Abstract:
A system is disclosed for developing perceptual motor skills, and more particularly, a system for developing perceptual motor skills through a variety of activities.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of provisional applications Ser. No. 61/094,373 filed on Sep. 4, 2008 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
       [0002]    The present invention is directed to a system for developing perceptual motor skills, and more particularly, to a system for developing perceptual motor skills through a variety of activities. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    As children and other users begin to learn the basic skills needed for reading, writing, mathematics, organization and other skills, they need to learn a variety of visual perception skills and perceptual motor skills. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present invention provides a system in which many or all of the seven visual perceptual skills identified in the widely used and norm-based assessment of the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills 3 (TVPS 3) are developed. These skills include visual spatial relationships, visual discrimination, visual memory, sequencing (visual sequential memory), visual closure, visual memory, form constancy and visual figure ground in a fun and challenging manner. The present invention may also help to develop visual motor skills and ocular motor skills. All of these skills may be taught to a user in an entertaining yet challenging manner. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
         [0005]      FIGS. 1-10  show a variety of sheets or pages of a perceptual motor development system. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0006]    As shown in the attached  FIGS. 1-10 , a variety of sheets or pages, each having varying indicia, may be grouped and/or bound together to form a package. Each sheet may be made of a sheet-like material or body. The sheets/sheet-like body can be made of from any of a wide variety of materials but may be made of a cellulose-based or pulp-based paper such that the sheets are generally water absorbent and can be written upon by a wide variety of media (i.e. pens, pencils, markers, crayons, etc.) However, the sheets can be made of any of a relatively wide variety of materials, and may need not necessarily be a water-absorbent material. For example, the sheets could be a made of a write-on/wipe off (polymer) material that can be re-used, etc. Each sheet may be relatively thin, and may have a thickness of about 0.5 mm or less. The sheets may have a variety of shapes and/or sizes, but in one embodiment the sheets are generally rectangular, having dimensions of 8.5″×11″. Accordingly, sheets 1-10 take the form of sheets that are shown to scale, at least for one embodiment. 
         [0007]    The sheets are designed such that the user can follow the instructions thereon and progress through the various sheets in order. Each sheet may have its own story, activities, and/or skills to be developed. Moreover, each sheet may reference skills or clues provided in the previous sheets. 
         [0008]    The package may have one or more adventures, projects, or quests, to follow, with each quest being linked by a common theme. For example, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the package may have four quests. An index page  10  may be provided. This page may provide an invitation  12  to “Choose a Quest”, along with Quest Titles  14   a,    14   b,    14   c,  and  14   d.  Representative pictures  16   a,    16   b,    16   c,  and  16   d  may be provided which correspond to the four quests. Page numbers  18  may also be provided for each quest. For the embodiment shown here, the “Sea Quest” theme will be used as an example. 
         [0009]    In the illustrated embodiment shown on sheet 2 ( FIG. 2 ), the “theme”  20  is an underwater adventure or “Sea Quest,” and there are three discrete “adventures” within the theme:  1 ) helping a diver find a shipwreck;  2 ) helping a mermaid find jewels; and  3 ) helping a clownfish find a carnival. Sheet 2 includes three separate sets of indicia  22   a,    22   b,  and  22   c  that outline the starting point  24   a,    24   b,  and  24   c  and ending point  26   a,    26   b,  and  26   c  of each “adventure” in the materials. For example, the indicia for adventure  1  indicates that that adventure involves helping a diver  24   a  (graphically illustrated) find the shipwreck  26   a  (also graphically illustrated). Other adventures may also be presented and may have other stated objectives, such as helping someone or something find, reach or discover an ultimate goal. The adventures can be pursued in any order. Once the adventure is chosen, the user is required to remember the drawing/representative on the initialization sheet (i.e., in the case of adventure  1 , the user is required to remember the concept, or representation, of a diver). This aspect of visual memory is carried throughout the adventure/package. 
         [0010]    Next, on sheet 3, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the user is cued to identify the representation he or she selected on the initialization sheet (sheet 2). The instruction indicia  30  of sheet 3 then cues the user to identify some other indicia or visual component identified with the representation selected on the initialization sheet. For example, in following adventure  1 , the user is requested to find the diver  24   a  and identify what the diver has in his hand. The instruction indicia  30  of sheet 3 has a number “ 1 ” next to the indicia, and also the representation of a diver (i.e. the “theme” of adventure  1 ) so the user knows which instruction indicia to follow. 
         [0011]    The activities carried out on sheet 3 develop a user&#39;s visual memory and visual figure ground skills (i.e., the ability to find a particular item in a busy background). Once the user has identified the particular item (in this case, a sea turtle  32   a ), the user is cued to remember the item or clue (i.e., the sea turtle  32   a ), and then turns to the next sheet. 
         [0012]    On sheet 4, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the user is cued to recall the item or clue identified on the previous sheet (in this example, the sea turtle  32   a  from sheet 3). The user is then cued  40  to begin at a visual representation  32   a  corresponding to the item or clue, and follow a line  42   a  through a set of convoluted or overlapping lines or paths  42   b,    42   c  to identify the next item or clue  44   a.  The user may be cued to trace or follow the path  42   a  visually (which develops ocular motor skills), or to trace the path  42   a  with his or her finger (which develops visual motor control skills). Continuing with the example of adventure  1 , it can be seen that beginning with the turtle  32   a  of sheet 4 provides next item/clue in the form of a starfish  44   a.    
         [0013]    Next, on sheet 5, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the user is cued  50  to recall the item/clue  44   a  from sheet 4. The user is then cued to draw a particular shape  52   a  around the item/clue  44   a.  For example, sheet 5 presents a matrix of items/clues. The user is cued to draw a circle, triangle or square, respectively, around the appropriate item. At the bottom of sheet 5, the user is instructed  54  to count the number of clues identified on that sheet and write the number in the appropriate space  56   a.  Finally, the user is then cued to remember that number for continuing the adventure on the next page. For example, in the illustrative adventure, a user would draw a square around each of the five starfish  58   a  in the matrix, count the five squares/starfish, and write the number five in the appropriate space  56   a.  The activities on sheet 5 develop the user&#39;s visual tracking and visual motor integration skills, such as drawing age-appropriate pre-writing shapes and numbers. 
         [0014]    The user then progresses to the next sheet (sheet 6) as shown on  FIG. 6  which presents a series of discrete mazes, one maze for each adventure. In the illustrated embodiment, the discrete mazes are integrated into a single shape  60  corresponding to the theme of the adventure/quest (i.e., a seashell shape  60  in the illustrated embodiment). Each discrete maze has a starting point  62   a,    62   b,  and  62   c  marked with a numerical cue that is associated with the number written by the user at the bottom of the previous sheet. For example, in the illustrated example, the user is required to remember the number five (provided as a clue  56   a  in sheet 5). The user then begins at the maze  62   a  associated with the number five, and traces through the maze  60 . Properly navigating through this maze will cause the user end up at the seashell  64   a.  The activities on sheet 6 develop the user&#39;s visual tracking, visual planning, visual motor control and visual figure ground skills. 
         [0015]    The user then progresses to the next page or sheet as shown in  FIG. 7  (sheet 7 in the illustrated embodiment). Sheet 7 prompts  70  the user to first to identify the indicia from the previous page (in the illustrated example, the seashell  64   a ). The indicia then cues the user to identify the incomplete shape  72   a  corresponding to the indicia identified on sheet 6. The user is then cued to find the piece  74   a  that completes the incomplete shape, and identify the indicia  76   a  associated with the piece. The piece may need to be visually rotated from its illustrated configuration in order to mate with the incomplete shape, which develops the user&#39;s visual form constancy and visual closure skills. 
         [0016]    For example, in the illustrated embodiment following adventure  1 , the user is cued to identify the piece that completes the bottom rectangle shape  72   a  associated with the shell  64   a  of sheet 7. Proper completion of this challenge will lead the user to identify the generally rectangular piece  74   a  associated with a snail  76   a.  The activities on sheet 7 thus develop the user&#39;s visual form constancy and visual closure skills. 
         [0017]    Turning to the next page, sheet 8 as shown on  FIG. 8 , the user is first cued  80  to recall the item/clue  76   a  from sheet 7 as a starting point. The user is instructed to trace through an irregular path  84   a  from the starting point  82   a  to an ending point  86   a  (identifying further indicia  88   a ) while staying within the lines outlining the path. In the illustrated case, the indicia at the ending point of the path is the same indicia identified as the starting indicia on the initialization sheet of sheet 2 (i.e., a diver in adventure  1  of the illustrated embodiment). The user is encouraged  81  to stay within the printed path  84   a  in the illustrated embodiment by suggesting that the user will get “zapped” by a jellyfish  89  if the user strays outside the lines. The activities on sheet 8 develop visual motor control skills. 
         [0018]    On the next page (sheet 9) as shown on  FIG. 9 , two pictures  91   a,    92   a  are presented that are similar but that have a predetermined number of differences. The user is cued  90  to find the predetermined number of differences (i.e., five differences in the illustrated embodiment). The initial indicia (i.e., a visual representation of the diver  94   a ) may be present in the associated picture  91   a,    92   a  on sheet 9 to aid the user in determining which set of pictures  91   a,    92   a,  or  91   b,    92   b,  or  91   c,    92   c  is to be studied. The activities on sheet 9 thereby develop visual discrimination skills. 
         [0019]    Once the differences on sheet 9 are correctly identified, the user then turns to the next page (sheet 10 in the illustrated embodiment, as shown on  FIG. 10 ). In this case, the initial indicia (i.e., a visual representation of the diver  102   a ) is repeated, and a pictorial representation of the end indicia  104   a  associated with that adventure (i.e., a sunken ship) is also presented. In addition, a “connect the dots”, or incomplete, illustration  106   a  of the end indicia is also presented. The user is then instructed  100  to complete the incomplete version of the end indicia in a “connect-the-dots” manner as guided by the sequence of shapes  108   a  presented adjacent to the picture  106   a  to be completed. 
         [0020]    For example, in the illustrated embodiment, a series of geometric shapes  108   a  is presented in a linear manner above the “complete the dots” picture  106   a  to provide a guide. The “dots” of the incomplete version of the end indicia take the form of the geometric shapes. The user is thereby cued to connect the dots in the incomplete version of the end indicia, in the same order that the dots are arranged in the guide. Once the dots are connected in the proper manner, a complete shape corresponding to the end indicia is presented. 
         [0021]    The connect-the-dots challenge in sheet 10 helps to develop a user&#39;s shape and pattern recognition, visual sequential memory, ocular motor skills, and visual closure skills. However, the connect-the-dots can take any of a wide variety of forms besides the “connect-the-shapes,” challenge shown in sheet 10 such as, for example, standard numbered connect-the-dots, color coded connect-the-dots, combination of colors, and/or shapes, and/or numbers, etc. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/847,845, entitled Sequence Dot Connect Sheets, filed on Aug. 30, 2007, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, discloses various manners in which the connect-the-dot portions of sheet 10 can be configured. 
         [0022]    Once the user has completed the outline or form of the end indicia in sheet 10, the user is congratulated  109  at the bottom of the page and cued that the adventure has been completed. If desired, the user can then return to the initialization sheet (sheet 2) and carry out another adventure or quest (i.e., adventures  2  or  3  in the illustrated embodiment). Accordingly, the package/sheets of the present invention may include multiple, parallel uses or projects while providing a number of discreet and unique learning experiences for the user. 
         [0023]    Moreover, the package may develop all seven visual perceptual skills (visual discrimination, visual memory, visual spatial relationships, visual form constancy, visual sequential memory, visual figure ground, and visual closure), as well as the three perceptual motor skills (visual motor integration, visual motor control and ocular motor skills). Each quest and/or adventure may develop all seven visual perceptual skills and the three perceptual motor skills. Alternately, each quest and/or adventure may develop only some of the seven visual perceptual skills and the three perceptual motor skills, in which the other quests and/or adventure is the same package/booklet/bound component may develop the missing seven visual perceptual skills and the three perceptual motor skills. 
         [0024]    The system of the present invention provides an interesting and challenging task set that motivates the user to use increasing skills and endurance to complete the task at hand. For example, it may take a typical user about fifteen to twenty minutes to complete all (three) adventures in a single quest/system, thereby pushing the outer limits of visual endurance for children of the target age group (i.e., between kindergarten and second grade). Moreover, each page or discreet task is dependant upon the one before, thereby building upon previous skills and requiring the user to remember a clue or cue from the previous page to the next succeeding page. 
         [0025]    Having described the invention in detail and by reference to the various embodiments, it should be understood that modifications and variations thereof are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.