Visual Motor Skills

 

 

The development of smooth visual motor skills is dependent upon consistent control of eyes and consistent control of the arms, hand, and fingers.  When these skills are intact, then the two processes can be combined for more fine coordination tasks such as making a circle so that the ends meet, cutting on a line, coloring inside the lines, or being able to combine lines to make letters.  The visual system and motor systems can be worked on individually and together for improvement in the visual motor skills.  Try these activities at home.

 

• Have your child locate familiar item on the cupboard shelves or in the supermarket shelves.  “Can you find a box of Cheerios for me?”

 

• In a dark room, (maybe before bed) Use a flashlight to make a light beam on the ceiling or wall.  Have your child follow the movements of the light beam.  I name it (Sally) and give the light beam a bit of a personality.  Have them hold the light beam in their hands when it comes to him.  Have your child try and push the light beam into a box or shoe. (you control the movement of the light beam because you are holding the flashlight, so you make the light beam respond to your child’s movement.)

 

• Make cookies with your child.  Let your child dump, pour, open containers, and stir.  All these activities are great muscle building activities.

 

• Have your child rip all the envelopes from holiday cards.  Have him rip the paper into small pieces and sprinkle the “confetti into a trash can.  Can he pull with just his fingers?  I will frequent make a tiny rip in the top to get the rip started