Have you ever heard about crossing midline? It seems to be a common buzzword in pre-schools these days. One of the reasons more people are talking about crossing midline is because being able to do this skill affects many areas of our children’s development.
What is Crossing Midline and Why is it Important for Child Development?
Crossing the midline is an indicator of bilateral coordination, meaning the ability to use both sides of the body at the same time.
This is an important skill for many of our daily tasks: climbing stairs, walking, dressing, typing on a computer, riding a bicycle, catching a ball, climbing ladders, etc. Crossing midline is often difficult for children with autism. Crossing the midline, a skill developed in infancy, may be an important precursor to a child’s ability to learn.
Here are some activities that you can have your child do to cross the midline.
6. “Cross-walk”: Put two rows of items on the floor. Have one row be one color item and a different color for the other row. Have the child walk the path by crossing their left foot over to walk on the item on the right, then the right foot will cross over to touch the item on the left.
Here are some more resources for crossing midline exercises:
- More Fun Videos from Brain Breaks
- Activities for Crossing the Midline from an OT Mom
- Why Crossing the Midline Activities Helped this Child Listen to his Teacher

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