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Visual Motor Integration refers to the ability to coordinate the visual systems to fine motor and upper extremity function for tasks such as tracing, coloring, folding, drawing, cutting with scissors, handwriting, copying skills, ball skills and racket skills, as well as performing self-care skills. You may have heard Visual Motor skills referred to as “Hand-Eye Coordination,” but Visual Motor Skills or VMI, also incorporate Visual Perceptual Skills. . Children who may have lags or deficits in Visual Motor Integration, may struggle with copying shapes, the development of handwriting skills and drawing.
Occupational Therapists have many ways to assess VMI skills, and provide treatment and activities to improve the integration of visual skills ( which includes skills such as eye tracking and visual perceptual skills) and fine motor coordination, grasp and dexterity skills. VMI skills related to handwriting are often referred to as “Graphomotor” skills.
What are some signs that a student may have VMI difficulties?
What are some signs that a student may have VMI difficulties?
Difficulty drawing and copying pictures or shapes
Difficulty planning movements in games such as "Hop Scotch"
Having difficulty learning to write
Difficulty placing writing on a line or spacing words
Letter or number reversals
Difficulty with mazes, dot to dots or puzzles
Having difficulty with buttoning or tying
Poor scissor skills
Appearing clumsy
Activities to Improve Visual Motor Integration Skills:
Activities to Improve Visual Motor Integration Skills:
- Throwing at a target- Create games that require your child to throw at various targets with balls, beanbags, snowballs, even socks!
- Tracing a line and various shapes- I like to use a yellow highlighted line to start, and then graduate to dotted lines.
- Dot to dot activities
- Coloring and color or paint by number.
- Cutting activities- start by snipping paper for beginners, then move to bold straight lines, curves and then more complex angles and shapes.
- Lacing activities- You can use very simple lacing activities and move to more complex activities such as weaving, and sewing
- Copying shapes- have your child practice coping simple shapes such as a circle, a cross, a square, a triangle, a rectangle. Use the shapes to create a picture of a “house” or a “person”
- Mazes- Start simple!
- Complete the Picture activities- Partial drawings that require the child to “complete the drawing.”
- Sequential Drawing- Step by Step “How to Draw" activities.
- Origami or other paper folding activities
- Crafts- Any activity the at that child has to plan and construct is beneficial to VMI development.
- Legos
- K-nex or other construction toys
- Puzzles
- Dancing or playing with Ribbon wands
- Stringing beads or cut up straws
- Macrame’ or other weaving activities like baskets or “friendship bracelets”
- Using popsicle sticks, "Wikki Stix"or other materials to “build “ letter shapes or numbers.
- Parquetry or shape puzzle challenges
- Games like Connect Four
- Finger Plays with songs
- Cooking- cutting soft foods, measuring with cups and spoons, stirring, flipping food with a spatula.
- Dressing activities and other self -care… Challenge your child to do part of a self-care tasks such as unbuttoning, buttoning, putting the toothpaste on, screwing on lids, pouring their own drinks, make a P&J sandwich!
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