Flying Hero and Curly Bug

Two short “hold it!” poses — flying on the tummy and curling up on the back — that strengthen the anti-gravity muscles a child needs to sit up tall without slumping.

  1. Flying Hero: the child lies on their tummy on a rug. On “Take off!” they lift head, chest, arms, and legs off the floor together — arms out front or swept back like wings, knees fairly straight.
  2. Count aloud together while they hold. Stop the count the moment the chest or thighs touch down. Rest.
  3. Curly Bug: the child lies on their back, crosses arms over the chest, pulls knees up, and lifts their head so the chin tucks toward the knees — “a bug curled up tight.”
  4. Count the hold again. Stop when the head drops back. Rest.
  5. Do each pose 2–3 times. Give each hold a purpose: the hero flies to rescue a teddy placed just out of reach; the bug hides from a pretend bird.

Variation: in Flying Hero, roll a ball back and forth with the child or have them blow a cotton ball to you while they hold. In Curly Bug, rock gently side to side without uncurling.

Requirements

  • Space: A body-length patch of clear floor
  • Surface: Rug, carpet, yoga mat, or folded blanket
  • Materials: None; optional soft ball, cotton ball, or teddy to "rescue"
  • Participants: 1 adult + 1 child (adult counts and does it too)
  • Supervision: Light — adult counts, encourages, and watches for breath-holding

Rationale & Objective

These two poses are the home version of prone extension and supine flexion, positions occupational therapists have used since Ayres’s time as clinical observations of vestibular-postural function. The vestibular system drives the extensor muscles that hold the head and trunk up against gravity, and in Ayres’s research weak prone extension clustered with vestibular and bilateral-integration difficulties (Lane et al., 2019). Published norms show the skill is still emerging at five — four-year-olds are very variable, while most children can hold a good prone extension for about 30 seconds by six to eight (Harris, 1981; Gregory-Flock & Yerxa, 1984). The same trunk muscles do the quiet work of sitting upright at a table: a child who tires after a few seconds here often props their head on a hand or slides down the chair during drawing and mealtimes. The game is practice, not a test — a short hold says little on its own.

Progress Indicators

  • Early: lifts only head and arms, or only legs; knees bend sharply; holds 2–5 seconds; in Curly Bug the head drops back almost at once; holds breath
  • Developing: lifts chest and thighs together for 5–10 seconds; curls up with head off the floor for 5–10 seconds; some wobbling and rocking
  • Proficient: holds a smooth Flying Hero for 15–20 seconds and a Curly Bug for about as long; keeps breathing and can talk or count while holding
  • Advanced: holds either pose for 25–30 seconds; rolls a ball or blows a cotton ball while holding; at the table, sits upright through a whole drawing or meal without propping

Safety Notes

  • Use a padded surface — hip bones and the spine press into a hard floor
  • Watch for breath-holding and a red face; get the child to count or hum aloud so they keep breathing
  • Keep the neck in a comfortable line — looking forward at the floor a little ahead, not craning the head far back
  • Stop at fatigue or shaking; quality matters more than seconds, and pushing for a longer count teaches straining
  • A child who finds these very hard and also slumps, tires easily, or seems floppy in everyday play may benefit from a check with a pediatrician or pediatric occupational or physical therapist

Hints

  • Playfulness: give the hero a mission — fly over the city to deliver a letter you pass into their outstretched hands. The bug hides while you “peck” around looking for it
  • Sustain interest: keep a “flight time” chart with a sticker for each try rather than each record; let the child time your hold with a kitchen timer
  • Common mistake: counting too fast or praising only the number. Cheer for a smooth lift and a long, straight body — a wobbly 20 seconds is worth less than a steady 8
  • Limited space: no floor space needed beyond a bath towel. For a gentler version, the child lies tummy-down over a sofa cushion and “flies” from there
  • Cross-domain: count the hold forward, then backward from five (numeracy); the hero sounds out the name of who they are rescuing (phonological awareness); compare “longer than” and “shorter than” yesterday (measurement language)
  • Progression: arms-only or legs-only lift → full lift for a few seconds → 10-second holds → add a ball roll or cotton-ball blow → 20–30-second holds → flying hero lying over a cushion with hands reaching for objects

Sources

  • Ayres, A.J. — Sensory Integration and the Child (vestibular influence on muscle tone and posture)
  • Harris, N.P. (1981), “Duration and quality of the prone extension position in four-, six-, and eight-year-old normal children,” American Journal of Occupational Therapy 35(1)
  • Gregory-Flock, J.L. & Yerxa, E.J. (1984), “Standardization of the prone extension postural test on children ages 4 through 8,” American Journal of Occupational Therapy 38(3)
  • Lane, S.J., Mailloux, Z., Schoen, S. et al. (2019), “Neural Foundations of Ayres Sensory Integration,” Brain Sciences 9(7)
  • Wilson, B.N., Pollock, N., Kaplan, B.J. & Law, M. — Clinical Observations of Motor and Postural Skills (COMPS): prone extension and supine flexion items
  • Bundy, A.C. & Lane, S.J. (2020) — Sensory Integration: Theory and Practice, 3rd ed. (postural-ocular control)