Have you ever seen your child avoid reaching across their body to grab something, instead they just use the hand closest to that object to grab it? If so, then they might have difficulties crossing midline. There is an invisible line down the middle of our bodies that splits our bodies into two halves.
Crossing midline is the ability to reach across the invisible line with an arm or leg to do something on the opposite side of the body. This is an important task that needs to be done because it tells us that they are using both sides of the brain to coordinate smooth, controlled, and complex movements. It is an important tool for doing daily activities like reading, writing, tying your shoes and it’s needed to complete activities that involve us using both hands.
There are many different ways to identify if your child is having problems crossing midline. Some different signs include swapping hands when trying to complete a task like writing, drawing, and coloring, using your left hand for activities on the left side of the body and vice versa, poor pencil skills, kicks a ball with both feet and has difficulties with gross motor skills (crawling, skipping).
To promote improved ability for your child to cross midline, there are different building blocks that are beneficial. Bilateral integration – using both sides of the body at the same time, truck rotation, hand dominance – allows for advanced movements across midline, planning/sequencing – ability to complete multi-step skills and body awareness – the body's joints and muscles tell information to the brain about the body’s position.
There is an endless list of activities that you can do or that can be done at therapy to help your child improve their ability to cross midline. A few different activities are:
Balloon Tennis: hitting a balloon back and forth with a partner, tell your partner to hit it to both sides of the body but only let the child keep the racket in a single hand
Playing twister: this game makes you do different crazy things which will force the child to cross midline
Arts & crafts: drawing horizontal lines, threading beads, cutting & folding paper
Stickers: allow the child to place stickers on their body with one hand and then telling them to remove the stickers with the other hand
Playing Simon says: Whoever is in charge of telling others the task they need to do is encourage to make the others cross their midline
Trace/ draw figure 8’s: draw one and have the child trace over it or complete their own
Popping bubbles on the opposite side of the body
It is important to seek therapy if you feel like this skill is not improving. Not seeking therapy can result in your child not being able to keep up in class because of their poor handwriting skills, not getting to play sports that require coordination (basketball, tennis) as well as causing anxiety for children at school. Our therapists are here to help you and your child strengthen this skill and get back to enjoying life to the fullest.