Crossing the midline is a very important skill for kids to master. Your midline divides your body in half down the middle left to right, across your middle separating top and bottom and along your side separating front and back. By crossing the midline, your brain is learning to communicate between the hemispheres. When children are unable to cross the midline, they don't develop a dominant hand and will have troubles reading, writing and cooridination.
With the introduction of iPads and tablets into our society, we are noticing a HUGE decline in the small muscle control in young children. They are able to make a swiping motion but are unable to hold a pencil or crayon, use scissors, use spoon or fork effectively, etc. We have also found that kids are having a really tough time sitting without support. At circle time, kids are expected to sit criss cross applesauce or legs straight out without supporting their body with their hands behind them. Many children are experiencing a great difficulty in sitting this way for more than a minute or two.
This come from sitting in chairs or on the couch for extended periods of time. Please encourage your child to sit independently on the floor...read a book, play a game or color!
Here are some activities that will help your child more fully develop crossing their midline.
Right Brain/Left Brain Teasers-
a. Pop bubbles with only one hand (they will have to reach across their body to pop the bubbles floating on the opposite side).
b. Reach for bean bags, balls, stuffed animals, or other objects across midline, then throwing at a target.
c. Draw large figure eights (the infinity sign or an 8 turned on its side) on paper, on the floor with a finger, in the air with a finger, or drive a matchbox car around a figure eight pattern.
d. Let the child play with sand, scooping sand from one side of the body and putting it into a bucket on the opposite side of the body without switching hands.
e. Let the child pretend to drive a car with a ball in his/her hands to use as a steering wheel and encourage the crossing of his/her arms as he/she turns the ‘steering wheel’ Or…In order to make this similar in style to most of the others—Pretend to drive a car with a ball in both hands to use as a steering wheel and cross both arms while turning the “steering wheel”.
f. Play flashlight tag. In a dimmed room, lie on your backs and have the child follow your flashlight beam projected on the wall with his own flashlight.
g. Touch the opposite elbow and knee.
h. Cross one foot over the other while walking sideways.
i. Do “grapevine” walks.
j. Knee Slap Walk- Walk around raising each knee while touching/slapping it with the opposite hand (or elbow). Change it to a skip while touching the opposite knee as it comes up.
k. Windmills-Stand with feet spread apart and arms extended out to the sides. Bend over at waist and tap right hand to left foot. Stand back up and then bend and tap left hand to right foot.
l. Point your left finger out and put your right thumb up. Switch them, and switch, and switch, and switch…
m. Hold your nose, then cross the other hand over and grab your opposite ear. Slap your thighs and switch your hands…switch, slap, switch, slap…
n. Write your name in the air while rotating your foot in a circle clockwise.
o. Wash the car and make sure the arms cross midline while scrubbing.
From North Shore Pediatric Therapy Site.
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