A crawling baby does more than just cover distance. He enjoys a bit of independence and builds his strength. He develops his sense of balance, vision, and hearing. And he also develops his brain coordination. Cross-crawling involves the movement of one arm and opposite leg. To do this, the baby must coordinate movements while integrating and processing information from the senses. Cross-crawling isn't limited to arms and legs, however. Cross-crawling also occurs in the brain, as information passes back and forth between the two hemispheres of his brain, creating a neural pathway that facilitates constant communication. Cross-crawling movements, such as crawling, activate both sides of the brain in a balanced way. They also allow for crossing the midline of the body (e.g., moving the right hand to the left), which promotes the integration of reflexes. This is just one illustration of the importance of balance and brain coordination.

What are the left and right hemispheres of the brain for?

It is well known that the right brain is creative and language-based, while the left brain is logical and analytical. In fact, both sides of the brain handle both analytical and creative elements. It is just that one side of the brain is more specialized for a certain type of action.

To keep it simple:

  • Left brain thinking: Generally, more sequential, linear, logical, practical, mathematical, analytical, scientific, and time-oriented.
  • Right brain thinking: More non-linear, intuitive, abstract, focused on the big picture, creative, and spatially oriented.

The importance of connecting the hemispheres
The brain is highly organized, divided into areas that serve specific functions. Ideally, the sides of the brain should develop at the same rate and information should flow easily between them. The cooperation between the left and right hemispheres of the brain is essential for us to learn better, function more intelligently and improve at anything. Good coordination through the function of the cerebellum is another fundamental aspect of development and helps children use their bodies effectively to perform the skills needed for teaching and playing. It is the part of the brain that helps us connect all the small movements needed to create more complex tasks and skills. When this system is working well, we see good motor control, spatial awareness, balance between the left and right sides and the upper and lower halves of the body, and the ability to predict where the body is going and adapt to changes in the environment. When you don't use one side of your brain, your brain adjusts to what it is used to and the parts that are not used to it atrophy. This creates a narrow view of the world, limited thinking ability and neurological imbalance. Have you ever noticed that it’s easier to think when you’re doing something rhythmic, like walking, knitting, or even chewing? Some good ideas may come to you, like when you’re cleaning the house. However, there are specific movements you can do to facilitate better brain hemisphere integration, and they have a lot to do with brain development in childhood.

How to Increase Left and Right Brain Coordination
Whenever the left and right sides of our body work together or one side of our body crosses the midline to the other, the brain is forced to send signals back and forth from one side to the other. The more you do this, the stronger these connections become. Here are some ways you can train these associations:

Discordant Movements
Like crawling and walking, misaligning the movements of your arms and/or legs is a good brain exercise that promotes coordination. For example, circle your right hand clockwise and tap your thigh with your left hand. Both hemispheres of the brain must work together for this task. Or, for example, circle your right ankle clockwise and then draw the number six with your right hand. Your feet will change direction. Misaligning the movements of your arms and/or legs is a good brain exercise that promotes coordination.

Write with your non-dominant hand
For at least a few minutes a day, right-handed people should write with their left hand and left-handed people with their right hand. This trick is not as popular as it should be, but it turns out to be extremely effective.

Clay Modeling
Clay modeling helps children develop their senses, motor skills, self-esteem and self-expression, problem-solving skills, discipline and pride. Clay also has a unique property, which is that it calms children, they can sit next to it and pay attention for hours. Clay modeling is one of the oldest brain-boosting activities in history. It activates a functional area of ​​the brain, such as imagination, image building, holistic approach and hand-eye coordination. It helps to enhance the movements of the child's fingers, which is the main need for developing creativity.

Drawing and painting have the same effect as modeling with clay, because it uses children's unbridled imagination. In addition, drawing with different types of colors, such as crayons, oil paints and watercolors, will help them understand the main differences between colors and their combinations.

Drums
Drumming has many benefits, for example, it reduces stress, anxiety and tension, alleviating negative feelings. In addition, it helps strengthen the connection between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

Try to do the same task with both hands
This is also a fun exercise to maintain the ability to respond with both sides of the brain. If you notice, we use scissors more often or play board games with our dominant hand. Try switching hands and stimulate your brain.

Complex problems
Mathematics is a field where creativity and knowledge go hand in hand. Many difficult problems have elegant, simple and creative solutions. Searching for explanations for different types of problems involves both sides of the brain in their search.