Children learn through play! Bilateral coordination is the ability to use both sides of the body in a coordinated way. It’s important for children with disabilities to engage in daily activities that promote improving their fine motor skills and enhance their 2-handed movements. Fortunately, there are a number of fun and unique toys and games that are available that help develop these crucial skills. Here are our top favorites:

1. Building blocks and shapes. The need to stack with both hands as the tower gets taller is a great way for children to exercise their bilateral coordination.

2. Puzzles. Up, down, twist it around. Puzzles help children use a variety of development and fine motor skills by manipulating pieces in order to complete the puzzles.

3. Play-Doh & Putty. Whether you are rolling it to make a snake, or squishing it into letters and numbers, this moldable toy is one of the top favorites.

4. Threading Beads. Both hands are required to thread the beads onto the string.

5. Magnetic Building Tiles. Build a home, a truck, or a barn - whatever the inspiration, these unique and fun toys require creativity and imagination, while also requiring both hands to connect the pieces.

6. Musical Instruments. Bang the drums, play the keyboard, and more musical motivation - are fun and helpful to promote using both hands to create a musical masterpiece.

7. Dress-up games. Calling all princesses and ninjas - dress-up games include zippers, buttons, and fun accessories that promote fine motor skills, while also transporting a child into an afternoon of fun and imagination.

8. Ball Play. Bounce it. Throw it. Play catch. It goes without saying that balls are a great tool for improving bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, and fun!

9. Safety scissors. Help your child develop those 2-handed movements by holding the paper and practicing with safety scissors to cut lines, shapes, and fun sizes.

10. Poppers. When your child needs to improve finger strength - pop-its and animal poppers are a great way to promote squeezing for some silly fun.

11. Tongs. Use mini tongs to encourage children to move an object from one place to another. Sort cereal, food groups, colored paper, and more. 

12. Balance seating. Great for balance training and developing core muscle strength, and even helps to tame the wiggles and fidgets!

13. Tool Kits (Peg & Drill Sets). The nuts and bolts, the hammering, and the fun. This is a great way to encourage the use of both hands to hammer away at improving dexterity, motor skills, and bilateral coordination.

14. Suction Building Set. This multi-strength building activity promotes building, pulling, color-sorting, shapes, and more!

15. Bendees. They move and flow in all directions, and come in a ton of different shapes, sizes, and themes.

16. Tug Games. Pull the rope to see who wins, requiring both hands in an effort for victory.

17. Sensory tables. Encourages children to play and feel with both hands with a variety of themes available.

18. Play tunnels. Enhances bilateral coordination by requiring children to use both hands and arms to crawl their way from one end of the tunnel to the end.

19. Hopscotch. Throw the marker while standing on one foot, and don’t forget to turn around at the end! This fun game requires the use of hands, arms, and feet working together to the end of the course.

20. Jump rope. Using both hands and feet to work together to successfully skip the rope in tune with the song.

And that’s just a few of our top favorites! Click here for our digital download of 20 Games & Toys that are best for children with disabilities. There are so many quality products that children can use to improve not only their bilateral coordination, but also their fine motor skills, sensory integration, and so much more. Follow Lifeworks-ACS to learn more about our team and the innovative tools we use to help our youngest clients.