Hand preference usually starts to develop between the ages 2 to 4, however it is common for a child to switch hands. Between the ages 4 to 6 years a clear hand preference is usually established. When a child has difficulty crossing midline other areas such as reading (moving eyes left to right on a page), motor planning to put on a sweater, and writing are difficult. Switching of hands is seen a lot in fine motor tasks. Sometimes it can be attributed to fatigue in the hands. If you see that your child consistently avoids crossing midline look below for some activities to incorporate in your routine.
· Have a child place a hand behind there back and use one hand consistently to perform tasks such as coloring or picking up toys on the floor
· Twister
· Cross crawls: right hand to opposite left knee and then switch to left hand to opposite right knee
o If this task challenges a child’s postural control you can have them lay down on their back
o Stickers are a great visual model. I often will put a sticker on the right hand that matches the sticker on the left knee (and vice versa) to help with motor planning