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Objectives : The purpose of the present study is to assess the effect of circus activity training on postural control of 5–6-year old children.

Material and methods : Two groups of 5–6-year old children (12 practicing circus activities and 12 controls) voluntarily participated in this study. Children were asked to stand as still as possible on a force platform with eyes open and closed in a static posture and in two dynamic postures (in the sagittal or frontal plane). Postural control was assessed with centre of pressure excursions.

Results : The results revealed that Circus group children have significant (P < .05) better postural control than controls. The significant (P < .05) effect of postural task difficulty on postural control was similar for both groups. Removal of vision decreases significantly (P < .05) the postural control of both groups similarly in all postures. This effect increased significantly (P < .05) when the difficulty of the postural task increased.

Conclusion : Our results suggest that 2 years of experience in circus activity training improves postural control of 5–6-year old children. Nevertheless, this effect could not nullify the common effect of removing vision on postural control of these children.