Alexis Irazoque, M.S., CCC-SLP
Visual motor skills and visual perceptual skills help children understand what they see and use that information to move, learn, and complete everyday tasks. These skills are essential for things like handwriting, reading, playing, and staying organized.
At Expressable, we often hear from parents who notice their child struggling with tasks like doing puzzles, writing, or copying from the board. The good news is that these skills can grow with practice and the right guidance. In this guide, we’ll explain what visual motor and visual perceptual skills are, share visual motor skills examples, and show how occupational therapy can help your child build confidence and independence.
Key takeaways
Visual perceptual skills help children understand what they see. Visual motor skills help them use that information to move and complete tasks.
These skills are important for everyday activities like reading, handwriting, playing, and getting dressed.
Signs of difficulty may include messy handwriting, trouble with puzzles, avoiding drawing, or mixing up letters and numbers.
Visual motor skills activities and simple play at home can help strengthen these abilities over time.
Occupational therapy provides personalized, play-based support to help children build skills and confidence.
Looking for an occupational therapist?
Teletherapy makes it easy. We serve families with a range of needs across the U.S. Get started today!
Find an OTWhat are visual motor and visual perceptual skills?
Visual motor and visual perceptual skills help the brain understand what we see and use that information to guide how we move. Let’s take a closer look at each set of skills.
Visual motor skills
Visual motor skills help the eyes and hands work together to complete tasks. The eyes take in information, and the brain uses that information to guide movement.
These skills rely on several systems working together, including:
Visual perception (understanding what we see)
Visual processing (how the eyes move and focus)
Motor skills (how we move our hands and body)
Children use visual motor skills every day—for example, to draw a picture, catch a ball, stack blocks, or copy shapes. Strong visual motor skills help kids complete tasks more easily and with better control.
Visual perceptual skills
Visual perceptual skills are the brain’s ability to understand and make sense of what the eyes see. These skills help children recognize shapes, letters, numbers, and patterns, and understand how they relate to each other.
“Visual perception is different from eyesight,” explains Jill Turner, OTD, OTR/L, a licensed occupational therapist at Expressable. “A child can have 20/20 vision but still have difficulty processing visual information.”
There are several important visual perceptual skills, including:
Visual discrimination: Noticing differences and similarities (like telling the letters “b” and “d” apart)
Visual memory: Remembering what something looks like
Visual spatial relations: Understanding where objects are in space
Other skills, like visual closure, figure-ground, and form constancy, also help children interpret their environment and complete everyday tasks like reading, writing, and playing.
Visual motor vs. visual perceptual skills: What’s the difference?
Visual perceptual and visual motor skills work closely together, but they are not the same. Turner describes the difference like this:
“Visual perceptual skills help a child understand what they see. For example, noticing that two shapes are different or recognizing a letter.
“Visual motor skills take it one step further. They help a child use that visual information to guide a movement, like copying a shape or writing a letter.”
In simple terms:
Visual perceptual = understanding what you see
Visual motor = using what you see to move and do
Both skills are important and often develop together.
Why are visual motor and perceptual skills important?
Visual motor and visual perceptual skills are the foundation for many daily activities.
These skills are especially important for school tasks like reading, handwriting, and math. Children use them to recognize letters, copy from the board, and stay organized on a page. These skills also support play activities, like completing puzzles, building with blocks, and playing sports.
In everyday life, visual motor and perceptual skills help with independence. Children use them when getting dressed, using utensils, and finding items in their environment. Strong visual skills help children learn, solve problems, and feel more confident in daily tasks.
Examples of visual motor and visual perceptual skills in everyday life
Children use visual motor and visual perceptual skills all day long. Some common examples include:
Drawing and coloring within the lines
Completing puzzles
Copying shapes, letters, or words
Finding items in a messy drawer or toy bin
Matching pictures, shapes, or objects
Cutting with scissors
Catching a ball or other item
For example, when a child sees a ball coming toward them, they use visual perception to judge its size and speed. Then, they use visual motor skills to move their hands and catch it.
These skills help children interact with their world and respond to what they see.
Activities of daily living (ADLs) are key self-care skills. Learn when kids develop them, common delays, and how occupational therapy helps.
How do visual skills develop by age?
Visual motor and perceptual skills begin developing in infancy and continue to grow over time.
Toddlers start by reaching for toys, stacking blocks, and scribbling. These early skills build the foundation for coordination.
Preschool-aged children then begin copying simple shapes, using scissors, completing basic puzzles, and engaging in more structured play. And when they get to their early elementary years, children develop more advanced skills, like handwriting, copying from a board, completing complex puzzles, and organizing work on a page.
It’s important to know that every child develops at their own pace. These milestones should be used as general guidelines and not strict rules. If your child’s skills seem delayed, or they have a harder time with certain tasks than other kids their age, it may be helpful to seek support.
Learn the key developmental milestones at age 3, including fine motor, self-care, and sensory skills, that can be supported with occupational therapy.
What causes visual motor and visual perceptual delays?
Visual motor and perceptual delays can happen for different reasons. Understanding the cause can help guide the right support and treatment.
Some children have natural developmental differences that affect how they process visual information.
Vision-related issues, like eye muscle imbalance or difficulty with eye movements, can also play a role. In some cases, challenges may be related to how the brain processes visual input.
Neurological conditions or injuries can impact these skills as well. And sometimes, children just simply need more practice or exposure to develop these abilities.
Learn about dysgraphia symptoms, examples, testing, and treatment options; discover how dysgraphia differs from dyslexia.
Signs of visual motor or visual perceptual problems
Children with visual motor or perceptual challenges may show a variety of signs.
Common signs include:
Avoiding drawing, coloring, or writing
Difficulty completing puzzles
Trouble copying from a board or paper
Mixing up letters or numbers (like “b” and “d”)
Losing their place when reading
Difficulty finding items in busy spaces
These challenges can affect school performance, play, and daily routines.
Younger children may struggle with puzzles or matching games, while older children may have more difficulty with reading, writing, and organization.
When should I be concerned about visual motor or perceptual skills?
It’s normal for children to develop at different rates. However, it may be time to seek support if these challenges are affecting your child’s daily life.
You might consider an occupational therapy evaluation if your child:
Struggles with school tasks like writing or reading
Avoids activities that involve drawing or puzzles
Becomes frustrated with visual tasks
Has difficulty keeping up with kids their age
The good news is that these skills can improve with practice and support. Early intervention can make a big difference!
Help for literacy disorders: Learn how to spot and support reading, writing, and spelling struggles, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and more.
How does occupational therapy help visual motor and perceptual skills?
Occupational therapy (OT) helps children build visual motor and perceptual skills through structured, play-based activities. Turner says, “Therapists focus on improving how the eyes and brain work together, as well as how the body responds to visual information.”
OT may include:
Practicing eye-hand coordination
Strengthening visual processing skills
Improving handwriting and copying skills
Each plan is personalized to your child’s needs. The goal is to help children participate more easily in school, play, and daily routines.
What does OT for visual motor and perceptual skills look like?
OT sessions are fun, engaging, and tailored to your child. Therapists often use activities like:
Drawing and tracing
Puzzles and matching games
Building with blocks or patterns
Handwriting practice
“I Spy” or visual search games
OT may also include strategies to reduce visual distractions, improve focus, and support learning. These activities help strengthen both visual understanding and coordination in a way that feels like play.
How does virtual OT work for visual skills?
Online occupational therapy brings support right into your home.
Sessions are interactive and include play-based activities, real-life practice, and parent coaching. Your occupational therapist will guide you and your child through activities that build visual skills during everyday routines.
With Expressable, you will:
Work 1-on-1 with a licensed occupational therapist
Learn simple strategies to use at home
Practice skills in real-life situations
Get ongoing support between sessions in our client portal
This approach helps children build skills where they use them most.
Discover how Expressable’s portal makes it easy to practice speech and occupational therapy at home, with expert tools, tips, videos, and lessons.
Visual motor and visual perceptual activities to try at home
You can support your child’s skills through simple, everyday play. Turner recommends activities like these:
Coloring, tracing, and connecting dots
Mazes and puzzles
Cutting and pasting
Matching, memory, and hidden pictures games
Building with blocks or Legos
Playing “I Spy” or scavenger hunts
You can also practice hand-eye coordination by playing catch with a ball or balloon.
Keep activities fun and low-pressure. Short, playful practice can make a big difference over time. Your occupational therapist will have lots of ideas to make practice feel more like play!
Supporting your child’s independence
Every child develops at their own pace, and some may need a little extra support along the way.
With the right tools and guidance, children can strengthen their visual motor and visual perceptual skills, build confidence, and become more independent in daily life. If you have concerns, an occupational therapy evaluation can help you understand your child’s needs and create a clear plan.
At Expressable, we’re here to support you every step of the way. With personalized care and expert guidance, your child can grow, learn, and thrive. Reach out to get started today.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Visual perceptual skills help children understand and make sense of what they see, like recognizing letters or shapes. Visual motor skills help them use that information to guide movement, like writing a letter or catching a ball.
Yes! Visual motor skills can improve with practice and support. Simple visual motor skill activities like coloring, puzzles, tracing, and playing catch can help strengthen coordination over time.
You can support visual perceptual skills through fun activities like matching games, hidden picture games, “I Spy,” memory games, and puzzles. These help children notice details, remember what they see, and understand how objects relate to each other.
Not always. A child can have perfect eyesight but still struggle with visual perceptual skills. These challenges are often related to how the brain processes visual information, not how clearly the child can see.
These skills begin developing in infancy and continue to grow through childhood. Toddlers start with simple tasks like stacking blocks, while older children develop more advanced skills like handwriting and reading. Every child develops at their own pace.
Yes. Occupational therapists use standardized assessments and observations to evaluate visual perceptual skills. These tests look at how a child processes and responds to visual information during different tasks.
How Expressable Can Help
Concerned your child isn't reaching age-expected milestones? Looking for communication support from a professional? Expressable is a national online speech and occupational therapy practice serving children and adults. We treat all major areas of communication, feeding, and developmental skills, offer flexible hours including evenings and weekends, and accept most major health insurance plans. We’re proud to have earned more than 4,500 5-star reviews from our clients (4.83/5 average).
Our therapy model is centered on parent and caregiver involvement. Research proves that empowering caregivers to participate in their loved one’s therapy leads to better outcomes. That’s why we combine live, 1-on-1 speech and occupational therapy with personalized education and home practice activities for faster progress.
