|
💡Low Prep Vision Activity💡  Using your bulletin boards that contain academic content—such as letters, heart words, pattern words, numbers, and shapes—can easily double as an engaging eye-movement activity in the classroom. By slowly moving a flashlight or red laser pointer from one content word or symbol to another, students visually track the light as it travels across the board. This encourages smooth eye movements as their eyes follow the light from left to right, up and down, or across different distances. While tracking, students are also visually reinforcing academic concepts, making this a simple, purposeful way to support both visual skills and learning at the same time.
The same bulletin board of academic content can also be used to encourage saccadic eye movements, which involve quick, purposeful shifts of the eyes from one target to another. Instead of moving the light smoothly, briefly point the flashlight or laser dot to one letter, word, number, or shape, pause, then quickly jump to a new location. Students move their eyes rapidly to find and fixate on each new target, strengthening their ability to shift focus efficiently. This activity supports visual attention and control while continuing to reinforce familiar academic content in a fun, low-prep way.
0 Comments
On a recent visit to an elementary school, teachers inquired how to get more eye teaming in for their younger elementary aged students. They were incorporating a lot of the CORE vision activities in the classroom but were hungry for more ideas. Enter the Peg Arc. This visual tool is one that students prefer because it is game-like and used independently. As you can see in the picture, the student will “leapfrog” the golf pegs one over the other from side to side and up the center of the Peg Arc. It is key that they should not move their heads but only have their eyes following the pegs.  A couple of these arcs can be used in classrooms for students who may need a little extra visual stimulation, as a waiting activity in the S.M.A.R.T. room, or even a quick individual break during long classroom work times. The Peg Arc can be passed from student to student. When it is their turn, they stop their work, take a minute to do the arc, and then pass it to the next student in front or behind them.
Don’t have a Peg Arc but would love to incorporate it into your S.M.A.R.T. routine? You can purchase them at our online store and get them shipped right to your school! Find a Peg Arc here: https://www.actg.org/store/p55/Peg-Arc.html S.M.A.R.T. workshops emphasize how crucial visual development is. Vision is a complex process involving over 20 visual abilities and more than 65% of all of the pathways to the brain. But do you remember this shocking statistic? Some optometric and pediatric sources estimate that roughly 25% of schoolchildren have vision problems that have not been formally diagnosed and that potentially impact learning, reading, or classroom performance. That’s right…1 in 4 of your students may be quietly struggling! We have shared this resource before and we will share it again because it is just too good.  Katy, 2nd grade teacher from Janesville, WI, drew up some winter themed Visual Mazes for her students and has kindly shared them with us for you all to benefit from a low prep activity. Thanks Katy!
These mazes are our Tactile Trackers from the S.M.A.R.T. PreK CORE guide page 64 and a variation of Wagon Wheels in the S.M.A.R.T. Elementary Guide on page 150. This activity helps to develop smooth pursuit eye movements and eye-hand coordination in a fun and engaging way. Refresh yourself on how to guide students in the activity as this one tends to have students rushing through. The guides contain some helpful directions and tips! Download: winter_visual_mazes.pdf Have you noticed that kids tend to rush through S.M.A.R.T. movements when doing the activities in a circuit with their classmates? We have had several write-ins asking how to address this situation.
Movements such as crawling, rolling, balancing, and hopping are most beneficial when they are done with intention, control, and efficiency rather than speed. These foundational movements help organize the nervous system and build strong neural connections between the body and the brain. When students rush, they often rely on momentum instead of muscle engagement, which limits the brain’s opportunity to integrate sensory input, coordination, and motor planning. Slowing the movements encourages focus, body awareness, and accuracy, allowing the brain to strengthen pathways that support attention, self-regulation, and learning. Emphasizing “smooth and steady” over “fast” helps students gain the full neurological benefit of the activity. How do you explain this to a student in a supportive and corrective way? Try something like this - “When you move your body slowly and carefully, your brain gets stronger. If you rush, your body is moving but your brain can’t keep up. Going slow helps your brain and muscles work as a team—like best friends. Smooth, steady movements help your brain practice balance, focus, and control. So slow doesn’t mean easy or boring—it means your brain is doing important work!” We strongly advocate for more movement during the school day. While S.M.A.R.T. is an excellent way to do this, using it as more of a free for all, “get your energy out”, kind of movement break, can diminish some of the neurological potential and growth. Smooth and Steady in 2026 🌟 Are your students zipping across the Balance Beam like pros? That’s a sign—they’re ready to level up! When it’s time for a simple challenge (no extra prep required), add in a Flamingo Pose right on the beam or invite students to close their eyes as they walk forward. These tiny upgrades instantly deepen the experience and keep kids engaged while strengthening their balance and confidence. Simple changes, big impact!  Here’s why it matters: Balance is a powerful tool for social-emotional learning. As students practice steady, controlled movement, they build focus, self-regulation, body awareness, and perseverance—skills that support emotional calm and classroom success. After plenty of balancing with eyes open, closing the eyes gently increases the challenge by activating the vestibular system. Try it yourself: stand on one foot for 5 seconds with eyes open, then repeat with eyes closed. Feel the difference? That boost in sensory input helps strengthen both the brain and body—making balance practice a win-win for learning and emotional growth.  Looking for some winter themed fun in your S.M.A.R.T. program? Here is a quick little throwback to a blog where we highlighted thematic twists for December! https://www.actg.org/smartnews/archives/12-2016  As winter settles in and outdoor play becomes limited, movement breaks become more important than ever for keeping students focused, regulated, and ready to learn. This is the perfect season for S.M.A.R.T. teachers to add fresh activities that keep the program engaging while giving students the sensory input their bodies need. Have you explored some of the powerful balance activities from the program?
One fun way to maximize your movement time is with what we call a “double whammy”—combining two CORE skills into one exciting game. Try Musical Tables from the S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K CORE Guide (page 37)! Students begin in the Stable Table position, then creep on all fours as music plays. When the music stops, they freeze back in Stable Table. This playful routine layers creeping + balance, creating a burst of sensory input that supports focus, body awareness, and self-regulation—just what students need during cold-weather months indoors. Don’t forget to explore the progression options in your program guides to keep this activity growing with your learners. Small increases in challenge keep students engaged while strengthening the skills that support both learning and emotional regulation. Winter may keep us inside, but it’s the perfect time to turn up the movement and help students thrive! Winter is setting in, it can be tempting for kids to hibernate—but movement is more important than ever during the long winter break! Keeping bodies active helps boost mood, focus, and energy, even when outdoor play is less accessible. To make movement fun and motivating, turn it into a game with Movement Bingo! We’ve gathered some of our favorite developmental movements to help families stay active, connected, and energized while chasing away the winter blues. For an extra splash of adventure, bundle up and take the challenge outside—fresh air plus movement makes it even more fun! Download Here  Do you have students who are constantly moving? In and out of their chair, constantly changing their body position, falling over even? Or maybe you are noticing students who are slumped over in their chairs, almost spilling their body across their desk?
These classroom behaviors are indicating the need for vestibular stimulation! Why vestibular? Our vestibular system governs movement, balance, and body awareness and is deeply connected to our ability to remain attentive and stay regulated. If your students are showing you that they need vestibular movement, here are some quick in the moment movement breaks that can work for you and them! 👉 Download Movement Snacks – Vestibular Poster Month three of our school year S.M.A.R.T. newsletter is all about vestibular stimulation. What CORE movement should be incorporated into your daily schedule? Pencil Roll! The Pencil Roll is essential for helping students build the vestibular endurance they need for balance and coordination, along with the ability to be still and focused in the classroom. This simple yet powerful CORE movement activates the brain systems responsible for body awareness and self-regulation. When practiced consistently, the Pencil Roll strengthens students’ ability to process movement, leading to improved posture, attention, and readiness to learn. How do you keep it fun? Scatter leaves (real or cut out) to mimic rolling in the leaves, add a texture like bubble wrap or small bean bags to roll across for added tactile input, roll down inclines, or do some puzzle rolling.
Drop puzzle pieces at the beginning of your Pencil Roll area and the empty puzzle board or box with a photo of the complete puzzle at the end. As each student rolls, have them hold a piece about their head and work together to complete the puzzle.
If you have been slowly adding CORE activities to your course, this activity should now be in a circuit of movement along with the Alligator Crawl and Slap Track. |
AuthorSCheryl Smythe Archives
January 2026
|
RSS Feed
