Midline Activities You Can Try at Home

In child development, the midline can be thought of as an imaginary line down the center of your child’s body. If your child can reach their left hand to their right shoulder, they’re “crossing the midline”. If they can draw a straight line from left to right without switching hands, they’re also able to cross the midline. 

While those might seem like easy activities, they aren’t second nature to every child. That can be especially true for kids with higher needs, children on the spectrum, or those who deal with dyslexia. 

Being able to cross the midline is crucial for development. It helps to establish a dominant hand, and makes everyday tasks like writing, holding objects, or throwing a ball much easier. 

There are plenty of different exercises and techniques specifically designed to help children to cross the midline. But, when you have a child with higher needs, it’s not always easy to keep them focused on those techniques. 

Thankfully, many midline activities can look like play. Getting kids to incorporate these activities into everyday playtime is a great way to help them increase their skills. 

With that in mind, let’s look at some effective midline activities that can look like play. 

Midline Activities That Look Like Play

Certain games that may already be a part of your child’s typical playtime routine are great for increasing midline skills. Some of the best games are “Simon Says” and “Twister.” 

Both of these games help your child to use their body in new and different ways. They may have to think for a few moments about how they can get their right hand to a red dot while their left hand is on a yellow dot. Or, they might need time to figure out how to put their right hand on their left knee in a game of “Simon Says.” 

So, while you might need to play these games with them at a slower pace, it’s still a lot of fun. Games provide instant gratification for your child. When they do an action correctly, they can move on to the next “round” and eventually win the game. 

Not only will that get them excited to play again, but they’ll be developing crucial skills without even realizing it. 

Midline Crafting

Some kids are natural-born crafters. 

Even if you’re not, you can help your child strengthen their midline skills by helping them with simple crafts. 

Things like cutting and pasting, making paper airplanes, or threading beads to make necklaces are great examples of midline activities. Crafts are also fantastic for keeping your little one busy and focused. Plus, they’ll have something to show for their hard work when they’re done, motivating them to do it again. 

Puppet Shows

There are plenty of benefits to incorporating puppet shows into playtime. They’re wonderful for boosting creativity and letting your child use their imagination. But, puppets are also great for teaching your child how to switch hands for different puppets and move them around fluidly. Finger puppets are even better!

Consider setting up a small “stage” to get your child excited about putting on a puppet show. Get involved with them and create stories together before putting on your great performance for the rest of the family. 

These are just a few examples of how midline activities can look like play. As a parent, you know your child better than anyone. You know what they like to play with and what holds their interest. So, use that to your advantage. 

Think of creative ways to make your child’s typical playtime more of a learning and skill-building experience. If they have greater needs or a condition that has been holding them back from crossing the midline, everyday play can help more than you might think. 

If you need more support, please visit the child therapy page or reach out today for a consultation.

Photo by Mateus Bragança de Carvalho on Unsplash