Living Life To Its Fullest

Right! Left!  Up!  Down!  These directions seems obvious to a mature adult, but can be very challenging for developing children.  Directionality is the ability to recognize right versus left, up versus down, and under, over.  It is an important developmental skill that influences a child's ability to write, dress themselves, and follow directions.  If, for instance, you've faced the common dilemma of your child putting his shoes on the wrong feet, then practice this skill.   Here are some suggestions to try at home.

Treasure hunt

Give your child specific commands to hunt for small treats in your house.  Give directions like, "Go through the door to the left.  Then, crawl under the table in front of the couch."  At the end of the hunt, reward your child with a small toy or edible treat!

Art activities with the child's hands

Assist your child in tracing his or her hands.  Cut out the hands and decorate.  Hang the new artwork in a visible place to review each day.  The refrigerator might be a good spot!  Say, "point to the left hand" or "which color did you paint on the right thumb?"  Frequent repetition of this skill can lead to great improvements in understanding.

Dance Party

Play lively music for your whole family and have a directionality dance party!  Take turns to allow each family member be the dance leader.  The leader can give directions like. "stomp your right foot" or "slide to the left!"

Household chores

When asking your child to clean his or her room or put away the dishes, use directionality commands.  You can instruct them to put things way using left/right, up/down, and under/over commands.

The possibilities are endless!  The more repetition with this skill, the better.  Since this skill is a precursor to other developmental milestones, practice with it will lead to some notable benefits.  For instance, you may observe that your child's ability to learn new letters improves.  Letters are learned by following directionality comands.  Think about how you describe letters - B starts at the top with two loops to the right.  Also, some therapists have observed that, after repetitous practice of this skill, children with dyselxia will form their letters with fewer reversals.  You may also observe improved direction-following because your child has a greater understand of what is being asked of him or her.  He or she will be able to successfully follow the teacher's command to complete the top of the worksheet.

If your child is having difficulty with this skill, consult a Child and Family Occupational Therapist for more ideas to practice!