A comprehensive guide to activities for left and right brain coordination. These exercises are designed to improve bimanual skills, focus, and cognitive function by having children perform different tasks with each hand simultaneously. Perfect for enhancing hand-eye coordination and concentration.

Activities for Left and Right Brain Exercises

The following activities use the specified cards and sheets to help children work both hands together.

1. Bilateral Tracing

• Description: An exercise to improve bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination by tracing different shapes with each hand at the same time.
• Materials: “L” and “7” card; “8” and “1” card.
• Instruction: Place the card in front of the child. Ask them to use their left index finger to trace the letter “L” and their right index finger to trace the number “7” simultaneously. You can also do this with the “8” and “1” card.
• Skills Developed: Bimanual coordination, hand-eye coordination, and focus.

2. Bimanual Grid Maze: Numbers

• Description: This maze challenges the child to follow a path with one hand while performing a specific action with the other hand based on the number on the path.
• Materials: Grid maze of 0’s and 1’s.
• Instruction: Have the child use their left hand to follow the path of the maze. As they move through the path, their right hand must perform an action: make a fist for every 0 they encounter, or tap the table with the side of their hand for every 1.
• Skills Developed: Bimanual coordination, focus, and number recognition.

3. Bimanual Grid Maze: Colors

• Description: An activity that improves hand-eye coordination and color recognition by having one hand follow a maze while the other points to the correct color.
• Materials: Grid maze of colored circles (3 colors), and a sheet with 3 large colored circles.
• Instruction: The child uses one hand to follow the path of the maze. As their hand moves through the maze, their other hand must point to the corresponding large colored circle on the separate sheet.
• Skills Developed: Bimanual coordination, hand-eye coordination, color recognition, and focus.

4. Bimanual Grid Maze: Shapes & Colors

• Description: A dual-focus activity that combines following a maze with identifying either a shape or a color with the other hand.
• Materials: Grid maze of colored shapes (4 shapes, 6 colors), and a sheet of 4 big shapes and a sheet of 6 big colored circles.
• Instruction (Color Version): One hand follows the maze. The other hand points to the correct large colored circle on the reference sheet.
• Instruction (Shape Version): One hand follows the maze. The other hand points to the correct large shape on the reference sheet.
• Skills Developed: Bimanual coordination, hand-eye coordination, shape and color recognition.

5. Two-Handed Column Challenge

• Description: A complex coordination exercise where each hand focuses on a different pattern in a two-column sheet.
• Materials: Sheet with two columns of shapes/colors/numbers.
• Instruction (Shapes): Call out a pair of shapes (e.g., “Circle – Square”). The child’s left hand must touch only the circles in the left column, while their right hand touches only the squares in the right column, moving simultaneously down the sheet.
• Instruction (Colors): Call out a pair of colors (e.g., “Orange – Purple”). The child’s left hand must touch only the orange shapes, while their right hand touches only the purple shapes, moving down the columns.
• Instruction (Numbers): Call out a pair of numbers. The child’s left hand must touch all the shapes with that number in the left column, and their right hand in the right column.
• Skills Developed: Bimanual coordination, selective attention, and pattern recognition.

6. Parent-Child Match Challenge

• Description: A fun variation of the Two-Handed Challenge that involves matching parent birds to their babies.
• Materials: Sheet with two columns of parent birds (mom bird) and baby birds.
• Instruction: The child’s left hand follows down the column of parent birds (e.g., turkey, quail, peacock). Simultaneously, their right hand must follow down the column of baby birds, touching the correct baby bird (e.g., peachick, chick, chick) that corresponds to the mom bird in the same row.
• Skills Developed: Bimanual coordination, visual matching, and focus.