OCULAR MOTOR

OCULAR MOTOR / EYE-HAND ACTIVITIES

Compiled by Janet Mapes, OTR/L

1. Always encourage eye contact when speaking

2. Flashlight Fun: a) 2 flashlights – child follows your flashlight around room superimposing his flashlight on yours. b) Use your flashlight to create a simple pattern on the wall and instruct child to follow your pattern keeping his flashlight superimposed on yours.

3. "I Spy" games outside or inside – look for colors, shapes, objects, large letters/numbers,etc.

4. Find objects around house and outdoors, put away items.

5. Take lots of walks outdoors and constantly point out things – have child tell you what he sees.

6. Throw beanbags, balls, etc. at targets, games that involve ring toss, etc.

7. Ball fun – throw ball/beanbags up in air to catch, kick balls, T-ball, basketball, rolling balls at target as in simple type bowling.

8. Pop soap bubbles with "magic wand" or use finger.

9. Hammer golf tees in chunk of Styrofoam.

10. Lacing cards

11. Pegboards

12. Stringing a variety of objects

13. Shape sorter

14. Lotto matching games

15. Use spoon, shovels, spatulas to transfer materials and fill up various size containers.

16. Hitting a balloon back and forth to each other

17. Balance beam activities – forward, backward, sideways. Can use old railroad tie for this.

18. Jump over moving snake rope on the ground ( move rope back and forth.

19. Roll a glow ball in the dark back and forth

20. Start a scrap book with a theme ( food, animals, toys, etc). Look through magazines together and have child locate correct item. Tear page out, outline items in contrasting marker, have child help cut out general outline if they can.

21. Trace hands with crayons

22. Bicycle or tricycle – follow obvious chalk line on driveway around obstacles.

23. Connect like designs together on paper/chalkboard/driveway,etc ( matching)

24. Tracing, mazes, hidden pictures, dot-to-dot. Can find these in activity books or make up own.

25. Sorting ( can start with 2 different objects, then progress to many ). Have child locate all of 1 color, shape, size in group of many.

26. Puppets – can use these to attract childs’ attention, track puppet as it moves.

27. Books – point out or have child find pictures.

28. Where’s Waldo books or activities or other hidden pictures

29. Computer games/Nintendo games. Very good for ocular motor.

30. Visual Tracing Sheets – draw a set of numbers, letters or symbols on left side of chalkboard, paper, etc. vertically and another identical set on the right side. Draw waving, interconnecting lines from left to right side and child must trace the line from 1 symbol on the left to the same symbol on the right.

31. Letter or word search a) scan group of 10-100 letters, numbers to locate specific one, cross out each time it is repeated, b) make up word search with simple words to locate.