Crossing the midline of the body is when you can move your hand or foot to the other side of your body. It helps you use both sides of your body together, like when you play sports or do crafts. Each side of your brain controls the opposite side of your body. So, the right side of your brain makes your left hand move, and the left side of your brain makes your right hand move.
For some activities, like catching a ball or tying shoelaces, both sides of your brain need to work together. This can be hard if you have trouble crossing the midline.
A child might move their whole body rather than cross their midline. This can make it hard to get really good at using just one hand for tasks such as writing.
If you try these tips and do not see improvement after a few months, please contact the children and young people’s therapy service.
What you may see
Your child may have trouble with:
- tying shoelaces
- using a knife and fork together
- reading and writing
- playing ball games
- drawing and cutting
- physical activities and general coordination
Strategies and advice
These activities will help your child’s brain become ready for left to right eye movements and using both eyes together, which is needed for spelling, reading, and writing and lots of other skills.
Gross motor activities
Cross crawls
While marching on the spot, tap your left knee with your right hand and then your right knee with your left hand.
Simon Says
Play a game where you tell your child to touch somewhere on their body such as “Simon Says touch your left shoulder with your right hand.”
Bean bags
With the child sitting on the floor with legs outstretched, ask the child to place beanbags on their left leg with their right hand, and others on their right leg with their left hand.
Throw a beanbag with one hand to a container placed on the other side of the body.
Ribbons games
Ask the child to stand or kneel with a streamer/ribbon in one hand and draw a sideways figure of 8 in the air, stretching across to the other side of the body.
Box game
Move objects from a box on one side of the body to a box on the other side, while using one hand only. You can turn this into a sorting game or a building game.
Balloon tennis
Play balloon tennis using one hand only and ensure there are a lot of movements that encourage crossing the midline. You can also do the same with kicking into a goal or bucket.
Drawing
While the child is kneeling, ask them to draw a large rainbow on paper on the floor, ensuring the rainbow covers the whole page and they use the same hand.
Fine motor activities
On a chalkboard, whiteboard or paper on a wall:
- trace designs
- do dot to dot pictures
- lazy ‘8’s
On a table-top or on the floor:
- pegboard designs
- board games
- collages
- sorting tasks with containers and small objects, such as buttons, pegs etc. Place the container on the opposite side of the body to the hand picking up the objects
- mazes
- lazy ‘8’s (see below)
- puzzles – spreading the pieces around the body
- drawing lines across a page using a ruler when writing hand is crossing over hand supporting ruler
Lazy ‘8’s
Begin at the red centre dot. Draw a sideways figure of eight using first the left hand, then the right, then both together going in the same direction and keeping the hands together. Always go up and to the left first.
Practise on a black or white board or paper taped to the wall and make the shape as big as your child can reach.
Progress to paper on a tabletop but always make sure the centre dot is in line with the centre of their body.
Last reviewed September 2025