Hand-eye coordination–you just do it like it’s second nature, right? This is a skill that allows you to perform many daily tasks well and with ease such as driving, writing, or playing ball with your kiddo. For kids who are still developing these skills, it’s important to encourage using hand-eye coordination during play as well as throughout the day. Keep an eye on the ultimate prize of improving their skills with every hand-eye coordination task at hand.
What is Hand-Eye Coordination?
You can count on hand-eye coordination to assist in completing daily tasks, but what is it? Hand-eye coordination means that you are using visual input to coordinate hand movements in response. This is why you are able to catch a ball coming your way without missing it or allowing it to hit you. Something as simple as picking up an object also involves hand-eye coordination. With strong hand-eye coordination, a person will be able to pick up an object without fail. You absolutely need this skill on a daily basis, which is why it’s so important to nurture in your kiddo.
Practice is Best
What better way to improve hand-eye coordination than with a little practice? Repetition helps kids learn. If you know what your child likes to do and is interested in, you can use that knowledge to help suggest hand-eye coordination activities. When your child is playing, you can bet that they are learning too! Here are a few areas to explore.
Get Active
Use sports balls for playtime. Your child doesn’t need to be part of a sports team to reap the benefits of playing with toy balls. You can play catch with your little one or allow them to bounce the ball around as a solo activity. If your child still isn’t a fan, replace the ball with a different item. Try bubbles, for example. Blow bubbles and see how many your child can pop with a single blow. Keep a tally and challenge your child to beat their score each time they pop a bubble.
Use Pen and Paper
Is writing boring? Think again! Writing can be a total blast while keeping your little one entertained. They may even want to come back for more writing time later. You can check out writing activities from our previous blog here. Just have fun with it!
Puzzles, Board Games, and Blocks
Many classic toys and games offer a way for your child to work on hand-eye coordination skills. It goes to show you that you don’t need fancy or expensive toys to help your child learn and grow. What matters is that they are having fun and learning from the experiences that they have.
Problems with Hand-Eye Coordination in Kids
Hand-eye coordination is a skill that we easily take for granted. We use it every day after all! For kiddos who fall behind on this skill, completing tasks can be a different story. Kids with poor hand-eye coordination may avoid certain activities, neglect personal hygiene, struggle academically, and miss out on social opportunities such as playing sports with their friends. You may also notice other symptoms such as clumsiness, poor attention, holding objects too close to the eyes, and frustration. Poor hand-eye coordination can be a symptom of conditions like cerebral palsy or developmental delays. Occupational therapy is a recommended go-to for kids with hand-eye coordination issues. An occupational therapist will assist by assessing your child’s individual skill level. They will be able to provide hand-eye coordination tasks for your kiddo that are both challenging yet completable. Parents will begin to see improvements in no time!
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