Hand Eye Coordination Games For PE Lessons
Because hand eye coordination is such a universal skill that comes into play with almost any PE activity, as well as many everyday tasks; we recommend you consider hand eye coordination games - to help with coordination development!
Hand eye coordination is so important in PE: it helps a child move their body more accurately during activities like catching or throwing. Therefore, introducing hand eye coordination games and activities in your PE lessons will allow your children to develop the skills that will help them grow in PE.
What is Hand Eye Coordination?
Hand eye coordination connects visual input with hand movements. In simple terms, it’s how well our eyes and hands work together. For children in primary school, developing this skill is crucial – and not only for sports, too! It’s also integral to many classroom activities, as well as overall gross and fine motor development.
Many PE activities involve catching, throwing, aiming or striking. These actions require timing, control and precision. Without well-developed coordination, pupils may find these tasks more challenging and may feel less confident participating in team games or sports.
How can hand eye coordination be developed?
Developing hand eye coordination is all about introducing simple activities that are easy for children to follow. Over time, these can increase in complexity – but the key is repetition. To help, we’ve listed some below!
Hand eye coordination games for PE lessons
Here are five tried-and-tested games that are perfect for improving hand-eye coordination in primary school children. All of these are perfect for PE lessons, and can double as PE warm-up games, too. As children develop better hand eye coordination, make these activities more challenging by increasing speed, distance, reps or using smaller or heavier objects…
Balloon Tap: A simple but effective activity where pupils keep a balloon in the air using their hands (or even their heads or elbows). It helps improve timing, spatial awareness and control. A bigger balloon will be easier to control than a balloon with less air in, as it allows more time for pupils to judge its flight and landing.
Wall Ball: Pupils throw a ball against a wall and catch it on the rebound. This coordination game enhances reaction time and teaches pupils to anticipate movement. Challenge children to throw the ball at varying speeds to increase the difficulty.
Relay Catch Races: Teams race to catch and throw balls in sequence, focusing on quick reactions and accuracy. This fast-paced hand eye coordination game is great for energy-filled PE sessions! ‘Down the line‘ is great teamwork game that tests hand eye coordination, whilst adding a competitive edge!
Cup Stacking: While it might look like a quiet classroom game, cup stacking is brilliant for refining motor control and sequencing skills! Pupils must follow patterns and react quickly with their hands. A great game to have at breakfast club, during indoor play, or as a warm up for classroom PE.
Beanbag Toss: Pupils take turns throwing beanbags into hoops or buckets placed at different distances. This game helps build accuracy and focus, and can be made ore challenging over time.
What are your favourite coordination games?
Do you have any activities that work for you? Have you found any particular techniques or approaches that have helped children improve their coordination? We’d love to hear from you! Or, if you need any help or advice with PE activities, get in touch with the PE Planning team, or drop us a message on our socials!
