I love when we find an activity that brings out a whole new level of concentration and focus in our daughter.
This balance beam did exactly that! Just look at that face. She’s a girl on a mission to make it across the beam!
My husband build the beam with a left over 2×4 from a recent home project. He secured “feet” to the end of the board. I hot glued a small amount of non-slip shelf liner under the feet to prevent them from slipping on our tile floors.
When we first introduced the balance beam, Emmy wanted some extra balance from either the couch or dad (or both).
As she got more comfortable with her balance, we would move the bean farther and father away from the couch until she was having to balance without assistance. It was very challenging for her. But we kept cheering her on! Every time she would fall we would encourage her to try again. It was a great opportunity to teach her the power of practicing and perseverance.
The balance beam stores perfectly under our couch when not in use, which is a rare occurrence! It’s wild how much a simple piece of leftover wood has been such a constant source of entertainment in our house.
If you are looking for more physically challenging activities, be sure to check out our DIY obstacle course:
