What fun activity can my DD do, to gain fitnes and help co-ordination?

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, my DD is nearly 8 and has very poor co-ordination, poor muscle tone and is a bit over weight. She struggles at school with PE and gets very upset. She has to sit on a chair at carpet time, as she finds it very difficult getting down and up from the floor.
She has a private swimming lesson once a week, which she enjoys but that's all she has. We tried ballet, but she finds it too hard and too strict. All she wants to do is just dance her own way to the music.
The problem is, with any club she joins, the children will be about the same age and therefore, far more able than she is. She hates to be seen as different and gets very upset and frustrated if she can't do the same things.
She is quite a nervous child when it comes to physical activity. She's very scared of falling over or getting hurt.
Is there anything you can recommend?

mrslaughan do you mind me asking where are you based? Ou can pm me if you don't want to mention it here. We are going to move soon to west london and would like to chat to you about the activities you mentioned for ds1 if you are somewhere closeby.

Tramoplining really helped my DD.

Scooter Or Flicker, with the Flicker you have to move your body from side to side.

Basic Pilates will help her core muscles, Google a couple and give them a go.

Good luck!

hertfordshire St Albans.....

if you want me to PM instructors name and RS let me know

Yes please PM me. I would like to give it a try and see if he enjoys it. I tried the local RDA but have had no replies back from them.

I bought her a maxi micro scooter for Christmas. She'll only use it in doors at the moment, and only for a few seconds at a time, but it's a start.

Any kind of martial art would freak her out! She doesn't even like watching cartoons if there is fighting involved. She sees thing very black and white, and knows it's wrong to hit people. I used to do Tae kwan do by the way. It's just not for her.

She was having private riding lessons before. I might try again.

Trampolining is wicked for coordination.

Have you checked out riding for the disabled? In many areas they have council subsidised blocks of lessons and very experienced teachers, (which I think makes such a difference to a child's confidence and so progress).

Exercise doesn't HAVE to be hideous sporty activities that make you feel stupid. DS loathes organised sports mostly but does still get his daily 60 mins of cardio vascular activity despite that. Think outside the box.

Gardening is good for general fitness. Get her to create her own veggie patch from scratch. My son's OT thinks all dyspraxic kids should have their own tattie patch for the digging lol!

For general fitness - walking is much underated. The woodland trust does brilliant worksheets for all ages which you can take out on walks with you to help you identify different plants/bugs etc. A brisk 30 min walk in teresting surroundings daily is free excercise. Add in another 30 mins in the swing park on the way home from school and you've got the 60 mins recc'd daily excercise down. When the weather warms up go hiking at weekends.

Walking has always been my mother's lifelong exercise of choice. As a result at 76 she's fitter than most of her contemporaries. Not to boast but I have great legs as a result of all the walking I did as a kid, (my face is another matter).

We have a dog and being so forced to take it for a walk and play with it 2x a day means DS always gets some sort of daily excercise rain, wind or snow. I'm not sporty and loathe cold weather so having a dog keeps me motivated in a way only a gun to my head would otherwise.

Some areas run yoga classes for SN kids. Deffo not for everyone but yoga does work on core spinal strength and makes you aware of your body in space iykwim. DS & I hated it when we tried it but as everyone is different it's worth trying perhaps.

Would she enjoy aqua aerobics at all? lots of non-sporty types love these classes if they enjoy the music. A good freestyle boogie round the living room such that she works up a sweat is worth a few brownie points too.

DS got a Wii + fit board & sports game for Xmas off ebay. It's fun and a way of helping his co-ordination outside of his daily 30 mins therapy regime iyswim. Not intended as a replacement for a proper programme of excercise/therapy but better for him I hope than other computer type games on a rainy afternoon when I want an electronic babysitter just so as i can get some housework done or cook dinner.

Meant to say DS wears hiking boots (with special needs laces) instead of school shoes as they help him stay upright & not trip 1/2 dozen times on the way to school. Gives his feet/ankles just that little bit of extra support, and I've noticed the heels wear much more evenly than they did with standard shoes. We like Northwest Territory and Hi-tec Brands.

I have idea if it's a tip that might help others but thought it was worth putting out there.