These exercises will keep the eye muscles in a healthy condition. See to it that the child does not abuse his eyes; that he does not strain them; always has plenty of light and that it falls upon the page, or work, that he is doing. Do not overlook indications of eye trouble, eye pains, inflamed lids, continued recurrence of styes, blood-shot eyeballs, or pain back of the eyes, all should have the attention of a doctor. "A stitch in time saves nine."
Strive for More Detail
There is the greatest difference in the amount of detail which the eyes of different persons gather from a glance at an object. Some will only see a tree; others in the same time will see a tree with spreading branches, small irregularly shaped leaves, with small black berries and a rough vertically marked bark. Children should be trained to notice as much detail as possible. Development along this line becomes a basis for many other mental operations which will be discussed later on.
Exercise for Detail
Place yourself with the child where you can look out on the landscape. Pick out some object, tell him what it is, and have him look until he finds it. Then let the child pick out some object that he thinks will be difficult for you to find. It may be a bird, a red flower, or a hoop. As he develops pick objects farther away, smaller or partially hidden.
Another Good Exercise
Have the child look at a house and give you all the detail that he can see. Call the child's attention to the things missed so that he sees the reason for making an additional effort. The same exercise can be followed with any object, a tree, an automobile, or an animal. When in the house use a picture on the wall, a table, a book case or a coin. You will find that the longer the child looks at the object the more detail he will see. The aim is to get him to notice and mention the details as quickly as possible. After some practice he will be able to mention them as rapidly as he can speak. This can be made into a competitive game when there are several children. Keep score of the number of the details each can write on a slip of paper in a given length of time.
Training the Eye to Measure
The ability to accurately measure with the eye is a thing that a great many people find very difficult, if not almost impossible. You are continuously finding opportunity to use such an ability. A little conscious effort will work wonders in this regard and children should not be allowed to grow up without being trained to intelligently estimate measurements. In this training begin with larger measurements and from that work to the finer ones as rapidly as the child can progress.