Learning Styles of Children 2 - Visual/Spatial Learners

Children with this learning style react to visual images. They like to see pictures of what they are learning. Often, it’s not enough just to see a picture – they need to draw their own picture to really internalize concepts.

Visual/spatial learners may score poorly on tests. Most standardized tests cater to children with auditory/verbal learning styles. If testing is mandatory, this kind of student can benefit greatly from learning to visualize test questions and equations in their head.

Children with this learning style see the big picture quickly. They do not need repetition and drill to learn. They find it easy to do complex, multi-step tasks and difficult to do easy tasks. They are often creative, dramatic, and artistic.

Skills include:

good at puzzles and manipulatives (Legos)

understanding charts and graphs

good sense of direction (map skills)

sketching & painting

creating visual metaphors and analogies (through the visual arts)

manipulating images

designing practical objects

interpreting visual images

How Do Visual/Spatial Learners Learn?

They benefit from seeing lots of pictures during lessons and stories. As well, children with this strength can learn to produce their own images in their heads when listening and talking. They may find that spelling and reading come easier if they visualize words in their heads. Give more weight to the content of their work than the format. They may find it difficult to organize their work even when the work itself is quite good.

Sometimes, as a substitute for written work, you can let a visual/spatial learner make a diagram, picture, 3-D model, or diorama. If a bright student struggles with easy tasks, they may actually do better when given more difficult work. Accelerate rather than decelerate.

For more info on visual/spatial learners, click here.