The Case of the Missing Grandma
Remember when grandmothers used to play
games with their grandchildren? Games like Pat-a-Cake? Peek-a-Boo?
Pease Porridge Hot?
These days, grandmas often work out of the house and don't see their
grandchildren. Or they think that kind of stuff just isn't "modern."
Just plop them in front of the TV and put on a 'genius' tape, they
say, and everything will be fine!
A little background about the brain
The brain
consists of two halves. The right half of the brain controls the left
side of the body and vice versa. Connecting those two halves is very
important. An early milestone for babies is to make sure they cross
over the midline of their body so that connections between the two
halves can be made. The Midline is an invisible vertical line that
divides our right side from our left side. When you cross over the
midline, the left hand crosses to the right side of the body (or the
right hand crosses to the left).
The activity is a step -- a building
block your child will need in developing bilateral coordination. Bilateral
coordination is when the child uses both hands together, for example,
to catch a ball with two hands, or uses both arms and legs in an alternating
motion such as crawling and, later, walking. (The bridge between the
two halves of the brain is called the Corpus
Callosum.) Crossing over the midline helps
with handedness
(finding a hand dominance).
Bring Back Grandma
Pat-a-Cake. Pease Porridge Hot. Hot Cross Buns.
Many of the simple, so-called "silly" games that Grandmas
used to play with their grandchildren actually serve a very useful
purpose. These games have the child use their hands in a coordinated
fashion. The hands work together, and separately, and cross the midline.
These games are 200-300 years old -- long before scientists were able
to "prove" their usefulness. Science can tell us why these
games are good; kids just know they're having fun with their grandma.
Taking the time to play with your
child or grandchild does more good than you know.
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