The importance of open ended toys for kids - especially those of small ages - is undeniable. I've often been amazed by the uses my kid finds for her Waldorf hand kite and the hours she can spend playing with her sensory bins filled with our homemade natural dyed rice. When I was offered the opportunity to review the wooden balance board by CurveLab, I was thrilled to be able to give her such a great open ended toy with such versatile uses! It's true too! There are many ways to play with it! Here are 14+1 uses for a balance board!
CurveLab is a Greek company that makes wooden kids furniture for the last 30 years. They work with big European brands and export 90% of their production. Their retail servises aim to lower the price of the middle man and create an affordable product of great quality.
I was send two of their boards. The Perfect Arc and the Little Arc. Each of them can sustain 160kg which is really impressive! The Perfect Arc is designed for kids of 2+ years of age and the Little Arc is for our little ones from 0-2 years of age. We use both in our house and we still haven't figured out all the ways we can incorporate them in our day to day play! Some of our favorite ways to use the balance board are shown below.
14 + 1 uses for a balance board
1. Balancing - rocking standing up
This is the first thing that almost everyone does when they step on a balance board. They plant their feet apart and start rocking from side to side by bending one knee at a time. It's a great energetic play!
2. Balancing - rocking sitting down
Sit down, hold on to one of the sides and rock on!
3. Balancing - rocking lying down
You really need to try this! It's so relaxing! It can be a great pre-sleep routine for your little ones too!
4. Balancing - rocking lying down on your stomach
This is a great way to relax your spine (take care if you have problems, I am not a chiropractic or doctor). I really like the gentle sway of the board in this position!
5. Balancing - rocking cross legged
Another favorite of mine. I love to sit on the balance board cross legged (yoga style) and knit or crochet while I rock gently. It's almost like meditating, only better!
6. Lying down to read
Definitely a favorite one for my little girl! She's a bookworm through and through and this board is a perfect smoothly rocking bed for her reading adventures!
14 + 1 uses for a balance board
7. Stepping on top
Turn your balance board around and make in into a step for your exersice! The Little Arc is perfect for beginners and the Perfect Arc will give you a more vigorous work out!
8. Glide away
Definitely a kids favorite! Use the balance board as a slide. Place it against a couch or a small furniture and glide away!
9. Yoga on board
Don't knock it till you try it! Do a little YouTube search and you'll see what I mean! You're welcome!
10. Turn it into a doll house
That was actually the first thing my daughter did when she saw the board. Well, actually the second, the first one was to hop on and start rocking. Anyway, she immediately put all the dollhouse inhabitants on the board and started creating a story about how they were going to see a movie in the cinema. See? That's what an open ended toy does! It doesn't restrict kids and doesn't put them into forms and rules. It allows them to explore and imagine!
14 + 1 uses for a balance board
11. Turn it into a road
Second most popular use is turning the balance board into a road! Dolls, toys, cars, they all use the road and you can even hear an ambulance go by (in our house it's a favorite mimic of hers).
12. Turn it into a doll bed
If there's a kid who doesn't want to put their dolls/playmobils/toys to sleep, I haven't met them yet! My daughter is all about feeding and looking after her big doll Lola and much of the time, we can find her tucked away on the balance board with a few blankets (fabric scraps) on top.
13. Turn it into a horse
My daughter adores horses! She loves to go horse back riding every chance we get! And - if I may say so myself - she's very talented and in-sync with the horses. So, it came as to no surprise to me that she would turn the balance board into a horse for one of her plays. She would put a ribbon through the hole and turn it into reins and then she would "gallop" away!
14. Turn it into a table
She sits on the Little Arc and places her drawing pad on the Perfect Arc. It's an impromptu table!
14 + 1 uses for a balance board
+1. Rocking cuddles
I saved the best for last. Rocking cuddles! Either standing with our legs apart or sitting down cuddling, this is by far our favorite way to use the balance board! It resembles the way I used to sway her to sleep when she was a baby and it's really fun too! Connecting through play is the best way to connect to our little ones and - hopefully - something that will stay with them for the years to come!
My unbiased opinion about these two balance boards is that they are amazing! As with all open ended toys they are versatile and open up a world of play and learning opportunities through play for our kids. The natural material and the minimal style is perfect for any house. They are also extremely usefull for adults too. Their quality and finishes are excellent and they leave nothing to be desired!
If you are thinking of using the balance board on hardwood or tiled floors I would suggest to get the cork option. You might not be able to use it as a slide but it will be safer and easier to enjoy! And if you are thinking of gifting them, there's also a personalization option!