Body coordination or motor coordination is the combination of body movements created with direction and force that results in intended actions. Coordination is achieved when subsequent parts of the same movement, or the movements of several body parts are combined in a manner that is well timed, smooth, and efficient with respect to the intended goal.
Let’s simplify…Have you ever heard the saying, “She can’t walk and chew gum at the same time?” This is coordination. Moving the different parts of your body together smoothly. Like dribbling a basketball using your arm and hand while your feet and legs move you around the court.
Coordination is needed for large, complex movements (like the basketball example above) and for even the simplest, smallest movements, like grasping a spoon and bringing it to your mouth.
Hand-eye coordination and overall body coordination can be difficult developmental skills for some kids to master. But they rely on coordination for so many activities of daily living: snapping, buttoning, running, jumping, throwing, eating, climbing and more!
The key to coordination? Exposure, practice and more practice!
Find out more about balance and coordination here!
Looking for some fun and creative ways to work on developing coordination with your child? Check out these great activities!
Locomotion Exploration from SPIDERfit Kids!
Learning How to Do Jumping Jacks
At The Inspired Treehouse, we believe that information about developmental skills and child development should be accessible to everyone, not just medical professionals. You won’t find a lot of complicated lingo here – we prefer breaking things down into terms that are a little less intimidating. That’s why we’re bringing you this awesome series: The ABCs of Child Development!
Over the next few months, we’ll be making our way through the alphabet, assigning the letters to different developmental skills. From gross motor to fine motor to sensory and more…when it comes to developmental terminology (and easy-to-understand definitions), you’ll find everything you’re looking for all in one place!
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