Buckle Toy Buster

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Most recently my kids liked placing matching beads on a pipe cleaner tree. The tree wasn’t stable enough so it required a second hand to stabilize while they placed beads with dominant hand. Also love a pop tube for bilateral hand work. Even my kids who don’t like loud sounds will engage with a pop tube!

Buckle Toy - Etsy UK Montessori Buckle Toy - Etsy UK

I make seasonal paper plates that require clothespin- spider/legs, turkey/featers, flower, snoflake, Santa’s beard, reainbo to match paint sample colors, ice cream cone with sprinkles, etc. i also have them stand on a balance board while they complete the ideal cross midline activity- especially with lots of turkey feathers they painted with dor markers. I also have a variety a clothespins from easy plastic to plastic clamps or paper fasteners that are hard. I even had wide handled plastic one for different squeeze/grasp… I love to use building toys such as Junior Mechanix or Legos to work on bilateral coordination skills. Cutting, stringing beads and lacing are all great as well Simon says using Brain Gym activities! The kids don’t even know they are exercising and working their brains!Bopping balloons to keep them in the air. It can be one kid, more taking turns, over a net, or keeping it away from each other. For more difficulty, older kids have to use a different hand or foot than the last one they used. Balloons fall slowly so there is more time to coordinate and see where the balloon is going. Popbeads. They come in so many different sizes now you can use for all ages and stages in development. Bilateral coordination in functional tasks makes up much of our day! Think of all of the other areas where you are using both hands or both sides of the body at the same time: getting dressed, tying shoes, cooking, typing, holding a book while reading, pouring a glass of water…the list could go on and on! Cutting, ‘feed’ a tennis ball with a slit cut into it for a mouth, stringing beads, opening containers (hide fun things inside!) 🙂

Bilateral Coordination Toys - The OT Toolbox Bilateral Coordination Toys - The OT Toolbox

I will be integrating arts and crafts activities into my small group sessions as they enjoy using the art supplies I have available because it provides an additional method for expressing thoughts and feelings. The ideas that were presented in the article are ones that I have recently been introduced to and am eager to implement!Here we are covering all things bilateral coordination toys. When it comes to bilateral integration, coordinating both sides of the body in play can be a challenge for some children. These bilateral skills impact functional use of the body, motor planning, and bilateral integration as a whole. It’s through play with occupational therapy toys targeting bilateral skills that children can strengthen and develop this essential motor skill. Let’s dissect a few select toys that promote this skill. Climbing ladders/nets – it’s bilateral involving upper and lower body with lots of core work and motor planning as well. I like to play monkey see monkey do where we take turns being the lead “monkey” and the others copy. It takes the auditory component away from Simon says. Using puzzles and games that you already have with an extra special addition can be a great way to work on bilateral coordination with puzzles.

Buckle Toys - Bucky Turtle - Learning Activity Toy - Develop Buckle Toys - Bucky Turtle - Learning Activity Toy - Develop

Our little school is starting to use sensory items in all the classes as we learn more about how they help many students. i love doing crafts specifically those involving cutting, glueing and placing small objects working on symmetrical and asymmetrical bilateral movements ! I love doing gross motor sequences that work on bilateral coordination- hitting a balloon or throwing a ball or using two hands to pull self on the scooter board. I also love doing pop bead people and pop bead animals. Bilateral coordination toys are an occupational therapy intervention that helps children develop essential skills in bilateral integration. Toys that use both hands in a coordinated manner help children with bilateral coordination, crossing midline, and using both hands in tasks. These are essential skills that allow for an integration of both sides of the body, but more than that, bilateral coordination tells us that the brain is communicating effectively and sharing information between sides of the brain.I do a lot of bilateral work by keeping my fine motor tasks in bags that need to be buttoned and unbuttoned—some small buttons, some bigger. Tearing paper to make a craft project and using pop beads are some of my favorites for hand strengthening and using both hands together.

Buckle Sensory Pillow Toys for Toddlers Travel Toys on beetoy Buckle Sensory Pillow Toys for Toddlers Travel Toys on

Playing catch/ ball games. Hitting a baseball bat, stringing beads, lacing, and various other board games- my kids loved jumping monkeys! As therapy professionals, we LOVE to recommend therapy toys that build skills! This toy list is done for you so you don’t need to recreate the wheel. I love doing obstacle courses. Kids love them and you can incorporate so many bilateral coordination activities! My kids and I love playing with dough and catching/throwing balls and ballons with both hands. Also, it is pretty fun stringing beads, macaroni and whatever really fits the string!So many ideas to choose from! I’ve used zoom ball with kids from 4 to 99 yo. The oldest kids love it just as much as the youngest. Of course I’m incorporating more than bilateral integration into the activity….eye hand, strength, endurance, breathing, etc. I like this item for the colors and counting and as I often use a bag or hide inside item for an object to feel and describe and this would make a fun passable for that or for a gross motor game like overhead and between legs, etc… For children with difficulty in crossing midline, or using integrated bilateral skills, using toys in play is an effective way to work on and nurture this skill. With my youngest kids, I like to have them put items inside a container and stabilize the container with their helper hand to begin working on bilateral integration. I also like to use lacing and stringing activities to work on bilateral integration.