Every Day? How Much? The Basics of Using Visual Perception Worksheets

"Should my child do these every day?""How many worksheets a day is right?""How long before we see a change?"

Many parents and teachers ask questions like these.This article looks at how studies have structured practice, and shares some basic ideas for using the worksheets.

To give you the conclusion first: there is no single answer like "do this much, for this long, and you will see a change."Still, there are some useful clues for setting a guideline.

How much practice did studies use?

Researchers in several countries have studied activities designed to build visual perception.Here are a few examples:

• A study of children aged 4 to 6 with developmental delays had them practice visual perception tasks for 40 minutes, once a week, for 14 weeks. Scores on a visual perception test went up not only in the group using computer tasks but also in the group using paper tasks, while the group that did no training showed no change (Chen et al., 2013).
• A study of children with cerebral palsy had them practice for 30 minutes, three times a week, for 8 weeks (24 sessions in total), and reported higher scores in eye-hand coordination and daily activities (Cho et al., 2015). However, this study had no comparison group.
• A large study of children aged 9 to 17 whose eyes had trouble turning inward combined weekly sessions with a specialist with home practice, 15 minutes a day, five days a week, for 12 weeks. The biggest change in this eye-turning ability happened in the first 4 weeks (Scheiman et al., 2010).

The children, the activities, and the amount of practice all differ from study to study.What they have in common is this: short sessions, a few times a week, continued for several weeks to about three months.

How long until you see a change?

In the studies above, changes were reported after about 4 to 14 weeks.But that means "on average, there was a change."Within the same study, some children changed quickly, some slowly, and some showed little change.

Also, most of these studies were done with specific groups of children, under a specialist's guidance.Using worksheets at home or in a classroom may not lead to the same results.

Every child develops visual perception at their own pace.Rather than deciding "it isn't working" after a few days or a couple of weeks, it is better to watch patiently over a few months.

Does it need to be every day?

Putting the studies together, it does not have to be every day.Keeping it going a few times a week matters more.

Research on learning shows that, for the same total time, spreading practice out over several sessions tends to work better than doing it all at once (this is called spaced practice).Short sessions over several days are also easier for children to keep up than a lot in one day.

How much per day?

With MIRU LAB KIDS worksheets, try one or two worksheets, about 5 to 15 minutes per session as a starting point.

Most important of all, stop while your child still wants to do a little more.Pushing on after they are tired can make them dislike the worksheets themselves.How long a child can focus depends on the child, and on the day.Don't worry too much about minutes or page counts. Watch your child and decide together.

Choosing a level

Start with a level your child can do on their own with a little effort.If you are not sure, start lower.

• If your child finishes easily and gets faster, try one level up.
• If they keep getting stuck or start to resist, try one level down.

Activities that are too hard leave a child with mostly experiences of failure.Keep the feeling of "I did it!" in mind, and make things harder little by little.

When your child doesn't want to, or gets stuck

On days when your child does not want to, it is fine to skip it.Take the day off, or try a lower level.

If your child gets stuck partway through, it is fine for an adult to help a little.Ask, "Which way do you think you can go next?" or trace the path together with a finger.

Try doing it together

Worksheets do not have to be something a child does silently alone.Doing them together with an adult can make them more fun and easier to keep up.

• Print two copies of the same worksheet and do them side by side.
• Turn it into a game: "I found three!" or "Who will reach the finish first?"
• Let your child be the teacher and explain how to solve it.
• Look at the answers together afterward and talk about the tricky parts.

Seeing an adult enjoy the activity is one of the best encouragements for a child.Rather than winning or speed, enjoy the time you spend together.

Use the time record to compare with "last time"

At the bottom of each worksheet, there is space to write how long it took.Use it to compare with your child's own last time.There is no need to compare with other children.

Celebrate together when the time gets shorter, and also when your child takes longer but still finishes.

What matters most

As I wrote in "What Is Visual Perception?," it is hard to build visual perception with worksheets alone.

Active play, other learning materials, and all kinds of everyday experiences.Visual perception is used and developed in all of them.I hope you will use the worksheets as one tool among many, in a fun and relaxed way.

Studies referred to

• Chen YN, Lin CK, Wei TS, Liu CH, Wuang YP. The effectiveness of multimedia visual perceptual training groups for the preschool children with developmental delay. Research in Developmental Disabilities. 2013;34(12):4447-4454.
• Cho M, Kim D, Yang Y. Effects of visual perceptual intervention on visual-motor integration and activities of daily living performance of children with cerebral palsy. Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2015;27(2):411.
• Scheiman M, et al. Vision therapy/orthoptics for symptomatic convergence insufficiency in children: treatment kinetics. Optometry and Vision Science. 2010;87(8):593-603.
• Cepeda NJ, Pashler H, Vul E, Wixted JT, Rohrer D. Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin. 2006;132(3):354-380.