Countless visual therapy tools are available for purchase, but you can save money by making your own. From a magazine, cut out the same letter printed in different fonts, sizes and colors and have the students make a letter collage. This will reinforce the skill of form consistency, the ability to recognize that an object is the same despite changes in its size, color, direction or context. To practice visual figure ground -- the ability to find a form among a cluttered background -- glue the letters onto a magazine page to create a free I-spy game.
Only bring in the worksheets when the child can demonstrate visual skills with high-interest objects. To reinforce visual closure -- the skill of identifying an object when only part is shown -- play modified peek-a-boo. See if your students identify a favorite train peeking out of tunnel or a doll that is covered with a blanket except its toes. Keep showing more of the preferred toy until students can identify it. After that game is over, move to generalization and more abstract practice with pictures and puzzles.
Visual memory and sequential memory are required to sequence letters in spelling, copy from the board to paper and sequence numbers in math problems as well as for recalling the order of events in a reading passage. Show three small candies with different colors. Cover and take one away. If the child can tell you which color is missing, he keeps the treat. As the skill develops, increase the number of items or increase the clutter of the background. Take photos of a familiar activity, such as making microwave popcorn, and have the child put the photos in order.
A lack of understanding of visual-spatial relationships -- the positional relationship of objects -- causes difficulty in following through with directions that include positional phrases such as next to, under, left or right. In reading, letters such as “b, p and d” can be problematic, as they are essentially the same shape in different positions. Obstacle courses can help children maneuver and plan. Hide a highly motivating item and give positional cues as the child searches -- such as, “It’s on the left side of the room” and then “under the table” -- until the child finds her favorite item.