently tucked.

• Transfer weight to one leg, keep body upright and tall.

• Hold for 5-30 seconds.

• Repeat on other leg.

Tips:

• “Find something still in the room to look at, to help you keep really still”.

Variations:

• Challenge balance by adding arm movements.

 

Elephant (Coordination)

Aims:

• To optimise shoulder, hip, knee and spinal mobility.

• To encourage deep breathing with full use of lung capacity.

• Stretch the muscles at the back of your legs

Instructions: 

• Standing with feet hip width, neutral pelvis, shoulders back and down and chin gently tucked.

• Connect hands together with straight elbows as if to make an elephant’s trunk.

• Bend forwards, keeping knees straight, reaching hands to the floor.

• Inhale.

• Slowly curl back up into standing raising hands to the ceiling.

• Exhale here.

• Repeat

Tips: 

• “The elephants are sucking up water at the water hole”.

• “Now they are spraying it up into the sky”.

Variations: 

• Twist your body as you stand up tall again to increase spinal movement.

• Hold either position for a stretch or further concentration on breath.

• Add elephant’s trunk swings in a forward bend position to increase spinal movement or assist in hamstring stretch.

 

Hopscotch (Coordination)

Aims:

• To strengthen power muscles of legs for jumping.

• To improve balance and coordination.

Instructions: 

• Standing with feet hip width, neutral pelvis, shoulders back and down and chin gently tucked.

• Hop forwards onto one foot, keeping back tall and balance.

• Jump forwards onto 2 feet.

• Hop forwards onto other foot, keeping back tall and balance.

• Jump forwards onto 2 feet.

• Repeat.

Variations:

• Slow the movement down to challenge balance.

• Speed up to challenge coordination.

• Repeat hops on same side if too challenging.

• Add arm movements to challenge coordination.

 

Throw to a target (Coordination)

Aims :

• Increase arm muscle strength.

• Improve hand eye coordination and spatial awareness.

Instructions:

• Standing with feet hip width, neutral pelvis, shoulders back and down and chin gently tucked in front of a half gym ball/BOSU.

• Throw a ball to the target.

• Challenge try to achieve 5 consecutive successful shots.

Variations:

• Increase weight of ball to challenge arm and core muscle strength.

• Increase size of ball to encourage coordination.

• Reduce base of support, e.g. stand on one leg.

• Increase distance from target to challenge coordination and arm strength.

 

Balance the ball (Stability)

Aims: 

• Shoulder strength.

• Increase core strength.

• Body space awareness.

Instructions:

• Start in a crawling position with knees under hips, hands in front of shoulders, long flat back with gentle chin tuck. 

• Place a pilates or any small ball on the lower back.

• Lift your left arm and your right leg, keeping control of the ball, then gently replace them on the floor.

• Lift you right arm and left leg, keeping control of the ball, then gently replace them on the floor.

Tips:

• “Keep the movements slow to ensure you can control the ball”.

• “Lift arms and legs like they are floating up”.

• “Don’t let the ball fall off”.

Variations: 

• Make the challenge easier to make sure your back stays flat by using a flatter ball or toy that’s less likely to fall off.

• Set challenges of completing a set number on each side.

• Challenge shoulder stability by using an unstable surface under than hands such as a cushion.

• Challenge shoulder stability by using an unstable surface under than hands such as a cushion.

 

Half kneel catch (Stability)

Aims: 

• Increase leg strength and stability.

• Improve balance.

• Practice hand-eye coordination through ball skills.

Instructions:

• Start down on one knee, with front knee over front heel, pelvis neutral and shoulders back and down.

• Hold this position, throw and catch a ball with a partner or against the wall.

• Repeat on the other leg.

Variations: 

• Challenge balance placing the front leg, back leg or both legs on an unstable surface (like a cushion).

• Challenge hand-eye coordination with small ball or increasing the distance between yourself and the wall or between each other if working in pairs.

• Reduce the distance to work on reaction times.

 

Body Parts Game (Stability)

Aims:

• To encourage creativity through movement.

• Stability and balance.

• Body space awareness.

Instructions: 

• Standing with feet hip width, neutral pelvis, shoulders back and down and chin gently tucked.

• Ask a parent to call out a number, this is the number of body parts you should aim to touch the floor, i.e. 4 body parts; 2 hands, 1 knee and 1 foot (picture below) or 1 body part; bottom (bottom picture)

• Hold for 10 seconds.

• Activity repeated, challenging with different numbers of body parts in contact with floor.

Variations: 

• Challenge imagination and body awareness by repeating same number with different body parts.

• Increase hold time to challenge stability and core strength.

• Challenge proprioception by trying this with eyes closed.

 

Magic Hands (Strength)  

Aims: 

• Movement planning.

• Increasing abdominal and leg muscle strength.

Instructions:

• Lie on your back.

• Place hands on head.

• Aim to sit up using tummy muscles, roll into kneeling through side sitting, and standing through first kneeling up on one leg then into stand.

• Returning to lying on your back through kneeling down into a high kneel, then lower into a low kneel sitting on your heels, roll into sitting, then control into lying on your back.

Variations:

• Other movements may be used to stand (e.g. side lying)

• Add pauses during movement to challenge abdominal strength and balance.

• Change starting and finishing positions to increase or decrease the challenge (e.g. starting on your tummy will make it much harder, starting in kneeling or sitting will be an easier start).

 

Side Lying Shapes (Strength)

Aims: 

• Increase leg strength and endurance.

• Increase core stability in side lying.

Instructions: 

• Lie on your side with bottom leg bent, and bottom arm stretched up, head removed resting on arm.

• Lift/float top leg up to hip height.

• Stretch top leg as long as you can.

• Draw a circle with your heel.

• Draw a square.

• Draw a triangle.

Tips:

• “Make your leg grow as long as it can, towards the wall beside you, reaching through your heel”.

• “Pretend you have dipped your heel in paint”.

• “Let’s paint some shapes”.

Variations: 

• Challenge core control by placing top hand on waist.

• Increase reps or holds to challenge endurance.

• Allow creativity and choice, by changing shapes to draw.

 

Wheelbarrows (Strength)

Aims:

• Increase shoulder and arm strength and stability.

• Increase core activation.

Instructions :

• Lie on tummy.

• Partner/parent can pick one leg up at a time.

• Hold tummy muscles in so your back doesn’t bend into a banana shape, push up on hands.

• Walking forwards on hands.

• Lower back down to floor gently.

Tips :

• “Try to stay in one straight line from your head to your feet. Your partner can help tell you if you are sticking your bottom in the air”.

Variations: 

• Challenge shoulder strength by creating obstacles to move over/around.

• If back looks to bend into a banana, partner/parent can provide more support by holding higher up legs, reducing length of body to hold straight.

• Make this harder by holding legs closer to ankles.