What is Bilateral Coordination?

What does the term bilateral coordination mean?

Simply put, this term means your ability to utilize both sides of your body
together to complete an activity. This may mean that both sides are performing
actions together, or performing an activity with different movements on either
side. Bilateral coordination allows children to perform activities such as buttoning
a shirt, tying shoelaces, cutting their food, catching a ball, running, or climbing
the stairs.

Here are some examples of developmental milestones for bilateral coordination:

6-12 months:

 Hold/carry large ball with both hands

9-10 months:
 Holds an object in each hand and bang them together

10 months:

 Holds object in one hand and the other hand will manipulate the object

17-18 months:

 Stabilize an object in one hand and manipulate or activates the object in the
other hand using both hands simultaneously for different actions
 Prefers to walk instead of crawl, but falls frequently

2 years:

 Throw a ball forward while maintaining their balance

 Stabilize a dish during spoon-feeding
 Starts learning how to run and jump, may stand on one foot and kick the ball
with the other
 Begins to pedal a tricycle

3 years:

 Cuts on a line
 Stabilize paper during coloring or writing
 Hold paper during cutting
 Throw ball at a target and project the ball ~3 feet forward
 Catch a medium sized ball
 Can jump from step to step and pedals a tricycle

4 years:

 Cut simple shapes

 Child walks up/down stairs alternating feet
 Catch a tennis ball

5 years:

 Throw a ball overhand to hit a target about 5 feet away

6+ years:

 Complex cutting skills

 Manipulate paper during cutting
 Throw a ball overhand to hit a target 12 feet away
 Run with speed, hop/skip, throw a ball a long distance and catch with
accuracy
 Cut with a fork and knife