abdominal exercises for dd age 7

[lexcat]

Swimming mad dd has had a bad neck for some 9-10 weeks and her swimming really has suffered. She wants to swim better and move up group as she is bored where she is. So I've just started her on 1:1 lessons (loved it). Teacher was saying that one of her problem is she needs to build up her abdominal muscles. She is only too happy to do this but can't do any kind of sit up or crunchs because of the recoving neck.
Was hoping to get some ideas of fun exercises for a child to do and easy to understand. She has neck exercise at the monemt so we can just add a few more for the abs.

[unclefluffy]

I'd be reluctant to focus on one muscle group: overdo one kind of conditioning and other parts of the body suffer. Core strength is what she needs. It will help support her back and neck, it includes the deep abdominal muscles and it will be of benefit whatever activity she does. She can build core strength by doing anything that keeps her off balance. Maybe:

• sitting on a small gym ball to watch TV instead of on the sofa
• trying to balance on top of the gym ball (i.e. on hands and knees)
• standing on one leg and leaning gently to different compass points
• practising the plank

I hasten to add that this is all stuff I learned to help myself as an adult. If she's in pain, a sports physio might be in order. I can't see any danger in the things I've suggested, but then I don't really know anything formal about children's physical development! Are there any PE teachers/sports physios out there?

If she's really keen, maybe Pilates? But I don't know much about that either...!

[MadameCastafiore]

Wait until her neck is better - she can have time off and start again - it isn't worth risking damaging her back or neck for the sake of a few weeks.

[Thankyouandgoodnight]

What's wrong with her neck? Have you taken her to an osteopath?

IMO sit ups and crunches are a recipe for disaster for adults let alone children anyway.

Exercises that she can do that are superb are to get her to lie on her back with knees bent and feet flat on the bed. Then do pelvic tilts - ie. imagine she has a cup of tea on her lower abdomen and she is trying to tip it towards her head without lifting her hips. It's a rolling action using her lower abdominals. Do 60 a day both fast and slow ones.

[lexcat]

The neck is better just getting all the mobility back now. No inflammation just she's got use to holding it a certain way and she has exercises to correct that.
If the neck wasn't better I wouldn't have put her down for 1:1 lessons.
That's the problem she has been very frustrated (plus had a lot of pain) by the whole neck problem but for this to hold her back with the swimming just makes it a double whammy.
Sorry if I seem like pushy mum as I hope I'm not it's her love and it's hard to see her frustration because she can't do the things she could do 10 weeks ago.

[lexcat]

Sorry Thankyouandgoodnight didn't notice your message earlier we just overlaped.
Woke up one morning with a cric in the neck and coundn't move it without alot of pain. Was on max amount of pain killers for about two weeks
Yes she has been to the osteopath much to the dislike to my bank account. The ostepath really has worked well just taken ages to get better. Plus we've been to the doctor but really got no help just kept been told to come back if it still wasn't better in a weeks time, gave up after the 4th time.

[Thankyouandgoodnight]

Is she carrying a medium to heavy school bag by any chance, or dare I say, on the phone alot?

If she has to carry a bag at all, make it as light as possible and insist she carries it on her back, not on one shoulder as that will severely slow down progress. I expect her osteopath has already told you that and you probably know anyway, so apologies if I'm telling you something you already know!

Is she well in herself?

[coochybottom]

Abdominal exercies for a 7year old sounds a bit extreme to me. Did the teacher advise on any specfic type to do?

[lexcat]

We not talking heavy training just some simple exercises she can do to help with her swimming it up her to do them or not. You have to realise this is a child who would have swimming lessons everyday if she could.
No she doesn't do any of the above (heavy bags or phone) but we think it may have been tiggered at school when she was pushed from behind and fell on her front about a week or 2 before the neck went bad.

[coochybottom]

Can the swimming teacher suggest anything? It is great that she is so enthusiastic.