Try to incorporate play into your child’s strength-building exercises, for example, swinging on the monkey bars or doing a “wheelbarrow,” where you hold the child’s feet while they walk forward with their hands. Tug-of-war, tumbling and tree climbing can also help your child build the muscle tone they need to develop better coordination. [2] X Research source You can also do yoga or Pilates with your child to improve their balance and core strength. Enroll in a class at a community center or watch DVDs or online videos at home. Doing yoga or Pilates moves with a gym ball can also be helpful. [3] X Research source Improving muscle strength also improves bone strength, which will give your child better balance. [4] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
Swimming is a great endurance exercise to promote coordination because your child doesn’t risk falling and hurting themselves. Of course, always ensure your child is supervised. If your child is too young to swim, long walks or jumping rope can help build up endurance. Be sure to let your child have input on the sport you enroll them in. If they enjoy it, they will be motivated to stick with it.
If your child is an infant or toddler, increase tummy time to strengthen back muscles and improve head control. If your child is a bit older, the “superman” stretch, where a child lies on their stomach and lifts their arms and legs off the ground at 5-second intervals, can be a fun, superhero-friendly approach to core training. [6] X Research source
For example, swinging on the swings and playing hopscotch both promote the kinds of large multi-muscle movements required to build coordination. If your child has trouble propelling themselves on the swing or hopping well, try playing pretend. Ask them to mimic various animals with their bodies. While their squatting like a duck or pawing like a dog may not be much at first, they can incorporate more movements as they become increasingly coordinated. Make believe will feel more like fun than exercise, too.
Fine motor skills also help hone hand-eye coordination, a vital part of overall coordination. Try scattering some buttons of different sizes and have your child practice moving them from hand to hand then putting them into a shoebox with a small slit in the top. You can also ask them to try putting pennies in a piggy bank or ask them to pick up small objects with tweezers. [10] X Research source This process of using the eyes to guide and control the hands will give your child more precise coordination skills for handwriting and other important tasks.
Yoga can also relieve stress, allowing your child better focus when tackling difficult tasks. [12] X Research source
If necessary, a doctor can refer you to an occupational- or physical-therapy professional to help outline an appropriate course of therapy to address your child’s specific coordination needs. If your child has not already been diagnosed with Developmental Coordination Disorder—a marked delay in motor skills—talk to your pediatrician about it. Developmental Coordination Disorder differs from Sensory Processing Disorder in that it is not caused by any neurological or medical condition. Exercises and motor-control activities, such as those described here, can be of great help in improving Developmental Coordination Disorder. [15] X Research source
