Sliding is like a gallop, but to the side instead of forwards. The body is turned sideways so that the shoulders remain aligned with a line on the ground. The child takes a step sideways with the lead foot, followed by a slide with the trailing foot, where both feet come off the ground briefly. The child can complete four continuous slides to the preferred side, and four continuous slides to the non-preferred side. With children in the three years age group, you may find the trailing leg maintaining contact with the ground and being dragged to the lead leg, rather than being airborne, as this may be too difficult. The airborne movement can be developed with practice and encouragement, such as instructing the child to use light springing steps, rather than dragging their foot. Some common errors that children experience with sliding include: allowing feet to cross during the movement, and the child’s body turning so that the hips and shoulders no longer face forwards. Some corrections and verbal cues to address these common errors could include: encourage correct movement of the feet by directing children to step, slide, step, slide, and encourage children to face forward and slide to the side, following the line on the ground.
