5 Ways You Can Help Your Clumsy Kid

5 Ways You Can Help Your Clumsy Kid

All kids are clumsy, especially right after a growth spurt, but sometimes that ungainliness lingers. If you’ve noticed your kid is more likely to fall, bump into furniture, or trip over their own feet than their friends, it’s time to accept you have a chronically clumsy child. Here are some things to consider that will help your child navigate the world a little safer.

1. Identify risky situations and places

A little preventative care can go a long way. Take the time to think about when, where, and how your child breaks things or hurts themselves. If you notice a pattern in the time or place, then you’ve identified a risky situation and/or environment. Once you know when and where they’re more likely to get into trouble, make the changes you need to eliminate the risk.

If they’re quite active despite their clumsy nature, then they probably like to run and jump in the backyard. Try limiting their play area to a fenced in area, so you can keep a better eye on them while they’re playing.

2. Join a mommy and kid yoga class

Sometimes, you can trace their issues back to their core strength. If weak stomach muscles are the culprit, then it’s time you help them work their abs and develop better balance skills. Try joining a yoga class for parents and kids to improve their balance skills and hand-eye coordination. Don’t worry if there isn’t a local class available. You can find family workout and yoga videos online. If you’d rather get out in the sunshine, you can also rely on old-school exercises like hopscotch and skip rope to help work their core.

3. Start a family puzzle game night

Dexterity doesn’t rely solely on their abs. Coordination involves a lot of skills and physicals factors, including their visual perception and spatial awareness. While regular exercise can help tone their muscles and improve their physical coordination, games that put their mental muscles to the test can help them improve their agility, too. Make family game night a regular event in your house, focusing on puzzle games that work their perceptual skills.

4. Wrap their tech up in skins

Okay, let’s be honest—this fourth tip will help you and your budget, too. Tablets, iPads, laptops, and smartphones are all highly delicate and easily dropped machines. If you don’t take their protection into your own hands, your clumsy kid will inevitably damage these gadgets. Whether they drop it to the floor, slam it in a door, or slide it along the asphalt, there’s no knowing what kind of damage they can cause.

Prevent most of it with a customized skin from a company like dbrand. They’ve partnered with 3M vinyl to create an accessory that provides unparalleled coverage without any nasty adhesive. The whole catalog of dbrand skins comes with scratch-free, grime-free, and water-resistant protection, saving gadgets not just from daily wear and tear but your kid’s heavy-handed use, too. You can find something that will fit the most common devices, from Android and iPhone skins, tablet an iPad skins, and even their new 100% safe Nintendo Switch skins for the little gamer.

5. Stock a great first aid kit

Despite your best efforts, your kid is going to get into things, and they’ll come running to when they’ve hurt themselves. While a simple kiss can fix the most basic boo-boos, you’ll want a first aid kit for more serious injuries. Stock your first aid kit according to these standards to ensure your best healing abilities when faced with a cut, bruise, or burn.

Better than a fully-stocked first aid kit is a well-developed set of critical thinking skills. If you’ve noticed an increase in your child’s injuries or a change in the way they’re getting around, make an appointment with your pediatrician. There could be a medical reason why your child is so clumsy, so you’ll want their professional opinion to rule out simple things or more serious conditions aren’t the reason behind your kid’s issues.

In most cases, it’s just that your child isn’t as graceful as other kids. They may never grow up to be a dancer, but that doesn’t matter. With these simple steps, you can help them get through childhood with fewer scrapes and bruises.

How do you help your child?

Let me know, til then–cheers m’deres!