Your baby has been working on hand-eye coordination for many months. Right after those hazy newborn days, they began to reach and grasp for their first toys. As your baby approaches 12 months, hand-eye coordination is as relevant as ever–and something they can do with greater precision!stacker busring stacker like this.
Here are 10 hand-eye coordination activities to introduce by 12 months:
Posting - with this activity set, your baby engages their pincer grasp while aiming to place the sticks through smaller holes.
Coin Bank - With baby’s first coin bank, they’ll take great delight in fitting oversized coins through a thin slot.
Hammering - This is a well-loved first hammer set that doubles as a musical instrument.
Shape Sorting - Resist the urge to buy a shape sorter with every shape possible! It will be too hard for your baby. Start with this three-shape sorter. Save something like this one for closer to age two or as your baby shows mastery of the first three shapes.
Twist and Turn - This spinning toy promotes the turning of your baby’s wrist- a great strength builder.
Drop, roll, and catch – Here’s a ball tracker that offers a fun take on hand-eye coordination, among other skills.
A really good ball – Don’t underestimate this simple joy that’s full of hand-eye coordination with each roll, kick, and toss!
Magnetic building – The magnetic component is more forgiving for young builders as they work to coordinate the different pieces, which will stick together more easily than non-magnetic sets. This is a great beginner set.
Pop Up – This toy invites your baby to use their hands in a way that causes the sections to pop up. It’s challenging but rewarding once they figure out how to do it!
Stacking – We couldn’t talk about hand-eye coordination without mentioning stacking. Try this stacker bus, which doubles as a vehicle and offers easy stacking with the oversized sections. To activate more precise coordination, try a ring stacker like this.