#  >> K-12 >> K-12 For Parents

Activities for the Hand & Eye

Simple tasks such as tying shoe lacing, picking up a coffee mug or catching a ball need the eyes and hands working together. The eyes guide and direct your attention while the hands carry out the actual task. Hand-eye coordination develops throughout childhood. To improve this ability in children, have them perform certain repetitive activities.
  1. Art Work

    • Most kids love to draw, color and paint. Fortunately, these activities also help them develop their hand-eye coordination. When coloring in a coloring book, the child uses her eyes to stay within the lines. Painting at an easel forces a child to not only coordination her eyes and hands but also her entire arm. Give your child pictures to trace so her eye has to follow the lines as her hand traces them.

    Reading

    • Help your child learn to read and develop his hand-eye coordination at the same time. Instruct him to use a penlight while reading to highlight the words as he reads them or have him follow the words with his finger. He can also underline them with a pencil or highlight them with a marker. Have him trace letters or short words on paper.

    Dress Up

    • Plan dress up activities with your kid. This could mean the child dressing herself in interesting outfits. She has to coordination her foot through a pant leg, manipulate the buttons on the shirt or line up a zipper. You can also have her dress and undress dolls. She must fit the doll's arms and legs into the doll clothing then get them out again.

    Blocks

    • To stack blocks, the eyes and hands must first communicate to pick the block up then communicate again to set it back down in the correct spot. So encourage your child to build towers, forts and shapes.

    Playing in the Dirt

    • Digging and scooping also helps build hand-eye coordination. Take your kid to the beach or a sandbox so he can dig holes in the sand using his hands, plastic shovels or buckets. Or build a sand castle together. He must not only scoop the sand but deposit it in a bucket then flip the bucket over in the location he wants.

    Throwing Games

    • Set up throwing activities with your child. Play catch in the backyard. She not only has to be able to throw the ball to you but watch it come at her and catch it with her hands. Start with a larger ball them progress to a smaller. Have her toss a beanbag into a box or through a hula hoop. Or set up some empty plastic bottles and have her throw a ball at them. Bat a balloon back and forth.

Learnify Hub © www.0685.com All Rights Reserved