At high school, I had a clever and talented friend who threw herself into a range of extra-curricular activities. She was in the top Maths and Science classes and was technologically-minded (in fact, she was often called upon by teachers to help fix the DVD player/ Smart Board / photocopier). She had a natural flair for baking, painting and photography. However, when it came to school drama and dance productions, she was out of her depth. No matter how many times she practised, she could never pick up even simple dance routines. Dancing in a group, she would always be noticeably one step behind. When singing and clapping in a chorus she would forget the rhythm. My friend just could not master the sequencing needed in these tasks.

Difficulty with movement-related sequencing is most obvious in dance routines and sports games, where skills such as timing, focus and co-ordination come into play. The aspect of sequencing is also linked to balance and integration.

Juggling is a great skill to master to improve movement-related sequencing. When someone goes through the steps, becoming competent in each one and building on that to get to the next stage, suddenly they are pleased to find they can juggle! Learning to juggle boosts confidence and builds skills such as focus, integration and co-ordination. It is fun to teach and to learn and, while challenging, is relatively easy to pick up. Our training group had to learn how to juggle in order to teach the skill, and I have wonderful memories of us all variously frowning and giggling as we practised…and practised..