20 Coordination Exercises: Types & Examples

Improving coordination contributes to well-being by supporting balance and agility, reducing any kind of injuries, and regulating mood and mental health. Therefore, practicing coordination exercises is essential for all individuals.

If you want to learn about coordination skills and wonder, “What are coordination exercises?”, you are in luck! Through this blog, you will learn details about coordination and discover the best coordination exercises examples for kids, adults, and seniors. Let’s get started!

What Is Coordination?

The definition of coordination is the ability to execute smooth, accurate, and controlled motor responses. This ability enables individuals to use the right muscles and body parts at the right time with the right force to complete a task or action.

Additionally, coordination can be explained as a determining skill for movement efficiency as it determines how much energy a person spends on a particular movement and the level of performance.

Types of Coordination

Motor coordination in the human body consists of the collaboration of fine motor, gross motor, and hand-eye skills. Let’s take a closer look at each type of coordination skill.

Fine Motor Coordination

Fine motor coordination is the ability to coordinate the action of eyes and small muscles together to perform manipulative movements like writing, drawing, or buttoning a shirt.

Generally, fine motor skills and coordination development starts in infancy and accelerates the most at ages 4-6 and gets more complex as kids grow.

Gross Motor Coordination

Gross motor coordination requires coordinated movement of large muscles in the arms, legs, and torso to complete everyday movements, including walking, standing, running, and jumping.

Also, it includes utilizing hand-eye skills for actions like throwing, catching, kicking, and swimming.

Hand-Eye Coordination

Hand-eye coordination is a perceptual-motor skill developed during the early years of childhood and the ability to perform movements with hands while being guided by eyes.

Grasping objects, playing instruments, sewing, or using a computer mouse are examples of actions completed with hand-eye coordination.

8 Examples of Coordination Exercises for Kids

So far, we have learned details about the body’s coordination system and the types of skills that it includes.

Now, let’s discover the best coordination exercises for kids to support their coordination, balance, and agility, along with motor skills and hand-eye skills.

1. MentalUP Coordination App for Kids

Utilizing exercise to support your kid's coordination skills is a great idea. Still, if you want to keep your kids active and support their overall development, you might need safe and trustable fitness apps for kids to expand their abilities.

MentalUP is the most beneficial coordination exercises app for kids! The award-winning app offers 240+ fitness workouts that help kids’ physical and mental development. These daily programs are prepared according to their age and performance, so kids take advantage of these programs to the maximum, besides having so much fun!

2. Clap and Catch

This is one of the most efficient hand eye coordination games for young kids. As it includes concentrating on several actions at the same time, it improves both hand-eye coordination and focus.

How to do it:

• Get a bouncy ball like a basketball or tennis ball.
• Turn towards a wall or another player.
• Toss the ball against the wall or to another player and then clap your hands twice before catching it.
• Repeat it until dropping the ball.

3. Plank

Planking is a safe and beneficial coordination training exercise for improving kids' gross motor skills. Also, it requires a small amount of time, like 10 or 15 seconds, to strengthen all the core muscles in the body.

How to do a plank pose:

• Start in a push-up position and keep your wrists underneath your shoulders and knees below your hips.
• Spread your fingers, pressing the pads of your fingertips and backs of your knuckles into the floor.
• Widen your shoulders and maintain a broad chest.
• Tuck your toes under and step your feet back to bring your body and head into one straight line.
• Tighten the abdomen and keep still without sinking or popping upward.
• Keep your position for 10 to 15 seconds, then slowly turn to the starting position.

4. Jumping Rope

Jumping with a rope is one of the best PE Games for both calorie-burning and fine and gross motor skill-building. As it requires kids to use both their hand and feet muscles simultaneously, it is perfect for better bilateral motor coordination.

How to Jump Rope:

• Lay the rope on the floor, pick up its handles and hold them out about 10 inches from either side of the body
• Step over the rope and keep it behind your feet to start jumping.
• Practice swinging the rope around without jumping at first, using only the wrists and hands to swing the rope.
• Then, swing the rope over your head and jump over as many times as you can in one continuous movement.

5. Jungle Gym Climbing

If your kids are getting excited about playing on a playground, giving them a jungle gym exercise is a great idea to support their hand-eye coordination and brain development. Also, it is good for inspiring kids to be active and feel more confident.

How to Jump Rope:

• Find a well-constructed jungle gym.
• Place your hand in a safe place above your head to hold the ladder.
• Put your feet on the ladder one by one.
• Then, climb the ladder by putting the other hand on the ladder.
• Keep climbing and diversify the exercise by swinging with ropes and climbing through other obstacles.
• Play until finishing all the obstacles and turn back to the starting point.

6. Jumping Jacks

This exercise is one of the best coordination warm-up games for kids as it involves both the lower and upper body and requires a good use of motor coordination skills.

A daily exercise routine starting with jumping jacks can correctly improve your kid's fitness, balance, and coordination.

How to do jumping jacks:

• Start in a standing position with your arms at your side, elbows straight, and feet together.
• Jump your feet apart and lift your arms over your head.
• Clap your hands together over your head.
• Bring your hands back down by your side and jump your feet back together.
• Keep your breathing steady.
• Repeat until feeling warmed up.

7. Cross Crawl

Performing cross crawls supports the coordination of your child by building a bridge between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Cross Crawl is also one of the most effective yoga poses for kids, which supports both hand-eye coordination and the ability to complete cerebral activities, like learning languages and reading.

How to do cross crawls:

• Start in a tabletop position.
• Then, slowly drag one leg backward along the floor until it is straight. Then pull it back in slowly.
• After dragging the leg back until it is straight, slowly lift it off the floor. Hold, then slowly raise the opposite hand and hold it for 5 to 10 seconds.
• Return to the tabletop position and repeat the moves for the opposite legs and arms.

8. Crab Walk

Crab walks are a fun exercise that will strengthen your kid's core and coordination. As it engages all the muscles from head to toe, it is also great for increasing body awareness and focusing on posture.

How to do crab walks:

• Sit on the ground with your knees bent, your hands two inches behind you, and your fingers pointing away from your body.
• Step your right foot forward as you simultaneously move your left hand forward. Then repeat on the opposite side.
• Continue walking forward for a total of 5 repetitions.

6 Examples of Coordination Exercises for Adults

Coordination exercises help adults build more muscle and enhance their mood and mental health. Especially for athletes, coordination exercises are essential to improving the technique and form of overall sportive performance.

Let’s explore the best exercises with coordination for adults!

1. MentalUP Coordination App for Adults

With more than 240 coordination exercises of MentalUP, people of all ages can enjoy improving their balance and coordination skills!

The most critical feature MentalUP offers is that daily workout according to your age group and performance level. So, adults can keep their bodies active with the exact activities that are needed for their development.

2. Standing March

This exercise is great for warming up before a long workout session and improving coordination skills at the same time. Plus, it works out both primary and secondary muscles without needing any equipment.

How to do a standing march:

• Stand straight with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Keep your feet hip-width apart.
• Bring your right elbow forward at the same time as you bring your left knee up.
• Repeat on the opposite side.
• Keep alternating sides 10 times until the set is complete.

3. Overhead Squat

When done correctly, an overhead squat can significantly increase the strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination of your body. So it is one of the most essential coordination exercises for athletes and people who want to get fit.

How to do overhead squats:

• Get a dumbbell or a weighted ball.
• Drive the dumbbell or weighted ball straight overhead and lock out your elbows.
• Drive your hips back slowly, bend your knees, and keep your core tight until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Slowly push back up and return to the starting position.
• Repeat the move 5 to 10 times.

4. Walking Lunge

Walking lunges are a simple yet effective exercise to increase the range of motion and loosen up the hips and hamstrings. It is also one of the best exercises to improve posture, balance, and gross motor coordination.

How to do a walking lunge:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Take a step forward with your right foot and then slowly bend both knees until your back knee is just above the floor.
• Stand back up and take a step forward with your left foot.
• Bend both knees until your back knee is just above the floor.
• Repeat this forward movement for the entire duration of the set.

5. Lateral Lunge

As an alternative to walking lunges, the lateral lunge exercise keeps groin muscles more active. It can be combined with other exercises and lunge alternatives to have a full muscle and coordination-improving workout.

How to perform lateral lunges:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Step out wide to the side while keeping your other foot flat.
• Bend your stepping knee while keeping the other knee straight. Your body will hinge forward slightly, and your shoulders will be slightly ahead of your knee compared to forward and backward lunges.
• Forcefully push off from your foot to return to the starting position.

6. Single-Leg Deadlift

If you need an exercise that works all the major muscles and coordination skills simultaneously, the single-leg deadlift is a great option for you. Just keep in mind to start with lighter weights and then build up.

How to do single-leg deadlifts:

• Stand with both feet under your hips and shift your weight to the right leg.
• Begin to drive your left foot back like you're stamping the bottom of your foot on the wall behind you, keeping your leg straight.
• Start hinging at the waist, tipping your torso forward until it’s almost parallel to the floor.
• Keep your arms straight, at shoulder height, and perpendicular to the floor at all times.
• Then, begin pulling your left leg forward while keeping it straight, and lift your torso up until you’re standing again.
• Repeat all reps on one side, and then switch legs.

6 Examples of Coordination Exercises for Seniors

As people age, memory, balance, and coordination skills start to decrease. In this case, coordination exercises function as a support to overcome these age-related problems.

Here are the most simple yet effective coordination exercises for seniors.

1. MentalUP Coordination App for Seniors

For a senior, regular physical activity is one of the most important factors for health. A daily exercise routine can help people to delay health problems, improve their fitness level, and decrease the effects of illnesses like strokes and Parkinson's.

That’s why fitness apps like MentalUP offer age-appropriate daily exercises that can help seniors stay active. Besides 150+ brain games for seniors, 240+ daily workouts improve elders’ coordination in an easy and fun way!

2. Standing Balance with Ball Tosses

This is one of the greatest coordination exercises for Parkinson's patients as it enhances hand-eye coordination and balance. It is also good for warming up at the beginning of an exercise session to avoid injury and regulate breathing.

How to perform standing balances with ball tosses:

• Get a tennis ball, plates, or soft medicine ball.
• If you are a beginner, you can execute the exercise by keeping both your feet on the floor.
• If you are advanced enough, stand up and balance on one leg with the opposite leg lifted at 90 degrees at the hip and knee.
• Hold your position and start tossing the ball into each hand; follow the ball with your eyes and repeat the move until you can keep your balance.
• Repeat for the other side.

3. Reaction Side Squat

These side squats are great for intermediate-level seniors that need to improve their hand-eye coordination and reaction skills. This type of squat needs to be done with a trainer to get the most benefits.

How to do reaction side squats:

• Start in the squat position and face your trainer.
• Follow your trainer's hand with your eyes.
• Coordinate and synchronize a side squat in a timely manner based on the direction your trainer signals.
• Keep repeating until your trainer says that the exercise is done.

4. Weight Shifts

Weight shifts are great for improving balance and coordination. Additionally, when it is executed in a wheelchair or sitting position, they turn into one of the most effective coordination exercises for stroke patients.

How to execute weight shifts:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart or sit down.
• Shift your weight onto your right foot.
• Raise your left foot, or left hand if you are sitting.
• Hold your position for up to 30 seconds.
• Then do the opposite side.
• Do each side 3 times.

5. Tree Pose

A well-known yoga pose, the tree pose is a simple and beneficial exercise to improve core muscles in the body, regulate balance, and stretch the legs at the same time. Especially for seniors, it is great for giving a little challenge to core muscles.

How to perform a tree pose:

• While standing, shift your weight onto your right foot.
• Position your left foot to the side with your heel lifted, or place the sole of your foot against your ankle, shin, or thigh.
• Place your hands in any comfortable position.
• Hold for up to 1 minute.
• Then do the opposite side.

6. Rock the Boat

This is a simple exercise with numerous benefits for seniors. It strengthens the core muscles and spine, improves balance, stretches hamstrings, and releases stress. So if you are looking for an exercise to challenge your body a bit in a fun way, this one is great for you.

How to execute the rock the boat exercise:

• Stand with your feet hip-distance apart.
• Lift your arms and extend them out to the sides.
• Lift your left foot off the floor and bend your knee to bring your heel toward your bottom.
• Hold this position for up to 30 seconds.
• Then do the opposite side.
• Do each side 3 times

The Benefits of Coordination

As we’ve learned detailed information about coordination and explored the best coordination exercises examples for kids, adults, and seniors, we can move on to explaining why is coordination important for individuals.

Physical Benefits of Coordination Training

• Helps individuals to get fit by burning calories, building muscles, and toning the body
• Enables cardiovascular systems to work more efficiently, thus increasing daily energy levels
• Improves balance, flexibility, and agility
• Lowers the risks and effects of hypertension, obesity, and anxiety
• Supports individuals to stay more active and get fit

Mental Benefits of Coordination Training

• Enhances memory by improving concentration
• Helps manage stress and depression by releasing endorphins
• Improves mental agility and self-confidence
• Affects memory, language, and reasoning skills positively by improving cerebral learning

Frequently Asked Questions About Coordination Exercises

If you still have some questions in your mind about coordination exercises, here are the most commonly asked questions about the topic.