| Hand-eye coordination and visual | | | | an organized pattern can be a great learning |
| discrimination key to literacy | | | | experience as well as very satisfying for |
| | | | children. |
| Sometimes the best thing you can do for your | | | | |
| child's early literacy development is simply | | | | Puzzles, matching games, and the like are |
| to let them play. Turn off the TV and | | | | also important to help children learn visual |
| anything battery operated then let your child | | | | discrimination. Visual discrimination is the |
| pick up their toys, build blocks or duplos, | | | | ability of the brain to quickly tell the |
| or manipulate puzzles or game pieces. Not | | | | difference among visually similar letters, |
| only are you giving your child the gift of | | | | like "p," "b," and "q" or between words such |
| childhood, something we so often fail to do | | | | as "was" and "saw." Students with difficulty |
| in today's hectice, achievement-oriented | | | | making these distinctions often struggle with |
| world, but you are actually helping them | | | | learning to read, write, and spell. Playing |
| build skills that are key to learning to read | | | | games, engaging in activities, or with toys |
| and write. | | | | that help children discriminate among similar |
| | | | objects can be fun for the child and help |
| Hand-eye coordination is a necessary skill | | | | them master an important preliteracy skill. |
| for written language and the best way to help | | | | My son loves to help his father sort change |
| your child develop this skill is to let them | | | | before rolling it to be deposited at the |
| play with toys and activities that involve | | | | bank. Sure we could use an electronic sorter |
| looking at, using, and discriminating a | | | | but our son loves to engage in the activity |
| number of elements. Puzzles are obviously a | | | | and it is a valuable learning experience for |
| great activity for this but so are | | | | him. |
| manipulative toys such as blocks, duplos, and | | | | |
| magnetix. | | | | Visual discrimination can often be learned |
| | | | with your child's existing toys. Matchbox |
| My son just spent over an hour this evening | | | | cars, dolls, and action figures all offer the |
| playing dominos with his father -- OK they | | | | opportunity for your child to learn visual |
| weren't so much playing as setting up complex | | | | discrimination. |
| pattterns and then knocking them down -- but | | | | |
| I didn't tell them they were engaged in a | | | | Encourage children to work their wrist and |
| preliteracy activity. They were just having | | | | finger muscles as well as work on their |
| fun together. | | | | coordination and small-motor skills to help |
| | | | prepare them for the handwriting practice in |
| Studies have shown that spending time on | | | | their future. Activities to help with these |
| hand-eye coordination activities improves | | | | goals include legos and other building sets, |
| children's ability to learn to read and | | | | playdough, puzzles, pegboards, beads and |
| lessens the difficulty they face during the | | | | other table toys. These fun, natural |
| process. In fact engaging in a variety of | | | | activities help children improve their |
| craft activities, which most kids love, can | | | | cognitive and fine motor skills without |
| be very beneficial so add play dough, | | | | frustration or boredom. |
| stickers, and glue sticks to your list of | | | | |
| educational supplies. | | | | My son engages in many activities every day |
| | | | that encourage hand-eye coordination and |
| Research shows that early practice of | | | | visual discrimination. I don't suggest the |
| hand-eye coordination activities reduces the | | | | activities to him. I make the toys and |
| risk for reading difficulties. | | | | manipulatives available to him and he chooses |
| | | | them on his own. The activities vary he may |
| ACTIVITIES TO ENCOURAGE | | | | go an entire week building and rebuilding his |
| | | | wooden train set every day and then the next |
| Puzzles help develop hand-eye coordination | | | | week his magnetix set dominates his play |
| because learning to control hands and fingers | | | | time. Some days he plays with both together |
| according to information received from sight | | | | and pulls in his duplos and wooden blocks for |
| is a coordination skill that aids children in | | | | added fun. It doesn't matter to me which |
| early attempts at reading and writing. | | | | activity he chooses because I know he is |
| Determining out which piece goes where, | | | | having fun, challenging his imagination,and |
| working to fit pieces into place by making | | | | learning. |
| adjustments, and seeing a sequence develop in | | | | |