Posture Of The Week - BUTTERFLY Pose

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist
 

The posture of this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes is BUTTERFLY pose, in the sessions your child will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin to find the happy and calming 'Mountain Butterflies'.

 

What BUTTERFLY Pose Looks Like

 

 

How To Do It (What to tell your child)

Sit up on the floor, or on a little cushion, and bring the soles of your feet together. Hold onto your feet with both hands and gently move your knees up and down as if your legs are butterfly wings. Imagine what colour your wings might be. Note: Encourage your child to sit up as straight as they can, pushing up through their sit bones (see ‘Why it is good for me’ section below for more detail on this)

Want to Make it Harder? 

Sit on the floor with your feet together as above. This time hold onto your big toes with your index fingers, balance on your bottom, and lift your legs up one at a time. 

Then try to lift them both together! Slowly try to straighten your legs like the wings of a big butterfly. To rest, lean forward over your feet like a sleeping butterfly.

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

Butterfly pose will help to improve your child’s sitting balance, sitting posture and arm movements. When doing the pose encourage your child to ‘push up’ from the surface they are sitting on, through their ‘sit bones’ (their ‘ischial tuberosities') which are at the base of their pelvis. To do this your child should think about gently rocking their hip bones (the two bony points they can feel at the front of their bodies on both sides, below their tummy button) forward and arching their lower back. 

It is interesting to note that generally babies develop this ability to push up through their sit bones and lengthen their spines at around 6 months and this action is extremely important for allowing freer movement of the arms whilst in the sitting position.

Classroom seats do nothing to encourage this movement. These seats tend to be ‘bucket’ shaped and can cause your child to slump. In a slumped position your child will rock their pelvis backwards, curling their lower back rather than arching it. This incorrect pelvic position leads to a poor sitting posture which consequently might affect their arm movements. By doing Butterfly pose your child will be reminded to rock their pelvis into a better position, this will improve their sitting posture and the quality of their arm movements. Who would have thought Butterfly pose is as prewriting skill?!

 

Make it Multi-Sensory, Educational & Fun

Through the magic of a Tatty Bumpkin class butterfly pose can become both a multi-sensory and an educational activity.  In Tatty Bumpkin classes we always try to stimulate a variety of senses, to add to the fun, give choice & to help the learning process.
 
All our classes are linked to the new 2012 EYFS framework meaning that your child will have the opportunity to progress in all areas of their development, giving them a truly holistic experience. 
 
Children love doing things together, by watching others they also learn a great deal – often finding out a better way of doing things.
 
Tatty Bumpkin will be doing BUTTERFLY pose as part of her adventure into the mountains; she will be off on a quest to find the calming and happy butterflies to cheer up the gloomy frogs and calm the busy people!

Wrapping the pose inside a story, means your child will get involved in the story and find the exercises more meaningful and hence more fun to do.

Find your local Tatty Bumpkin class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html