3 Valentine’s Visual Motor Activities
When teaching visual motor and fine motor skills to younger children, sometimes the simplest activities give you the most bang for your buck. Older children who have already developed basic skills in these areas can work on activities that require more precision and control such as complex in hand manipulation tasks (see our Clinical Closeup page for a more in-depth look at fine motor skills). Here are some quick, easy Valentine’s Day activities for kids that are fun while also delivering a developmental boost! Enjoy and happy heart day!
WHAT TO DO:
STICK WITH YOUR HEART: Wikki Stix patterns
We created a Wikki Stixy Tom turkey for Thanksgiving and it was such a hit with the kids, I thought we should try it again for Valentine’s Day! Grab some Wikki Stix and get started. Print out our heart template here. In this simple activity, your kids will lay Wikki Stix over the lines of the heart. Overlap them as necessary and press them together to make them stick. Working with the different sized hearts will vary the challenge! Once they have completed their Wikki Stix hearts, lift them up and press them onto windows or walls to make Valentine’s Day decorations! Try this activity by pressing the Wikki Stix over other shapes and even words! Try making the word LOVE or creating sentences (“I love you Mom!”), or a cupid’s arrow!
LOOPING LOVE: How big is your heart?
Draw a small heart in the center of a piece of paper with a fine point marker. Your child will then grow the heart by outlining the heart with another color. They will continue this process with a new color for each heart outline. Cue them to stay as close to the heart line as possible and go slow as they draw! For older children, tell them to continuously loop their line without picking up their marker. A great visual motor challenge!
EYE HEART YOU: Matching heart patterns
Draw several hearts on a piece of paper in a column, each 2-3 inches in size. Now go back and draw a pattern inside each heart (zig zag lines, diagonal lines, curving lines, tiny circles, a cupid’s arrow, etc.). Draw a second column of hearts directly across from your designs and see if you child can replicate the patterns. Draw these patterns with your child in mind. Start simple and create more difficult ones as they master them! Kids need to learn visual skills such as looking at one object, then shifting their vision over to focus on another object. This is an important skill to develop for school readiness (e.g. copying from the board).This is a great activity to practice copying skills which involve this skill. When you are done, cut out the patterns and play a matching game or memory game with the hearts!
SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED: Visual motor integration, visual perceptual skills, fine motor skills, prewriting skills, bilateral coordination
Want to take a closer look at the skills kids are using in this activity? Check out our Clinical Closeup page, where we break down the skills listed below in terms everyone can understand.
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