Hand-eye coordination: I seem to lack it, but apparently it is a basic pre-writing skill. That might explain why my handwriting is lousy. However, I digress.
If you want to have fun with your preschooler while covertly sneaking some hand-eye coordination skills into the mix, here are a few activities to try. I’m sure that you have more to add!
Beading: We love beading around here, with giant colorful wooden beads from Melissa and Doug. You can put them together, take them apart, and just keep on making new necklaces. Pop beads are another standby from the eighties, not recommended if you have a baby, but definitely good for both finger strength and hand-eye coordination.
Sewing and lacing: You can get a lacing card or make your own using a hole punch, a shoelace, and a simple shape. Sewing is great fun too. Get some cheesecloth and wrap it an embroidery hoop, then thread a thick plastic needle. Enjoy!
Operation: This classic game is great for developing hand-eye coordination. Again, this is probably why I never quite got the hang of it.
Puzzles: Visualizing the space and placing a puzzle piece into that space can be challenging.
Drumming: To bang the drum, you need to hit it correctly. When you hit it correctly, it makes a wonderful noise. Enough said.
Building toys: Using Lego and all sorts of other building toys helps children visualize three-dimensional space.
Banging nails: This is one of my daughter’s favorite pastimes. Get some safety goggles and some gloves and a small hammer and your child can bang away. Incentive for not missing: intact fingers.
Pegboards: everyone seems gaga about them, and I don’t know if my daughter is at all convinced. However, she does enjoy banging nails (see above), so any board with a hammer will do. I may find a Lite Brite for her as well. That’s a pegboard I can get into.
Spraying things: plants, snails, and you, of course. You didn’t think that you were going to make it out of there unsprayed, did you?
What hand-eye coordination activities do you do with your preschooler?