Fine Motor Skills, Occupational Therapy Activities, Visual Motor Skills

Magnetic Marble Run- Great Therapy Tool!

by Colleen Beck
June 13, 2022

One thing occupational therapists love is using fun toys to develop skills and this magnetic marble run fits the bill. We found this Tumble Trax magnetic wall marble run and loved the ways to support fine motor skills, visual motor skills, and gross motor skills. Let’s take a better look at how to use a marble run to support development, and break down the activity analysis for this particular magnetic marble run toy.

Magnetic marble run activities for therapy

Amazon affiliate links are included in this post.

How to Use a Magnetic Marble Run

Use this magnetic marble run in so many ways to work on a variety of skills. From fine motor, to core strength, to visual tracking, to crossing midline…this marble run can be so helpful.

We covered how to support skills such as visual tracking using marble runs in a different blog post but here, we hope to cover more ways to support development with a simple toy.

Because this marble run attaches to the wall using magnets, and because the magnetic marble run pieces are movable, there are so many ways to support development.

Some of these skills include gross motor development, visual motor skill development, fine motor development, and more.

Use a Magnetic Marble Run for Gross Motor Skills

Use the magnetic marble run on a vertical surface to address skill development:

Work on core strength by working on a vertical surface.
Address visual shift and upright posture by working at a plane equal or slightly above the head and line of sight.
Work on postural control
Address changes in positioning to bend, squat, and challenge different muscle groups by bending to retrieve marble run pieces and place them on the magnetic surface.
Work overhead to visually track and shift vision in different planes.
Address balance and coordination skills
Incorporate breathing

Use a Magnetic Marble Run for Visual Processing Skills

Move magnetic marble run pieces to target specific visual motor skills:

Work on visual tracking to watch the marble run through the track.
Address visual scanning skills to shift vision to the next area the marble will move
Incorporate eye-hand coordination skills
Address visual perceptual skills such as figure-ground, visual closure, visual discrimination, etc.
Address visual motor skills by copying designs using the movable track pieces, included with the Tumble Trax Magnetic Marble Run set.

Use a Marble Run for Fine Motor Skills

Address crossing midline to move a marble to a starting point across the midline.
Trace the track with fingers.
Pick up and manipulate the marble onto the Tumble Trax ledge.
Strengthen hands, including grip and pinch to manipulate and move the track pieces against the magnetic surface.

Attach it to a magnetic wall or board, garage door, and even the refrigerator. It’s a fun way to play and work on the skills kids need.

Learning Resources Tumble Trax Magnetic Marble Run

This marble run attaches to the refrigerator or any magnetic surface for endless visual motor integration exercises. Visually tracking the marble is a skill builder for reading and writing tasks. Kids can address the form copying skills needed for handwriting with this interactive toy.

Click here to get this magnetic marble run.

More Marble Run Activities

Check out these other marble run activities we’ve shared before:

Jingle Bell Marble Run– use jingle bells to work on eye-hand coordination and visual tracking skills.
Oobleck in the Marble Run– This is such a fun messy sensory play idea with all the benefits of using a marble run as a therapy toy.
Marble Run on the Water Table– Add water and water beads or other sensory material with spoons on the water table.
Make a marble run using pool noodles– Take the benefits of a marble run on a larger scale.

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

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