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Boosting Fine Motor Skills: Occupational Therapy Lessons with Drawing and Coloring Activities

occupational therapy fine motor drawing and coloring activities for visual perception


Discover a delightful and educational approach to refining fine motor, visual perception, and executive function planning skills through the engaging activity of drawing. This creative endeavor serves as a dynamic tool for students to practice visualizing the end result of a task before strategically planning its execution—a skill that poses challenges for many children.

Recognizing the importance of models and assistance in fostering this ability, drawing becomes a valuable exercise to help children envision the completed task, plan the necessary steps, gather materials, initiate the process, and successfully bring the task to fruition. Whether it’s the preparation of dinner, the organization of a clean room, the crafting of a project, or the creation of a drawing, this blog post introduces the concept of “starting with the end in mind,” emphasizing its significance in effective planning and task completion.

Explore the multifaceted benefits of incorporating drawing into your educational toolkit, providing a fun and interactive way to develop essential skills for children.

My students love both my roll & draw and spin & draw activities. I have made them for every season, holiday, and theme I can think of. If you don’t know about the wheel of names website check it out. You can insert words and pictures to make any type of digital spinners, then save and share your links. Check out the bundles in my store for all the options I have available. There are a few options in my Free Resource Library including a new Spring Draw a Flower option.

Directions for spin and draw: 

You or your students spin the wheel. Drawing wheels can be used like my other roll and spin drawing activities.  Each spin is the part of the drawing they need to complete.  These are a great way to work on visual perception and planning skills. All parts must be added in the order that they are spun. 

Spin a Flower Wheel of Names

Roll and Draw Games

When is a Good Time to Use This Resource:

  • Math Centers: Utilize these activities in kindergarten or first-grade math centers to reinforce number identification and visual perception.
  • Occupational Therapy Sessions: Address difficulties with visual-motor coordination and enhance fine motor skills through these purposeful activities.
  • Classroom Parties: Incorporate these themed Roll & Draw games into seasonal or holiday classroom party activities.
  • Small Group Special Education: Cater to individualized learning needs in small group special education settings.

What’s Included in the PDF:

  • Wide Variety of Themes: The resource encompasses diverse themes, including baseball, skeleton, house, person, face, jack o lantern, witch, leprechaun, and more.
  • Color and Black & White Options: Choose between color and black & white versions for flexibility and customization.
  • Multiple Activities in Each Set: Each theme includes various activities such as rolling, spinning, drawing, coloring, and cut-and-paste options.
  • Visual Perception Planning: Enhance visual perception skills critical for reading, spelling, handwriting, drawing, math, and comprehension.

Skills Students are Working On:

  • Number Identification: Reinforce number identification skills through engaging Roll & Draw activities.
  • Fine Motor Skills: Develop fine motor skills by drawing, coloring, and assembling themed pictures.
  • Visual Perception: Strengthen visual perception for improved information interpretation and processing.

Key Features:

  • Comprehensive Set: This resource encompasses all Roll & Draw sets and may expand with future updates.
  • Seasonal and Holiday Themes: Engage students with thematic activities suitable for different seasons and holidays.
  • Color and Black & White Versions: Choose the option that best suits your printing and customization preferences.
  • Low-Prep: Minimal preparation required—simply print and implement these activities seamlessly.
Consider using this link to follow my TpT store and get 50% off all newly posted resources.

About the Author

I am a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) and have been working in a public school system for more than 25 years. My resources can be found on TPTBOOM LearningMade by TeachersClassful, and Your Therapy Source. I appreciate your interest wherever you wish to shop.

My mission is to help you find creative ideas to incorporate fine motor, visual perceptiongross motor, and social-emotional learning into your lessons.

I hope you consider signing up for my Free Resource Library with your Email. I send out emails about once a week and share resources, tips, and planning ideas for your classroom or occupational therapy needs. Hopefully, these help your students work on building their skills in a fun and engaging way.

Free occupational therapy fine motor, handwriting, screening, visual perceptual and social emotional learning worksheets and activities
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