When your OT recommends writing on a vertical surface: Why do we do that?

Today's topic is why your OT may recommend writing, coloring, and playing on a vertical surface for your children or students. If your are a parent looking to strengthen your child's pre-writing skills or an educator working with children, there is a good chance your may have received this recommendation from an OT in your life.

Children love to write, paint and draw on walls – we’ve all seen this happen at least once In our own homes!

But did you know that this position is excellent for development of:

· Shoulder muscle strength & stability (which supports fine motor skills)

· Wrist & finger positioning to promote functional grasp patterns for writing

· Visual-motor integration (eye-hand coordination)

· Directionality awareness (up, down, left, right, top, bottom, etc.)

· Midline crossing (an essential skill for writing and reading development)

The days of writing on chalkboards in schools are long gone. Most people and children are used to doing work in the horizontal plane position (such as on a table or desk). While there is nothing wrong with working on a table, this position does not challenge the shoulder, wrists, and fingers against gravity, nor does it provide concrete motor experience for all directions.

By giving your children and students opportunities to use vertical surfaces for coloring, writing, painting, and drawing, you can build their strength in motor skills, visual development, and concrete understanding of concepts of directionality. Plus, experiences on vertical surfaces tend to be larger than those typically experienced on tables.

Here are some of my favorite ways to allow kids to engage in vertical surface visual-motor fun:

· Whiteboard/chalkboard writing

· Painting on an easel

· Coloring on an easel

· Taping coloring pages to a wall

· Using window crayons on your back door (make sure they are washable)

· Placing Ipads in a semi-inclined position if on a table

· Fastening Ipads to a wall at eye level for the child to use.

Changing positions for different activities is fun for kids and also supports foundational skills that can enhance their participation and success in school tasks such as handwriting! If you are a classroom teacher, you could create a “vertical surface station” that your kids could rotate through each and every day. Strength, coordination, and endurance is built over time and needs to be maintained. This is one easy way to build these powerful strategies into your daily routine.