What is the flamingo balance test?
The flamingo balance test measures static balance: how well a child can hold a still position on one leg. The fewer times the child loses balance in 60 seconds, the better the score.
Flamingo Balance Test diagram
Who takes the flamingo balance test
Age 5–8 — Class 1 to 3.
Equipment
- A beam, or a non-slippery even surface
- Stopwatch
Flamingo Balance Test procedure
- The child stands on one leg. The free leg is bent at the knee and the foot is held close to the buttocks with the hand on the same side, like a flamingo.
- The child may hold the instructor’s hand to get balanced. Start the watch when the instructor lets go.
- Each time the child falls (falls off the beam or lets go of the held foot), pause the watch and count one fall. Help the child back into position and resume the watch.
- Continue until a total of 60 seconds of balancing has been completed.
- If the child has more than 15 falls in the first 30 seconds, the test is terminated.
Flamingo Balance Test scoring
- Score is the number of falls in 60 seconds of balancing — fewer falls is better.
Enter the score in the fitness calculator to get the level and points for one student, or use class analysis for a whole class.
Teacher tips
- Ask the child to fix their eyes on a point straight ahead.
- Bare feet or flat shoes give the fairest result.
How to improve
Activities suggested in the Fit India protocol:
- One-foot balance
- Walking on toes
- Heel-toe walking
- Walking on a straight line
- Skipping
- Hopping
- Vrikshasana
- Walking on a beam
Flamingo Balance Test norms by age
Score ranges for each level L1–L7, for boys and girls, from the Fit India benchmarks. Points for each level are shown in the header.
Unit: falls in 60 s · Lower is better · Ranges below use the default PDF boundary rule. “—” means no score can reach that level for that age as printed in the PDF.
Boys
| Age | L1Work Harder · 2 pts | L2Must Improve · 4 pts | L3Can Do Better · 6 pts | L4Good · 7 pts | L5Very Good · 8 pts | L6Athletic · 9 pts | L7Sports Fit · 10 pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | ≥ 18 | 13–17 | 10–12 | 9 | 7–8 | 5–6 | ≤ 4 |
| 6 | ≥ 18 | 14–17 | 10–13 | 8–9 | 7 | 5–6 | ≤ 4 |
| 7 | ≥ 18 | 14–17 | 10–13 | 8–9 | 7 | 4–6 | ≤ 3 |
| 8 | ≥ 18 | 14–17 | 10–13 | 8–9 | 7 | 5–6 | ≤ 4 |
Girls
| Age | L1Work Harder · 2 pts | L2Must Improve · 4 pts | L3Can Do Better · 6 pts | L4Good · 7 pts | L5Very Good · 8 pts | L6Athletic · 9 pts | L7Sports Fit · 10 pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | ≥ 17 | 13–16 | 10–12 | 8–9 | 7 | 5–6 | ≤ 4 |
| 6 | ≥ 17 | 13–16 | 10–12 | 8–9 | 7 | 5–6 | ≤ 4 |
| 7 | ≥ 17 | 13–16 | 10–12 | 8–9 | 7 | 5–6 | ≤ 4 |
| 8 | ≥ 17 | 13–16 | 10–12 | 8–9 | 7 | 5–6 | ≤ 4 |
Source: Fitness Protocols and Guidelines for Age 5-18 Years (v1), Fit India Mission, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Section 7 Benchmarks, pages 48-57 (baseline reference for academic year 2020-21). Values verified against the PDF.
Flamingo Balance Test for Class 11 and 12 Physical Education
Students in Class 11 and 12 Physical Education often record this test in their practical file. A complete write-up ofthe flamingo balance test has the aim, the equipment, the procedure, a labelled diagram (you can redraw the one above), the scoring method and your own result with its level from the norms table.
For all the tests on one page, see the printable practical file summary on the SAI Khelo India Fitness Test page.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a fall?
Falling off (the beam or balancing position) or letting go of the held foot.
Is the flamingo balance test part of the Khelo India fitness test?
It is one of the two tests for ages 5–8 (Class 1–3) in the Fit India school fitness battery. In the CBSE Physical Education syllabus for Class 11 and 12, this battery is called the SAI Khelo India Fitness Test. The other is the Plate Tapping test.
How do I write up the flamingo balance test in a Class 12 Physical Education practical file?
Write the aim (what the flamingo balance test measures), the equipment, the procedure step by step, a labelled diagram, how it is scored, and your own result with the level from the norms table. The SAI Khelo India Fitness Test page has a printable summary of every test.