Figure Ground is an important visual processing skill. We use figure ground to “see” salient information. For example, kids use this skill when they are completing math worksheets that have mixed operations (addition/subtraction/multiplication/division symbols). When searching a bookshelf for a favorite book, looking in a pencil box for something specific, or looking in their cubby or locker for an item. We use it as adults at the grocery store- I have such a problem with this- the item I am looking for is often right in front of me! We also use it looking in the pantry for an item or digging through our purse, but at least we can also use our tactile system to locate items!
Here are some helpful tools for building figure ground skills:
This took 5 minutes to quickly make- drawing flowers with sight words and letters. You can do it with numbers too, and stickers that you can pick up at the grocery store even!
It is easy to make search and find bottles! All you need is the following:
Plastic water bottle (I love Voss for these but any will do)
Rice (you can be extra fancy and dye it with vinegar and food coloring shaken up in a bag)
Letter beads
Small figurines or items around the house
I also love making sensory bins for sight words and letters. You can use any sensory bin filler- lentils, rice, beans, shredded paper from a paper shredder, kinetic sand… I used small wood rounds and wrote letters and sight words on them for the kids to find!
There are lots of books that are a fun way to build figure ground skills!
Do you have other favorite search and find activities? You can even play a simple game of “I spy” when driving around. We love to do this in our family! Giving descriptive clues helps to build language skills as well!
