Side-Step
Skills:
Physical: side to side movement, agility, balance, lower extremity coordination, gross motor skill
Cognitive: sustained attention
Social: turn taking (if doing activity with more than one person)
Number of participants:
one
Equipment:
optional: cones or masking tape
Description:
- child steps side-to-side to the left and to the right
Modifications to make the activity easier:
Change the environment: use cones to mark the distance that the child must side step to decrease cognitive demand
Change the task:
- have the child do 1-3 side steps only to decrease physical demand
- have the child hold the coach’s hand to complete the activity to decrease physical demand
Modifications to make the activity harder:
Change the environment:
- have child complete the activity in a noisy room to increase cognitive demand
- complete activity with more children to increase social demand
Change the task:
- have the child look straight ahead while side stepping to increase physical demand
- encourage the child to side step then shuffle to increase physical and cognitive demand
- have the child change directions while side stepping (e.g., 3 side steps to left, 3 side steps to right) to increase physical and cognitive demand
Goal examples:
- the child will be able to side-step for 10 steps in both directions (left and right) while looking forward
- I can side-step
