Coordination

Coordination is an important part of your child’s development. Coordination refers to “the ability to execute smooth, accurate, controlled motor responses (optimal interaction of muscle function).”¹ Coordination exercises will typically target visual motor skills and bilateral skills. As your child develops, coordination will improve. There are also a variety of activities your child can do that help improve their coordination and balance.

Types of Coordination

Coordination exercises will focus on fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and hand-eye skills. Fine motor skills involve the fine movements of the hand, like writing, and are usually perfected in occupational therapy. Gross motor skills require the coordination of large muscle groups and movements and require bilateral coordination and eye-foot coordination. Hand-eye skills or visual-motor skills coordinate what the eyes are seeing with movement, such as catching a ball or hitting a ball with a bat.

Physical therapists usually address gross motor skills and coordination. Bilateral coordination is a key component of your child’s ability to move independently. Bilateral coordination is the ability to coordinate movements on both sides of the body. Examples of this are skipping or holding the paper with one hand while writing with the other. Hand-eye and eye-foot coordination are another huge developmental step for your child. Your child needs to be able to take in visual cues and respond accordingly. This can be to push or pull a door handle or kick or throw a ball. This type of coordination is necessary to be able to plan movements.

Coordination Activities for Kids

Coordination activities are really easy to incorporate into your child’s lifestyle. Luckily, your child is probably already participating in a lot of activities that help improve their coordination. Coordination typically naturally develops as your child grows older, as “children will oftentimes naturally develop these skills during playtime with balls of various sizes, hula hoops, and jump ropes.”²

When your child is running around at school or climbing on the playground, they are already helping to develop their coordination. Other fun activities to include are ball tosses, kicking a ball, a bean bag throw, skipping or hopping on one leg (like hopscotch), riding a bike, or using lacing cards. Another fun game to play with your child is “Follow the Leader,” where you can present them with different movements such as balancing on the right foot while raising the left arm or even marching in place.

Coordination usually develops and improves with time, so don’t be alarmed if your child isn’t mastering balance or throwing at age 1. Once they reach the age of 3 they should be starting to run and jump. However, at this time movements are still uncoordinated and won’t become refined until your child is older. Motor development comes with time, but if you see that your child is struggling relative to their peers, it’s always a good idea to take them to your pediatrician to see if there are any motor development delays. If your child is struggling with anything, a physical therapist will be able to help.

• References

  1. “Coordination Exercises,” Physiopedia, January 12, 2022, https://www.physio-pedia.com/Coordination_Exercises.

  2. “Coordination Exercises for Kids,” Your Therapy Source, October 21, 2019, https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2019/10/21/coordination-exercises-for-kids-2/.