Primary school movement foundations
VOR and visual tracking: what might teachers notice in the classroom?
Children use their eyes and head together all day at school. They look from the board to their page, follow moving objects, scan across lines of text, move through the playground and keep their eyes focused while their head and body are moving.
One system involved in this is the vestibulo ocular reflex, often shortened to VOR. It helps the eyes remain stable while the head moves.
Visual tracking is also important. Children need to be able to smoothly follow objects and move their eyes across space without constantly losing their place.
Teachers are noticing patterns, not diagnosing eye conditions
If a child repeatedly struggles with reading, copying, ball skills or movement involving head turns, there can be many possible reasons. These observations simply help us notice when a child may need more support or further assessment.
What might you notice?
Losing their place when reading
A child may skip lines, reread sections or need their finger to help them keep track of where they are on the page.
Difficulty copying from the board
Looking up, finding information and then returning to the correct place on the page may take much longer than expected.
Head movement instead of eye movement
A child may turn their whole head when following something rather than using their eyes smoothly across the visual field.
Ball activities feel difficult
Catching or tracking a moving ball requires the eyes to follow movement while the body is also preparing to respond.
Avoiding head movement
Some children may look uncomfortable or less confident during activities that involve turning, bending or moving their head quickly.
Visual tasks are tiring
Reading, scanning and copying can require significant effort when visual tracking skills are still developing.
Simple ways to include visual movement practice
Visual tracking activities can be short and playful. Children can follow a slowly moving object with their eyes, track a finger from side to side, follow bubbles, watch a scarf move through the air or trace large shapes and pathways.
Head and eye movement can also be included within normal classroom movement breaks. The aim is not to repeatedly test children. It is to give them varied opportunities to use their visual and movement systems together.
If an activity makes a child feel dizzy, nauseous or uncomfortable, stop the activity rather than encouraging them to push through it.
Teacher resources
Explore VOR and visual tracking further
These resources can help you understand the movement foundation in more detail and give you practical visual tracking ideas to use with children.