Some children have a difficult time visualizing their body in space. They also have difficulty coordinating their right and left hands and doing things simultaneously. Circles on the Board is just one exercise to help develop these skills.

In this exercise the participant is asked to stand fairly close to a chalk board, white board or smart board. They are given the appropriate writing tools (e.g., chalk for a chalk board, dry erase markers for a white board) and asked to make a design on the board (circle, squares, triangles) using both hands. The student practices this exercise daily until the images are drawn quickly and efficiently and resemble well the shape to be drawn.

Step by Step Instructions: Circles on the Board.

1. The participant stands at a large board (e.g., chalk board, smart board, white board) with the appropriate writing utensil in each hand. The face should be fairly close to the board within 6 to 12 inches.

2. With outstretched arms, the participant draws a circle with each hand. The circles should be relatively big (e.g., at least 12 inches in diameter). The participant continues drawing circles trying to draw on top of the first circle that was made. This is done for about 30 seconds.

3. The participant backs up to examin the outcome (see how he/she did).

4. The board is erased.

5. Steps 1 through 4 are repeated. The goal is to improve the drawings so that the circle's borders are close together and that a good proportional circle was made.

6. The participant stands at the board again, close up and this time draws one square with each hand simultaneously.

7. The participant backs up to get feedback on the quality of the two squares.

8. The board is erased.

9. Steps 6 through 8 are repeated.

10. The participant stands at the board again, close up and this time draws one triangle with both hands simultaneously.

11. The participant backs up to get feedback on the quality of the two triangles.

12. The board is erased.

13. Steps 10 through 12 are repeated.

14. This is the end of the exercise for the day.

15. Each session starts with circles. As the participant gets better, the designs get more complex (e.g., diamond, hexagon, star, star of David).

16. Mastery is when the child can stand at the board and with both hands simultaneously draw a relatively complex design.

Exercise:Circles on the Board.

Time: about 5 minutes, longer at first, due to hesitancy in drawing.

Recommended Frequency: once a day, 5 or 6 days per week.

Materials Needed: large board usually mounted to a wall, materials to draw on the board.

Pretest Assessment: the participant has trouble with knowing where their body is in space, visual motor integration problems, and problems with visual imagery.

Mastery: is when the child can easily draw a high quality complex shape while standing with their head 6 to 12 inches from the using both hands simultaneously.

Additional comments: This exercise can be made easier or harder depending on the motor skills of the participant. Drawing with one arm and hand at a time will make the exercise easier. Drawing even more complex shapes (e.g., automobile) will make the exercise more challenging. A very challenging task is to draw each of the drawings in opposite directions simultaneously. For example, when drawing circles, one hand can going in a clockwise position while the other is moving in a counterclockwise position.

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