• Lead by Example: Draw attention to your own posture and show your child what sitting up tall looks like.
• Mirror: Using a mirror is a great way to show your child what their posture looks like or what it should look like.  Specifically, having them stand sideways can making slouching more apparent.
• Chair: The chair your child uses can make a huge difference in their posture.  It is important for their feet to rest flat on the floor and that their knees are bent roughly 90 degrees.  It is also important to look at the length of the seat.  If the back of the chair does not touch your child's back while their feet are on the ground place a pillow in between the space for support.  If the only chair you have to use is so high that your child's feet are dangling in the air, place a stool or wooden block underneath for their feet to rest flat on.
• Desk:  The height of the desk is also important.  It should hit slightly above your child's belly button in the middle of their trunk.  If it is too low, your child will slouch forward to reach their work.  If it is too high, your child will have to elevate their shoulders towards their ears raise their arms up to reach what they are doing and will therefore, be overusing certain neck and shoulder muscles.  If your child is too low at the table, you can place pillows or cushions under their bottom but then again may need to place something under their feet so they do not hang.
• Set Limits:  It is important to set time limits on computer/television/video game sessions.  Try limiting bursts of these activites to 20 minutes at a time.  After 20 minutes, encourage your child to get up and move around for a while.

If you have been working on your child's posture and do not see improvement or if your child complains of pain or seems unable to sit still for periods of time, they may have some underlying muscle tightness or weakness that makes a good, neutral posture very difficult to achieve.  If you suspect this, consult with your therapist or your pediatrician if your child does not yet receive physical therapy. 

 Keeping with the back to school theme, parents are often concerned about how the weight, type, and structure of their child's backpack will ultimately affect their posture and function.  If worn improperly or weighted down too much, backpacks can cause neck and back strain, poor posture, and can even impair blood from circulating properly to the arms and hands.  Here are some general guidelines to assist with choosing the right backpack

• Choose a backpack that has wide, padded shoulder straps, which allow for better distribution of weight than thin straps.
• Encourage your child to always use both shoulder straps when wearing their backpack.  This will prevent one shoulder from experiencing wear and tear from accepting the entire weight of the backpack and will also prevent asymmetrical trunk muscle recruitment.
• Choose a backpack that has a waist strap and/or chest strap.  This gives extra support and helps to unweight some of the load directly from the shoulders and back.
• Different resources vary slightly on the ideal weight of the backpack. The general consensus is that your child's backpack should preferably weigh around 5-10% of their body weight and definitely should not exceed 15% of their body weight.
• Choose a backpack that is padded in the area that will be against your child's back.  This will help to prevent sharp edges of books or other objects from pushing into your child's back.
• Make sure your child's backpack does not hang down below their waist while it is on.  This places even more stress on the shoulders and back and causes a posterior force that your child will most likely counteract by rounding their shoulders forward and bending forward at the waist.

To find out more about backpack safety, you can visit Backpack Safety and Awareness.