Body Awareness



Learning of all types will be late until a child has developed a realistic concept of body image. Many kids who are learning disabled have incomplete or weak body image systems and require extensive training to develop body awareness through vision, touch and muscle sense. Here are some activities to improve body image and body awareness:

  1. Have the child look into a mirror and see where his head is. He notes the position of eyes, ears, nose, mought, eyebrows, cheeks, forehead, chin, etc. Have the child touch his body parts as he names them.
  2. Have the child put "face puzzles" together. Later make a puzzle of the whole person and have the child put it together, naming and feeling the parts. Have clothing made to fit a paper doll. Have the child trace on the paper and cut up and put together or dress the original doll, naming parts.
  3. Use worksheets containing drawings of people with missing features. Have the child tell you which parts are missing, then complete the drawing.
  4. In front of a mirror, have the child stand tall (arms above head), stand small (crouch down), stand wide (arms at sides), stand narrow (arms hugging himself), stand happy, sad, angry, excited, tired, etc.
  5. Exercises increase body awareness and thus improve body image. Use balance boards, balance beams, chinning bars, ropes, swinging, hopping, rolling, skipping, jumping-jacks, etc.
  6. Make up fun activities like Simon Says to practice body awareness and image. Make them creative and don't afraid to be "silly" with movements. Be sure to incorporate verbal skills along with pointing and touching. Have a mirror handy so that the child has plenty of opportunity to see himself performing different activities, or just to look at himself. Have him draw self portraits and portraits of others.


Have fun!!