What is Running to Writing?

It is 8:30 at night.  You have had a long day followed by a desperate run to the grocery store.  Walking into the house, you have your keys in one hand, the groceries in the other, work bag thrown over your shoulder.  Without dropping anything, you manage to unlock the door and flip on the lights inside.

Juggling all this, your right side doing one thing, left side doing something completely different.  Did you think about it?  No, more likely you were spending your mental and physical energy trying not to drop your keys or the groceries.

This is bilateral movement.  The two sides of the body doing different jobs.  We use bilateral movement all the time: when we drive a manual shift car, when we hold a bowl with one hand and stir the contents with the other, when we play golf, ride a bike and when we write with one hand and hold the paper with the other.

Bilateral movement is functional.  We use it every day in our life tasks.  And children need it for school tasks.

The Importance of Bilateral Movement

Bilateral movement involves the two sides of the body working together in a coordinated manner to achieve a goal. Because the right side of the body is controlled by the left side of the brain, and the left side of the body by the right side of the brain, successful bilateral coordination means we have an appropriate conversation across the corpus callosum, and the two hemispheres of the brain are working together as they should.

Running is the clearest execution of bilateral movement: as the right leg drives forward, the left arm pulls back then the arms and legs switch jobs to power the body forward.  Over and over the arms and legs coordinate this beautiful dance.

There are three forms of bilateral movement: symmetrical, reciprocal/alternating, and leading hand/supporting hand. Let’s take a look at each one of these:

Symmetrical Movement

Symmetrical movement takes place when each hand, arm, or leg is doing the same thing at the same time. To be successful in symmetrical bilateral movement, both sides must be moving at the same time with the same amount of force.

Reciprocal Movement

Reciprocal or alternating bilateral movement takes place when one hand, arm, or leg and then the other moves rhythmically in the same way.

Leading Hand/Supporting Hand

Leading hand/supporting hand bilateral movement is when a dominant hand is supported by the other hand. Both hands are equally important in the task but have very specific roles and must work together in an organized and coordinated way for success.

We know bilateral movement is integrated properly when we see both sides of the body working equally together. Some examples are when we see children jumping in a coordinated and smooth way, galloping and progressing to skipping, taking off mittens, or successfully using scissors.

But sometimes that integration lags, seen when one arm, leg, or hand is doing more work than the other when they should be working together.  Or when movement is lopsided when it should be smooth and even, when movement is jerky and uncoordinated, or when one hand fails to assist the other.

Is Bilateral Movement Important for More than Writing?

We need bilateral movement for everyday self-care tasks like brushing hair, zipping coats, putting on shoes, and eating. It is also essential for classroom tasks like writing and scissor work.

More importantly, successful progression of bilateral movement, whether it is symmetrical, reciprocal or leading hand/supporting hand indicates an appropriate conversation is taking place between the right and left brain

As you might guess, there is an obvious link between bilateral movement and classroom activities like writing and cutting, in which the helper-hand assists the dominant hand. But there is more.  Several studies have proven that academic success is tied to appropriate bilateral movement in other, more complex ways. These studies have shown that well-developed bilateral movement improves cognition, concentration, and attention. The link is unclear, though it seems likely that smooth bilateral movements indicate an efficient conversation between the two brain hemispheres, improving mental acuity.

How can you help kids practice bilateral movement?

Easy.  The best and most effective way to help kids hone theses skills is big body play.  Kids crave it because it is the way they were designed to develop these vital skills.  More specifically:

• Examples of symmetrical movement include jumping jacks, jumping rope, and clapping.
• Examples of reciprocal movement include skipping, swimming, pulling a rope hand over hand, riding a bike, and marching.
• Leading hand, supporting hand examples include writing, threading beads, or stirring a pot.