Does you child swap hands midway through a task?
Do they rotate their trunk when reaching across the body?
The body’s midline refers to the imaginary line down the centre of the body that decides left and right. Crossing the midline is an important developmental skill necessary for everyday tasks like putting on shoes and socks. This is important to establish before your child starts school, as it is a key skill that underlies your child's ability to write, draw and cut.
Here are some tips you can try to encourage midline crossing:
1. Threading activities
2. Placing stickers on one arm and getting them to remove it with the opposite hand
3. Pushing toy trucks and cars while crawling on the floor along a path made with tape; create lots of turns and waves
4. Make figure 8s and other motions with streamers; one hand at a time and crossing left and right
5. Play sorting games: place objects to sort on the left side and containers to place them in on the right side: sort coins, cars vs. trucks, pompoms, marbles etc.
If you notice your child has ongoing challenges with crossing the midline, contact us on 3186 1390 or by clicking on the link below - our friendly Occupational Therapists are happy to assist!