Effective bilateral coordination activities don’t need to be complicated or costly. Today, we’re showing off a fun and easy activity that uses the simplest, most affordable materials that you probably already have on hand.
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The joy of play meets some serious skill-building as we explore a fun and easy-to-implement bilateral coordination activity. But first, let’s explore why bilateral coordination is so important for kids in all of their play and functional activities throughout the day!
Why Bilateral Coordination Matters
Bilateral coordination is the ability to use both sides of the body together in a fluid and smooth way.
You may be wondering why we’re always talking about the importance of bilateral coordination activities in therapy. The answer is simple! Kids use bilateral coordination for almost every activity they engage in throughout the day.
Here are some examples of activities that require bilateral coordination:
- Cutting with scissors while stabilizing the paper
- Stabilizing the paper while writing
- Tying shoes
- Getting dressed (putting on shirts/pants/shoes/socks)
- Clothing fasteners
- Riding a bike (pedaling with both feet)
- Clapping
- Catching a ball
Bilateral Coordination Activities With a Pool Noodle
So now that we know a little bit more about bilateral coordination, we can dive into today’s fun bilateral coordination activities!
What You’ll Need:
-One more more pool noodles (must be the kind with a hollow middle!)
-Serrrated knife
-A jump rope (needs to have handles that come off or slide)
What to do:
Use a serrated knife to cut the pool noodle into pieces that are about 2-3 inches wide.
From here, the process is easy! Simply have kids use the pieces like beads, stringing them onto a jump rope or any other thicker piece of rope.
You can tie one pool noodle piece onto the end of the rope as a “stopper” to keep the other pieces from sliding off.
How to Change it Up:
-Cut up different colored pool noodles and have kids make patterns using the different colors
-Scatter the pool noodle pieces all around the room and have kids carry their rope, moving in different ways to gather and string as many pieces as they can! Try scooters, jumping, stomping, hopping, and more!
-To work on balance, have kids stand on a stepping stone, holding onto their rope. Scatter the pieces of the pool noodle around the stepping stone on the floor. Have kids keep their feet on the stepping stone as they bend slowly to pick up one of the pieces and put it on the rope. Repeat until all of the pieces are on the rope!
Want to learn more about bilateral coordination? Download the free bilateral coordination handout here! And don’t miss our ultimate list of bilateral coordination toys for kids!
Hope you enjoy this fun and easy way to practice bilateral coordination!
