In the world of occupational therapy, we often talk about “Midline Crossing.” But what exactly is it, and why is it so important for our kiddos?
Crossing midline refers to the child’s ability to move their arms and hands across the imaginary line that divides their body in half. Midline crossing activities engage both sides of the brain, helping to develop the coordinated use of the body and its parts. This seemingly simple action is actually a crucial developmental step in building brain pathways to help lay the foundation for many important skills, including:
- Bilateral coordination: The ability to use both hands together, like when writing, dressing, or playing sports.
- Visual motor integration: The ability to coordinate eye movements with hand movements, essential for reading, writing, and drawing.
- Spatial awareness: Understanding where your body is in space and how it relates to other objects.
- Cognitive development: Crossing midline is linked to improved attention, memory, and problem-solving skills.
Why is Midline Crossing Important for Kids?
- Improved Handwriting: Crossing midline is essential for forming letters that extend beyond the center of the page.
- Improved Dressing Skills: Kiddos need to cross midline in order to reach and manipulate buttons, zippers, and other clothing fasteners.
- Enhanced Play Skills: Crossing midline is necessary for activities like building blocks, playing catch, and drawing.
- Increased Self-Care Independence: Kiddos who can cross midline are better able to perform daily tasks like brushing their teeth, combing their hair, and tying their shoes.
7 Fun Exercises to Improve Midline Crossing
1. Play-Doh Play and incorporating “Crossovers“
Have your child roll out Play-Doh snakes and then use their opposite hand to cross the midline and connect the snakes. Have your kiddo cross at the midline reaching to pick and place Play-Doh pieces to put into containers. Use utensils such as forks, spoons, and knives, using hands together to increase the challenge and functional use of the activity. Get Play-Doh here!
2. Balloon Volleyball
Use a balloon to play volleyball, encouraging your child to hit the balloon across the midline with their dominant and/or non-dominant hand. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the air as you can change it up to hit the balloon from the ground. Try using the feet to cross midline to kick the balloon as well. Need balloons?
3. Bean Bag Toss
Have your child toss bean bags into a basket or bucket placed across their midline. Place targets for your kiddos to aim at to knock down. Use bean bags to grab, reaching across midline to pick them up. Add difficulty by rolling either on their tummy or back on a therapy ball or peanut ball to grab bean bags while crossing midline.
4. Mirror Drawing
Have your child draw a simple shape on a piece of paper, then have them try to copy the shape on another piece of paper while looking in a mirror. Perform any drawing or coloring activity where your kiddo has to reach across the midline of the paper with the same hand. Go outside and do this with sidewalk chalk.
5. Cross-Body Reaching
Place objects on either side of your child’s body and have them reach across their midline to grab them. Use bean bags such as in the example above. Use games that you already have. Pick up the game pieces reaching across midline with the opposite hand for each turn. Sit in a chair to increase the reaching distance, reaching across the table or to the floor. You can use, food, stuffed animals, toys, blocks, and puzzle pieces.
6. Cross-Body Clapping
Have your child clap their hands together, alternating between clapping their hands in front of them and clapping them across their midline. Do variations of “patty cake” patterns with your kiddos, performing across the body hand/lap pats and claps. Use colors or stickers as visuals to clap or pat onto if it’s difficult.
7. Obstacle Course
Create an obstacle course that requires your child to cross midline, such as stepping over objects, crawling under furniture, or reaching for objects placed across their body. Check out our Gross Motor Products page for additional items to use for obstacle courses.
Remember:
- Start with simple activities and gradually increase the difficulty.
- Make it fun and engaging! Use games, songs, and other motivating strategies.
- Be patient and encourage your child’s efforts.
By incorporating these exercises and activities into your child’s playtime, you can help them develop essential skills for crossing midline, thus leading to improved coordination, visual motor integration, and overall development. And as I always like to emphasize, be creative, and have fun!
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