Pencil Obstacle CourseLevel 5 · No. 1
The path is 3.5 mm wide, and 2.5 mm on the inner lap. Two laps and a spiral of 3.75 turns. The narrowest and longest course.
Aimseye-hand coordination / pencil control / Using the fingers and wrist to turn the pencil at curves and corners / sustained attention
PrintUS Letter
Worksheet (1 page, no answers)A4 paper
Opens a PDF. Please do not repost or sell the worksheets.
Black and white printing works. The path width sets the difficulty, so print at actual size (100%) without scaling. There is no answer page.
Terms of Use
About this worksheet
| Path width | 3.5 mm outside, 2.5 mm inside |
|---|---|
| Path length | about 235.2 cm |
| Obstacles | 15 (zigzags, waves, rounded squares, arches, mushrooms, square waves) |
| Rest stops | 8 (dots 2–9) |
| Center | a spiral, 3.75 turns |
- An average length for this level.
- The mushrooms go up a narrow neck and around a round cap. Watch whether the pencil swings out on the curve.
Aims of this activity
- Watching the path ahead and moving the pencil to match (eye-hand coordination)
- Adjusting pencil speed and pressure so it does not touch the walls (pencil control)
- Using the fingers and wrist to turn the pencil at curves and corners
- Staying slow and careful all the way to the end (sustained attention)
Your child moves a pencil along a path between two lines, from "1" to the star, without touching the walls (the lines of the path).The course runs clockwise from the top left toward the middle, through obstacles of different shapes: waves, zigzags, square waves, arches, mushrooms, and more.Count the places where the pencil touched a wall and write the number at the bottom of the page.Speed is not compared; what matters is how carefully your child went.It is known that the narrower and longer a path is, the longer it takes to get through without going outside it.The levels are set from the path width and length so that each level is roughly 2 to 3 times harder than the one before.Tests used in children's therapy (occupational therapy) also include drawing a line between two lines without going outside them, as one way of looking at eye-hand coordination.The activity aims to build the ability to move the hand the way the eyes see.
Code at the bottom right: kaku-unpitsu-L5-w3.5-r2-s3.75
Tips
- Before starting, sharpen the pencil to a moderate point. A blunt pencil makes a thick line that touches the walls more easily.
- Look at the "Example" at the top together and check that the line should stay in the middle of the path without touching the walls. Going slowly and carefully matters more than speed.
- The numbered dots (2, 3, 4...) are rest stops. Your child can lift the pencil and rest the hand there.
- When finished, count together the places where the pencil line touched a wall, and write the number next to "Wall touches" at the bottom. One continuous touch counts as one.
For what to say, choosing a level and what to do if it is too hard, see Pencil Obstacle Course: a guide for grown-ups.
