6 Great Sports Your Kids Can Play Today
Hand eye coordination is a fine motor skill that kids begin learning from an early age. And while it’s lumped into the fine motor skills babies start practicing from a young age, it’s actually a very complex cognitive skill that requires practice in order to be used by people every day. Tasks like writing, eating, and driving require this coordination, and toddlers start developing these skills quickly between the ages of one and three. However, preschoolers and children continue to refine these skills as they grow, so giving them opportunities to practice these skills can be important. One great way to help them practice is to allow them to play sports. The following examples are excellent sports for developing hand eye coordination while also allowing your children to play and learn the social skills of being a part of a team.
Baseball or Softball
Little League baseball and softball are as American as apple pie. And as it turns out, baseball is also a great way to develop hand eye coordination. It requires players to track the ball as it is pitched and then swing the bat at the right time to hit it. Part of the entire experience of baseball is putting that hand eye coordination to the test. In fact, for even the pros, the faster the hand eye coordination, the better a batter’s metrics. Registering your child for t-ball or a Little League team can help them practice this critical skill in a way that’s fun and helps them build and practice those skills with confidence.
Basketball
Basketball puts hand eye coordination to the test as players catch, pass, and shoot the ball with the goal of precisely hitting a basket. Plus, basketball requires having good depth perception as well as they track the ball and move their hands to control it. They also need to be able to judge the speed and direction of the ball and know how to catch it appropriately. It’s the same concept with passing: players must judge the distance and direction it takes to throw to the other player. These skills require good hand eye coordination. A youth basketball team or camp or even a simple backyard hoop can help boost your child’s skills.
Football
Football is another one of the best sports for developing hand eye coordination. It requires players to catch, throw, and kick the ball with a high level of accuracy, which all help to develop that important skill. For players who need to catch a pass, they must be able to judge the speed and direction of the ball and move their hands appropriately to catch it. When they throw the ball to another player, they need to judge the distance and direction of the other player and throw it correctly. And for kickers, they must know the distance and direction of the goal to score. It takes practice to become better at this skill, which helps challenge kids and their hand eye coordination skills from a young age. Kids can start football young with flag football organizations that don’t encourage tackling.
Tennis
Tennis is another great option for helping kids develop their hand eye coordination. Like baseball or softball, it requires players to track the ball as it is hit and then swing the racket quickly — at the appropriate time — to return the ball. Tennis also requires players to watch the ball carefully to judge distance and depth. It strengthens fine motor skills and helps challenge the mind and body. Tennis options may be harder to find for kids, depending upon your area. But often, private lessons and youth tennis organizations give your child the opportunity to learn and play while boosting their abilities.
Soccer
Another one of the great sports for developing hand eye coordination — or foot eye coordination to be more accurate — is soccer. This sport continues to grow in popularity in the United States. And it’s a great way for kids to learn how to fine tune their skills. As players learn the skill of controlling the ball with their feet, they are learning to hone their abilities. They are also learning precision, how to follow the action on the field, depth perception, and full body coordination. Because soccer is so popular, it’s typically easy to find soccer organizations for kids. You can search for toddler programs that help teach the basics of ball handling to premium clubs.
Martial Arts
Martial arts like taekwondo or karate promotes hand eye coordination development through very specific techniques and drills. For example, striking with punches and kicks requires targeting and coordination between the eyes and hands or feet to execute with accuracy and speed. Grappling techniques, which involve controlling and manipulating an opponent’s body, require split-second reactions and that coordination to effectively defend and counterattack. Starting from preschool, martial arts can help individuals improve their ability to track objects, react, and control their movements with precision, contributing to enhanced hand-eye coordination. Many martial arts programs start kids from ages 5 and up, so check with your local martial arts programs to start this practice.
Get the Best Education for Your Kids
Not only are there great sports for developing hand eye coordination, but there are also some specific ways you can help your kids improve their ability to perform everyday tasks. Not only can you help your kids build the fine motor skills that will last them a lifetime. But you can also give them the education that provides an exceptional foundation, too. PALS Praise & Leadership Schools offers a curriculum that will allow your child to flourish long into adulthood. Our PALS curriculum is designed to instill confidence in your child, building their self-esteem, skills, and moral character. In addition, we teach each child to think, reason, be responsible, achieve, excel, and communicate.
If you’re interested in learning about PALS, we encourage you to tour both of our locations and see what we have to offer. We offer two campuses in Peoria IL. Our North Peoria campus is located at 2327 W Willow Knolls Rd in Peoria IL. You can call us there at 309-691-4326. Or you can contact us at our Downtown Peoria campus, 700 NE Greenleaf in Peoria IL, at 309-674-2938. Come explore our campuses and see how PALS Praise & Leadership Schools is here to help your child flourish.
