How to boost your child's handwriting and hand-eye coordination

3 Mar

Written By

Do you have a child that has poor handwriting? If so take note of their ability to catch a ball, their hand-eye coordination, language and communication, ability to sit still and their coordination on a bike.

These things are common skills that all children need to develop as they get ready for their school life. They aren’t random, they are linked and it all comes down to the brain and the parts of it that aren’t getting enough stimulation and connection. So let’s start by quickly understanding how these things are connected and then we’ll get to the fun - some free activities you can do at home with your child to get them developing into a well balanced adult.

So to understand the brain and how it develops we have to take it waaaay back to the very beginning. Upon conception the first thing to develop is something called the ‘Neural Tube’, this is what eventually forms into the brain and spinal cord. This acts like the trunk of a tree which everything else in our body buds off. Things like our nerves, organs, muscle, bones, joints and skin. Why is this important? Well it tells us that the brain and spinal cord are at the core of the function of everything in our body, and when they aren’t communicating or there is a mishmash of connection then that is when the control of our brain of the body becomes dysfunctional.

Now you may be thinking, “that only happens when we get sick, or break a bone or have a terrible infection or disease”... But that’s not how our body works. Everything is on a spectrum. Issues like poor handwriting, hand-eye coordination and the inability to sit still tell us that there is dysfunction in our brain and the connection it has with our body. For context, there are trillions of connections in the body; an example of one is your fine motor skills and their connection to the language centre of your brain. This is easily explained by when your child starts to pick up blocks, or feed themselves, this is when they start to say ‘ooohhh’, ‘gaaaaa’, ‘khoooo’ sounds.

So what can you do?

The main aim is to give energy to the brain through stimulation, restore equal movement and symmetry to the body and to also strengthen the connections in our brain that are dysfunctional.

Exercises you can do:

Pick up sticks: This is a great fun game that helps wake up and energise the part of the brain that coordinates the fine muscles of the hand. (It’s called the Dentate nucleus of the cerebellum, but you don’t need to worry about that).
Superheroes: This is a super easy one that is great for competitive children. Lying on their belly get them to keep their legs and arms straight and lift them off the ground all at the same time. They should be able to hold this for 20 seconds in the beginning and with practice they should be able to hold it for 1 minute.
Finger painting: this helps your child build dexterity with their hands and is a fun exercise, particularly with younger children
Feed the ball: Grab a tennis ball and cut a slit in it. Then have small different objects or coins and have your child squeeze the tennis ball to open the mouth (hole) and feed the tennis ball. This will help both hands develop dexterity.
Get your child assessed by a chiropractor: When the spine isn’t moving properly, the messages to and from the brain and body are altered. (Think about when your radio is slightly out of range and a bit crackly, that’s what the brain is hearing when our spine isn’t moving freely and symmetrically). When this happens the brain doesn’t get the baseline of energy it needs to connect and communicate to its highest ability.

In summary, just because poor handwriting and poor hand-eye coordination is becoming more common it doesn’t mean it’s normal. You have nothing to lose by consistently trying these exercises with your child.

- By Anthea Todd DC