Stimulating Eye Hand Coordination - 15 Month Old to 18 Month Old
A very good time to start stimulating your toddlers eye hand coordination is between 15 month old development and 18 month old development, although she is able to do much more for herself.
At this stage she can go wherever her mood takes her - and that means her little hands explore all those places you'd prefer to be left alone, such as electric sockets, flaps in video recorders, and inside cupboards!!
You'll need to keep a watchful eye on her at all times.
Suitable suggestions for Eye Hand Coordination
(15 Month Old - 18 Month Old)
Wooden Board Games
Give her wooden board games or a wooden puzzle (called an inset board) that has different shapes cut out, which your child then has to fit back into the correct empty spaces on the board.
She will enjoy spending time on these, but do remember that they are extremely difficult for her and she may become frustrated when the pieces don't fit the way she wants.
Stick to wooden game boards that have basic, brightly colored shapes, such as circles, triangles and squares. Those with irregular shapes are probably too demanding for her at this age.
Child Drawing
Make sure she has plenty of paper and crayons close to hand. Child drawing is one of those activities that she never tires of because she is able to create something new every time.
Encourage your toddler to sit at a small table while drawing so that she is comfortable and relaxed. You won't be able to decipher her drawings at this stage, even though she may insist that she has drawn, for example, you or your house.
Don't criticize her sketches, otherwise she will very quickly lose interest in drawing.
Play Dress up Games for Kids
At this age, you should encourage her to play dress up games for kids. They also like the normal dressing and undressing. For instance, as you approach with her jumper, she may stick her hands and arms towards you in anticipation. Or she may try to pull her socks off her feet.
Bear in mind that you toddler's ambitions outstrip her ability - so you may discover her in tears one day, with her jumper stick half-way over her head, as she tries unsuccessfully to wrestle the item off completely.
Show your approval when she does try to help in this way, but reassure and support her as necessary. You can relief the pressure by playing a dress up game for kids.
Hand Control
The same applies with feeding, whether snacks or meals. Her determination to do things by herself means that at mealtimes she insists on using the spoon to feed herself.
Her hand eye coordination is not fully developed yet and therefore some of the food lands on the floor or on the table. Be prepared for a certain amount of mess and let her practice every day.
Be sure to visit all the eye hand coordination pages for different ages.
Read more about the different stages of hand eye coordination.
Top Tips for Eye Hand Coordination
(15 Month Old - 18 Month Old)
- Keep her calm.
- Make a special display area for her drawings.
- Don't force hand preference.
- Roll a ball back and forth.
- Play clapping games.
- wooden board games with chunky handles
- small soft balls of different sizes
- building blocks that lock together
If your child becomes tearful when, for instance, she can't lift the small piece of food from her plate, first calm her.
Her hand eye coordination diminishes when she's upset. When she is calm, encourage her to try again, but perhaps more slowly this time.
There is no better way to express your admiration of her drawing skills than by displaying her work prominently.
You could set aside an area of the kitchen wall solely for this purpose.
By now she probably prefers to use the same hand consistently for tasks involving hand eye control.
Let this aspect develop naturally. Certainly, left handed children should never be forced to use their right hand instead.
Sit a few meters away from your child, on the floor, and roll a ball toward her - when she has caught it firmly, ask her to roll it back to you. Although you find this easy, its a challenge for her, so be patient.
By now she is able to clap her hands together, but you can encourage her to clap less randomly.
For instance, clap your hands together once and then again a second later. Ask her to copy you.
Clapping along with music is also good practice.
Top Toys for a 15 Month Old - 18 Month Old
Be sure to browse through all the eye hand coordination pages that is broken down in different age groups.
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