classroom activities visual learners

12 Effective Ways To Teach Visual Learners

As you are probably aware, there are many different types of learners and the way learners absorb and process information differs from person to person. One of the main types of learning styles is the visual learner. Visual learners tend to remember what they see more than what they hear, and so they can be easily distracted during verbal, lecture-style lessons. For this reason, teaching visual learners requires a special approach.

In this post, you’ll find 12 fun and effective ways to teach visual learners that you can implement today. As well as ideas and strategies to teach visual learners, you’ll also find some links to free resources you can use in your lessons with these learners. First, let’s take a look at the characteristics of visual learners so you can easily spot them in your class.

Characteristics Of Visual Learners

Before discussing some strategies to teach visual learners, we first need to understand their characteristics so we can easily identify these learners. Visual learners tend to forget what they hear and remember what they see. They like to take notes, study charts and diagrams, and organize their thoughts via mind maps or graphic organizers. It is common for visual learners to become distracted during verbal lectures, so teachers should include visual stimuli as often as possible. Students who prefer to learn and think visually are usually very organized and enjoy planning projects by making lists and writing plans.

The common characteristics of visual learners are:

• They often visualize a picture in their mind when trying to remember something.
• They have a vivid imagination.
• They prefer to see rather than hear directions.
• They may closely look at the teacher’s lips when the teacher is talking.
• They enjoy board games and crafts.
• They learn how to spell words after seeing them written down.
• They remember what they see more than what they hear.

Effective Ways To Teach Visual Learners

So, now that you know the characteristics of visual learners, let’s take a look at how to teach visual learners. The ideas and strategies to teach visual learners below all have one thing in common; they all allow learners to see what is going on.

1. Pictionary

Almost all students enjoy playing an exciting game of Pictionary, but your visual learners will especially love this game. A great thing about this game is that you don’t have to purchase any expensive materials. You probably have everything you need in your classroom already!

2. Picture Books

There’s a common myth that picture books are only for young children, but this isn’t true! Picture books can be great assistive support for ESL learners of any age, especially learners who have strong speaking and listening skills but struggle with reading and writing. Visual learners will appreciate the visual representations of the story they read. Luckily, there is a large variety of picture book topics to choose from, so you can find something interesting even for older learners.

3. Activity Videos

Our fun activity videos are perfectly suited for visual learners. All our activity videos include words and pictures and are presented in a fun and engaging way that visual learners can easily enjoy. The above video, for example, is for teaching food vocabulary and shows pictures of different food hidden behind some colored shapes. As the shapes disappear, students must guess what food the picture is representing. This visual representation of the words helps visual learners to recall the word later when trying to remember it.

4. Picture Talk

Picture Talk is an excellent activity for English language learners. Pick an exciting picture and ask students to get in pairs and describe it. Try to choose images that have enough content to spark a thorough conversation. This will help your students learn to make observations based on visual evidence, body language, and social cues.

5. Graphic Organizers

As you now know, visual learners prefer to organize their thoughts and plans on paper before getting started on a new task. Graphic organizers help them do precisely that. Provide your visual learners with graphic organizer templates, or ask them to create their own! A commonly used graphic organizer is the Venn Diagram, but there are a plethora of other free organizers available online.

Most of us can think of an inspirational Ted Talk we’ve seen, but did you know that there’s also a specific category of videos for educational support? TED-Ed provides videos and lesson plans for a variety of subjects. Visual learners will absorb information via the educational video and pick up new concepts more quickly than if you simply lecture about the topic. Look for videos that include visual images and illustrations.

Total Physical Response is a technique commonly found in the ESL classroom. Did you know that this technique directly targets visual learners? Visual learners will make stronger connections to action words when they see the teacher model the behavior. TPR is a great way to teach action words, emotional vocabulary , and directions . Make sure your visual learners can clearly see you demonstrating the actions associated with each vocabulary word.

8. Word Puzzles

Your visual learners will enjoy word searches, crossword puzzles, Scrabble, and Boggle. These games allow visual learners to see and solve the problem in front of them. These games also help develop the vocabulary of visual learners as they will be able to remember what the words look like.

9. Use Multimedia

Supplement your lectures with Powerpoint presentations , with videos, images, graphs, and charts. Your visual learners will thank you! Although experienced teachers try to keep the teacher-talk to a minimum, there’s no way of avoiding lectures completely. Do your best to keep the lecture time to a minimum and use visual supports so your visual learners can remember the information.

10. Teach Visual Memorization

Visual learners may have difficulty remembering things the teacher says, so a great technique you can teach visual learners is visual memorization. If a learner has to remember facts or lists of words, you can teach them to associate these with a funny image in their mind.

11. Play Whiteboard Games

With visual learners, you should use the whiteboard a lot to help them see what it is you are teaching. There are many fun whiteboard games you can play. Use lots of colors and drawings to present the content of the lesson in a visually stimulating way.

12. Play Board Games

Board games and puzzles are perfectly suited to visual learners due to the fact that the learners can ‘see’ the words and pictures on a board game. Check out our free printable board games and board game templates that you can use in your class.

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How to Teach Visual Learners – 10 Effective Ways

What is Visual Learning?

Characteristics of a visual learner, the advantages of visual learning, effective strategies for educators to teach visual learners, effective strategies for parents of visual learners, useful tips for visual learners.

A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. So why do we, as educators, continue to rely on words? For most students, a visual image is more effective than an explanation in words. We all learn differently, and visual learners are the largest group. This means that many children will benefit from using pictures and seeing images to help them understand new concepts.

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Visual learning is a method in which a learner utilizes graphs, charts, maps, and diagrams. A visual learner learns best by perceiving information. The learners learn more efficiently using images, pictures, colors, and maps to organize information and communicate with others. Visual learners can work independently and use their strengths, such as solving problems.

It is estimated that 65% of people are visual learners (Sousa, 2011) . This percentage may be even higher because many students are not taught to self-assess their learning styles. Teachers and students often assume that everyone learns best through auditory instruction and verbal expression . In fact, many students learn more effectively through a blended learning approach that combines visual and auditory instruction.

Typical Traits of a Visual Learner

If you have a child who struggles with reading or has a short attention span, they may be a visual learner. Kids who have difficulty following directions are often visual learners as well. A visual learner remembers what they see. For example, if you tell your child to clean their room, they might have difficulty remembering the details of what should be done — picking up toys, putting away clothes, and so on.

A visual learner is more inclined to:

• copy down information that they want to remember
• learn best when information is presented in charts, graphs, diagrams, maps, videos, and demonstrations
• visualize information as pictures in their mind’s eye
• quickly spot patterns
• use different colors when taking notes or making lists

Related: How to help Kinesthetic Learners stay ahead of the learning curve 

Visual learners have a dominant preference for learning visually. It is not that visual learners cannot learn otherwise, but they will best take in the information presented visually. This type of learning style has its strengths.

1. Active Participation

For many students, being able to see the information is what allows them to become active participants in the learning process. Students who struggle with auditory or tactile learning may find paying attention during lectures or group discussions challenging.

Visual learners need to see the information to process it and understand it. Visual tools like charts, graphs, diagrams, and images allow visual learners to become active participants in the classroom and learn at their own pace.

2. Learning Multiple Subjects

In most school classrooms, teachers use a variety of teaching styles to teach multiple subjects. When teachers use only one teaching method (lecture or discussion), they exclude many students who do not learn well in that environment.

Teachers should consider using visual aids as well when they teach so that all students can learn the material presented in class.

3. Enhanced Memory

Visual learning is a great way to learn because it is easy to remember new information if you associate it with something you already know or “see” in your mind’s eye. Visualizing something, such as a concept or idea, becomes easier to remember because it has a “face” that you can associate it with.

4. Good Motor Skills

Students who learn best visually may feel that they struggle to understand verbal lectures and discussions. They may have difficulty articulating their thoughts verbally, but they can better express themselves in writing or drawing pictures. They may also be very good at spelling.

Visual Learning (VL) is one of the three main learning styles , the others being Auditory and Tactile. This learning method is most often associated with children, but it applies to adults too. In fact, many of us learn through multiple styles rather than just one.

When you see something, you can retain it for a long time, even several months or years. When you hear something, you may be able to retain it for a few days or weeks. When you practically use information, you retain it almost instantly when you do something.

The younger a child is, the faster they absorb information when they begin learning. That’s why it’s essential to engage young learners with educational resources as easily accessible as possible.

There are many different ways to use a visual learning style . It doesn’t mean that you must teach your children only through pictures. You can try some of the following methods:

• Fun worksheets

Teachers need to understand how students learn to create a learning environment that promotes compelling study and learning strategies.

It is believed that most children learn better by seeing the information rather than hearing it. However, the visual learning style works best when combined with other learning methods, such as audio and hands-on activities. The following are some strategies for teachers to use in a classroom with visual learners:

1. Wall Display

Designate an area for wall displays where students can see visual examples to help them learn and remember concepts (e.g., a chart displaying different angles).

2. Diagrams, Charts, and Graphs

Use diagrams and charts to help kids understand how things work, or events transpire. Charts give a quick snapshot of what is happening with the data, making it easier to conclude based on the data. Students can create bar, line, circle, or pie charts based on collected data and analyze them together.

3. Graphic Organizers

Teach students how to use graphic organizers like Venn Diagrams or tables to organize their thoughts visually. These tools are helpful with writing assignments because they help you visualize how ideas relate and work together in an essay or paper.

4. Color Coding

Use color-coding to emphasize important points (e.g., red for negative points, green for positive points).

5. Visual Schedule

Visual schedules provide children with a roadmap for the day. They help children understand what to expect in their daily routine and prevent anxiety from the unknown. Visual schedules can be tailored to the individual child’s needs and be as simple or elaborate as needed. Categorizing items or grouping similar items helps children understand how things are related and makes abstract concepts concrete.

Parents are always searching for new and creative ways to teach their children. Visual learning strategies for parents come in a variety of forms. These forms can include visual aids, like pictures and graphics, and games and activities that encourage children to create their visuals. When it comes to learning a new language, using a  gamification app  can help kids expand their visual learning style. It can provide interactive experiences and engaging visuals, making language learning more enjoyable and immersive.

Visual learning strategies are not just for classrooms; they also work well in online education. Kids learn best when they can actively participate in the learning process, and working with visuals helps them do this. Visuals help students of all ages better grasp concepts and remember what they’ve learned.

However, the way parents use visual aids can make a critical difference. Instead of using visual aids as lecture tools, parents should work with their children to create the visual aids and then incorporate them into learning activities. By being part of the creative process, kids are more likely to remember what they learned while making the materials.

Tips for using visual learning for parents: 

• Create charts, graphs, and maps for new concepts (i.e., mapping out how to make scrambled eggs).
• Use storyboards or comic strips to tell stories based on what they have learned in class.
• Present visual timelines or flowcharts so students see the sequence of events (i.e., use a timeline to show what happened during the Civil War).
• Use arrows or other visuals to show relationships between different concepts (i.e., show how temperature affects plant growth).

So far, we have discussed the benefits of using visual learning strategies in the classroom. Now, let’s look at some specific ways students can use it for themselves.

1. Vocabulary Journals

In her article for the “Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,” Maryanne Wolf suggests that students need to be given time to record their thoughts about what they read. This will help them slow down and reflect on the material more deeply.

Students can create a dedicated vocabulary journal or notebook to write down new words, their definitions, and examples of how they are used in context. Students can also add illustrations of each term.

2. Color Coding

Take notes on a color-coded chart. For example, label one column “Main Idea” and use it for headings; label another column “Definition” and use it for terms that need explanation; label another column “Questions” and use it for ideas that need further clarification from the teacher or other sources.

3. Action Plan

Before beginning a project or assignment, draw up an action plan outlining goals, steps to take, and resources needed.

4. Markers Instead of Pencils

Use markers instead of pencils when writing or drawing diagrams. You will see what they wrote better than if they used a pencil.

5. Spatial Organization

Organize information spatially. Information that’s organized spatially is put into categories based on its location. You can use this strategy to organize information in a notebook, textbook, or exam. For example, you might draw arrows from related information or mark the text with notes about where each topic appears on an exam (e.g., “The first question about photosynthesis will be here”).

6. Videos and Slideshows

Watch video clips and slideshows. You may enjoy these more than presentations on paper, as you can often doodle while listening without missing important information.

Bottom Line

Ultimately, whether you’re a visual or auditory learner or somewhere in between, you should never feel limited by your learning style. Use your strengths to improve the learning experience overall. You’ll find that there are plenty of strengths to be taken advantage of when it comes to visual learners.

The truth is that we all learn differently, which means that we all have different learning goals. If nothing else, remember that you are the only person who can set your own learning goals; as such, your end goal should always be a personal one. You may take a few steps back and forth along the way, but in the end, you’ll be able to learn efficiently and effectively (and happily!) with SplashLearn. And once you set that goal—whether it’s to ace an exam or gain a better understanding of the material for your enjoyment—all your studying will be influenced by the intent and purpose of achieving it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is an example of a visual learning style.

Watching an instructional video rather than listening to an expert explain the process can be considered a visual learning example.

What are the 3 primary learning styles?

Three main cognitive learning styles are visual, auditory, and tactile.

How does one know if he is a visual learner?

As a visual learner, one is usually neat and clean. He often closes his eyes to visualize or remember something and finds something to watch if he becomes bored. He may have difficulty with spoken directions and be easily distracted by sounds.

Is everyone a visual learner?

The short answer is yes. We are all visual learners. By far, the most important part of our brains taking in new stimuli is visual.

What careers are good for visual learners?

Here’s a list of jobs for visual learners:

• Photographer
• Copy editor
• Graphic designer
• Medical lab technician

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21 Effective Visual Learning Strategies To Engage Visual Learners

If you’re a teacher or a parent who’s ever wondered, “How can I make learning more engaging and effective for my students or children?”, then you’re in the right place. Visual learning strategies are powerful tools that can transform the way information is absorbed, retained, and recalled. They make the most of our brain’s ability to process visual information, which is inherently more interesting and memorable than plain text or spoken words. So, ready to explore these game-changing techniques with us? Let’s get started!

Visual Learning Strategies

Visual learning strategies can greatly benefit students by making complex concepts more accessible and engaging. Here’s a list of visual learning strategies:

1. Visual Aids

As a parent or teacher, one effective way of employing these strategies is by integrating diagrams, charts, or infographics into the learning process. For instance, let’s say you’re tasked with teaching a visual learner about the water cycle. Instead of relying solely on verbal explanations or text, consider using a detailed diagram of the water cycle. 

This visual aid can clearly illustrate each stage – from evaporation, to condensation, to precipitation, and collection – offering an easily comprehensible and memorable representation of the concept. This strategy not only caters to visual learners’ strengths, but also helps to foster a more engaging and interactive learning environment.

2. Graphic Organizers

Graphic Organizers are a potent visual learning strategy that can significantly aid in understanding and retaining complex information. Essentially, they’re visual displays teachers or parents can utilize to organize information in a manner that makes it easier for visual learners to grasp. 

For instance, let’s consider you’re helping a student understand the storyline of a novel. You could use a Story Map graphic organizer, which visually outlines the key elements of the story such as setting, characters, conflict, resolution, and plot events. This allows the student to see the relationships between different parts of the story, promoting a deeper understanding and recall. Thus, Graphic Organizers can turn a daunting task into an engaging, manageable, and visually stimulating learning experience.

3. Mind Maps

Mind maps are an extraordinary visual learning strategy that teachers and parents can effortlessly utilize to enhance a visual learner’s comprehension. By creating a central concept and branching out with related ideas, mind maps serve as an effective tool for brainstorming, note-taking, or summarizing a topic. 

For instance, you can create a mind map while teaching a history lesson. The central concept could be ‘World War II’, with branches sprouting to various key aspects like ‘Causes’, ‘Key Figures’, ‘Major Battles’, and ‘Consequences’. Each branch can further be divided into smaller branches, encapsulating all the details in a visually appealing and understandable format. 

Best Mind Mapping Tools For Learning

With a glance, students can grasp the overall structure of the topic, seeing how different pieces of information connect to each other. This approach resonates particularly well with visual learners, making learning an enjoyable and productive process.

4. Color Coding

Color coding is a powerful visual learning strategy that can significantly enhance information retention and understanding. For teachers and parents, this is a practical and efficient tool to help visual learners excel. For example, when helping a child learn mathematics, color coding can be used to differentiate between various mathematical operations. Multiplication problems could be highlighted in blue, division in green, addition in yellow, and subtraction in red. 

This way, the child can visually organize the information, making it easier to recognize and solve different types of problems. Using color coding as a visual learning strategy, you can effectively connect symbols and meanings, making learning more enticing and fun for visual learners.

5. Visual Timelines

Visual learning strategies are effective tools for enhancing comprehension and retention among visual learners. One particularly effective strategy is the use of “Visual Timelines”. Visual timelines provide a graphical representation of events in chronological order. For example, a teacher teaching a history lesson about World War II can use a visual timeline to plot key events, battles, and political shifts. This way, the students can easily understand the progression of events, their interconnections, and their relative significance. 

Similarly, a parent helping their child learn daily routines or understand concepts of time can create a visual timeline of a typical day. This could include images representing waking up, eating breakfast, going to school, doing homework, and sleeping. This visual reference aids in developing a clear and logical understanding of sequences and timeframes, fostering effective learning.

6. Interactive Whiteboards

Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) are a powerful visual learning strategy that can significantly enhance comprehension and engagement for visual learners. They are essentially ‘touch-sensitive’ screens connected to a computer and projector, enabling the display of interactive content. For instance, a teacher or parent can use an IWB when teaching fractions. They could display pie charts or bars that can be manipulated to show different fractions.

The learner can physically interact with the content, changing the pie chart’s size or the bar’s length. This hands-on interaction, coupled with the visual representation, helps the learner understand the concept better. It’s not just about hearing the information; it’s about seeing it, touching it, and interacting with it. With IWBs, learning becomes a dynamic experience, fostering a deeper understanding and retention of the material.

7. Visual Summaries

Visual Summaries are an excellent strategy for visual learners, providing clear, easy-to-understand overviews of a topic. This method is great for processing complex information, breaking it down into digestible, visual chunks. As a teacher or parent, you can utilize this strategy to enhance comprehension and retention of knowledge.

For instance, let’s say you’re teaching a unit on the solar system. Instead of relying solely on text-based materials, you could create a Visual Summary. This tool could include illustrations of the planets, their orbits, and other significant features, each labeled with important facts. By doing this, you’re offering a visual learning aid that helps students or your child to understand, remember, and recall the information more effectively.

8. Videos and Animations

As a teacher or parent, one powerful visual learning strategy at your disposal is the use of videos and animations. These dynamic tools bring concepts to life in a way that textbooks cannot, making complex information more digestible. For instance, if you’re teaching a child about the water cycle, a simple animation can illustrate each step—evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection—in an engaging, easy-to-understand manner. The child can see the process unfolding, helping them to grasp and remember the concept more effectively. This approach not only enhances comprehension but also fosters an enjoyable learning experience.

9. Illustrated Stories

Illustrated Stories are a powerful visual learning strategy that can be capitalized on by both teachers and parents to enhance comprehension and retention for visual learners. This approach involves using graphic elements, such as pictures or animations, to accompany and illustrate the narrative of a story. The idea is to leverage the visual learner’s innate ability to process and remember information presented visually. 

For example, let’s say a teacher is introducing a new topic – “The Life Cycle of a Butterfly.” Instead of simply describing the stages, the teacher can present an illustrated storybook that vividly depicts each stage in a butterfly’s life cycle. This not only makes the lesson more engaging but also enables the visual learner to form a mental picture of the process, aiding in long-term retention of the information. The use of Illustrated Stories can be a fun and effective addition to visual learning strategies.

10. Virtual Field Trips

Virtual Field Trips are a fantastic visual learning strategy that can significantly enhance the learning experience, especially for visual learners. These online journeys allow students to explore different locations, cultures, or events from the comfort of their classroom or home, delivering a vibrant and immersive learning experience that textbooks might struggle to provide. This method is both interactive and visually stimulating, facilitating a higher level of engagement and understanding.

For instance, a teacher might utilize a Virtual Field Trip to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History during a lesson on dinosaurs. The students can virtually navigate through the museum, exploring the exhibits, and closely observing the creature’s skeletons. This experience, paired with a guided discussion or follow-up activities, can help reinforce the lesson in a way that’s unforgettable and meaningful for visual learners.

What is Virtual Learning? 10 Best Practices to Implement

11. Conceptual Models

Conceptual models are a powerful tool in visual learning strategies. They enable you to depict complex concepts or processes graphically, making them more comprehensible and engaging for visual learners. For instance, a teacher teaching the solar system can create a 3D model displaying the planets and their relative positions and sizes. 

This hands-on, visual strategy allows students to grasp the concept of the solar system in a more tangible and memorable way than text alone. Similarly, parents can use conceptual models at home to explain day-to-day processes. For example, a simple model of a plant can be used to teach children about photosynthesis, turning an abstract concept into a relatable visual experience.

12. Visual Note-Taking

Visual note-taking can be an effective strategy for aiding visual learners in their educational journey. It’s a method that allows learners to represent their thoughts and ideas in a dynamic, visual way, which can significantly enhance their understanding and retention of information. For instance, a teacher or a parent implementing this strategy could encourage a student to draw a diagram or sketch to represent the life cycle of a butterfly when studying biology. 

This exercise not only stimulates visual cognition but also makes the learning process more enjoyable and memorable for the student. Remember, the goal of visual note-taking isn’t to create a piece of art, but rather to create a personalized visual understanding of the information.

13. Visual Vocabulary

Visual Vocabulary is a compelling strategy that can enable visual learners to comprehend and remember new words or concepts more efficiently. It involves associating words with relevant images, symbols, or diagrams to create a visual context. For instance, a teacher teaching the concept of photosynthesis to her students could use a diagram depicting how plants take in carbon dioxide and sunlight to produce glucose and oxygen. 

Similarly, a parent helping a child learn new vocabulary could draw a picture of an ‘apple’ while teaching the word ‘apple’. This association helps the child to remember the word and its meaning for a longer time. The Visual Vocabulary strategy capitalizes on the visual learner’s innate ability to remember and understand visual cues, making learning more engaging and effective.

14. Interactive Diagrams

Interactive diagrams are an excellent visual learning strategy that you can utilize either as a teacher or a parent to enhance the learning experience of visual learners. These diagrams facilitate the understanding of complex concepts by visually depicting the relationships and processes involved. 

For instance, consider teaching the solar system. Instead of relying solely on verbal or textual descriptions, you can use an interactive diagram of the solar system. This diagram can allow learners to click on each planet to reveal information about its size, composition, and its distance from the sun. This not only aids in retaining information but also stimulates curiosity and encourages exploration. The visual representation of the solar system can help visual learners grasp the concept more effectively as they can ‘see’ the information, rather than just read or listen to it.

15. Conceptual Art Projects

Conceptual Art Projects can be an effective visual learning strategy for visual learners, providing a hands-on approach to understanding complex concepts. For instance, let’s consider a teacher or parent trying to explain the concept of the Solar System. Instead of relying solely on textual or oral descriptions, they could initiate a project where the child is involved in creating a 3D model of the Solar System. 

This hands-on project not only allows the child to visually connect with the concept, but also enables them to comprehend the relative sizes and distances of the planets in a more concrete manner. This helps to reinforce the child’s understanding and retention of the subject matter, making learning an enjoyable and lasting experience.

16. Storyboarding

Storyboarding is a powerful visual learning strategy that you, as a teacher or parent, can utilize to enrich the learning experience for visual learners. This method involves creating a visual sequence of events, like a comic strip, to depict a story or process. It aids in comprehension and retention by allowing the learner to visualize the information, thus making abstract concepts more concrete.

For instance, suppose you’re teaching the process of photosynthesis to a child. Instead of solely relying on textual information, you could draw a storyboard illustrating the stages of photosynthesis. The first panel might show a tree absorbing sunlight, the second could depict water and carbon dioxide being absorbed through the roots and leaves, the third would show the production of glucose and oxygen, and so on. This visual representation can make the complex process easier to understand and remember, reinforcing the learning outcome.

17. Comparative Charts

Comparative charts are a fantastic visual learning strategy that can be effectively used by teachers and parents to boost a visual learner’s understanding. These charts allow learners to see comparisons and contrasts between different concepts clearly, making the information more digestible and memorable. 

Let’s consider an example: if a teacher is trying to make students understand the differences and similarities between two historical events, a comparative chart could be an excellent tool. The teacher can list the events vertically down the left side of the chart, with categories for comparison (like cause, impact, key figures) along the top. The corresponding cells can then be filled with the relevant information. As a result, students can visually compare and contrast the two events, aiding their understanding and retention. This approach simplifies complex information and enhances learning for visual learners.

18. Digital Collages

Digital Collages constitute an effective visual learning strategy that can be harnessed by teachers and parents alike to enhance the learning experience of visual learners. They offer a creative avenue to compile and represent information, ideas, or concepts in a visually appealing and comprehensive manner. 

For instance, let’s consider a history lesson on the American Revolution. A teacher or parent can create a Digital Collage that includes key figures, maps, battlefields, and significant events of the period. They can also add brief descriptions or captions to the images. This would not only aid in visualizing the historical events but also in constructing mental links between the different elements. Thus, Digital Collages, by amalgamating text and visuals, can greatly facilitate the learning process for visual learners, making it more engaging and effective.

19. Visual Quizzes

Visual quizzes can be a game changer in the world of visual learning strategies. As a teacher or a parent, you have the opportunity to utilize visual quizzes to enhance understanding and retention for visual learners. Here’s how it works. Let’s say you’re teaching your students or children about the animal kingdom.

Rather than relying solely on verbal or textual descriptions, you could create a visual quiz. For this, compile a set of images showcasing different animals, and ask them to identify which ones are mammals, which are reptiles, and so on. By doing this, you’re allowing them to associate visual elements with the concepts they’re learning, which can boost their memory retention and make learning a fun and interactive experience.

20. Art Integration

Art integration serves as an exceptional visual learning strategy, especially for visual learners, as it emphasizes the use of images, diagrams, and other visual aids to facilitate understanding. For instance, a teacher or parent might choose to integrate art into a history lesson by creating a time-period-specific collage. This could involve gathering pictures, symbols, or drawings that resonate with the era being studied, arranging them in chronological order on a large piece of paper. 

This visual representation not only offers learners a comprehensive overview of the historical period but also allows them to connect more deeply with the subject matter. The tangible, visual nature of the collage fosters a richer learning experience, catering perfectly to the needs of visual learners.

21. Science Labs and Demonstrations

Science labs and demonstrations are a highly effective visual learning strategy that can immensely benefit visual learners. These hands-on activities provide clear, visual representations of scientific concepts, making abstract ideas more tangible and easier to understand. For instance, imagine a teacher or parent demonstrating the reaction between baking soda and vinegar. 

This experiment isn’t just fun and engaging; it visually illustrates the concept of chemical reactions. The learner can see the vinegar (an acid) react with the baking soda (a base) to produce a new substance, carbon dioxide (the bubbles). This visual demonstration brings the science to life, aiding comprehension and making learning a more enjoyable experience for visual learners.

Visual learning strategies are powerful tools that teachers and parents can harness to empower visual learners. As you’ve seen, these methods can turn challenging concepts into memorable visuals, enhancing understanding and engagement. Remember, it’s all about making learning visible, tangible, and interactive. So, don’t be afraid to experiment and to incorporate charts, diagrams, mind maps, or even virtual reality into your teaching methods. Make learning a vibrant, visual journey. After all, for your visual learners, seeing truly is believing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do visual learners learn best.

As a visual learner, you thrive when information is presented in a way that you can see. Graphs, charts, infographics, timelines, animated videos, or pictorial flashcards tend to work best for you. You probably find it easy to remember information from movies or presentations where visual aids were incorporated extensively. Mind maps are another effective tool for you, helping to visualize the connections between different pieces of information. So, if you’re revising for an exam or seeking to understand a complex theory, try translating that information into a diagram or flowchart. Remember, your strength lies in ‘seeing’ information.

Why is visual learning the best learning style?

Visual learning strategies can be incredibly effective because they cater to a fundamental way that many people process information. As a visual learner, you’re likely to find that information makes the most sense when you can see it. This is because our brains naturally tend to absorb and recall visual information better than auditory or text-based data. It’s like painting a picture in your mind – the colors, shapes, and patterns all contribute to a memorable image that’s easy to recall when you need it. 

What do visual learners struggle with?

Visual learners, while having the advantage of learning quickly through images, diagrams, and other visual aids, often struggle with auditory instructions and long passages of written information. They may find lectures or discussion-based classes difficult to follow, as their strength lies in seeing and visualizing rather than hearing or reading. Additionally, they may struggle with complex concepts that are presented without accompanying visual aids, such as charts or diagrams.

What is the best material for visual learners?

Infographics and diagrams often serve as the most effective materials for visual learners. These types of content allow you, as a visual learner, to quickly grasp complex information and new concepts. Infographics are beneficial because they break down data into a visually appealing and digestible format. Diagrams, on the other hand, help you visualize the structure of an idea or process, making it easier to remember and understand. So, when it comes to visual learning strategies, incorporating infographics and diagrams into your study routine could significantly boost your comprehension and retention of information.

You might also like:

• 15 Surprising Benefits of Multisensory Learning
• 10 Innovative Blended Learning Strategies to Transform Your Classroom

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7 Teaching Tools and Activities for Children with a Visual Learning Style (including Worksheets, Lapbooks, and Anchor Charts)

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When it comes to learning, everyone has a different style.

Some children are visual learners — absorbing information best through diagrams and colorful presentations — while others may learn better through speaking and listening. It’s important to know what style of learner your child is, so you can ensure your lessons match up.

Approximately 65% of people have visual learning styles — so chances are, your child does too. In this guide, we’ll break down everything there is to know about visual learning, and how you can help the visual learner in your life.

What is the visual learning style?

Visual learners tend to understand and retain information much better when it’s presented in a visual way — e.g. laid out in a chart rather than explained verbally. They think primarily in pictures and are good at visualizing whole scenes in their mind. Most visual learners seem to notice everything around them and love color.

By contrast, the other main learning styles are:

• Auditory : children who learn best through speaking and reading aloud
• Kinesthetic : kids who are very tactile and learn through touch and experience
• Reading/writing : kids who learn by reading information and writing it down.

How to recognize visual learners

If your child is a doodler or you notice them taking a lot of notes, they’re probably a visual learner. They like seeing things laid out with clear directions, pictures, or diagrams. Visual learners respond well to color-coded systems, are usually creative, and have active imaginations. Often, visual learners tend to be tidy and organized in their learning habits.

If this sounds like your child, we’ve got some tips to make sure you’re tailoring their education to their learning style.

7 tools and activities for children with a visual learning style

A small whiteboard.

Having a whiteboard, even just a handheld one, is a game-changer for visual learners. For each lesson, you can write out keywords and main ideas , or draw diagrams using different colors to illustrate your point.

Seeing things laid out neatly just works better for visual brains.

Encourage students to use the whiteboard as well, to draw charts or pictures throughout the lesson. The act of taking information and putting it into a visual medium can be a great comprehension tool for kids, as they’re learning to process information in their own way.

Engaging worksheets

Reciting information to a visual learner might not be enough for them — it’s important to demonstrate and illustrate what you’re saying, too. And worksheets are a great way to do this.

Quality worksheets present information in a way that’s interactive, helping your child work through a new concept to help cement it in their mind.

And worksheets don’t have to be boring. We’ve got a huge database of fun, full-color bundles that are well-suited to the visual learning style. For example, this American Revolution worksheet pack has a map, a visual timeline, and a cause and effect chart. This math worksheet bundle uses diagrams and drawing exercises to explain the concept of fractions.

Why not explore our whole library of worksheets ? We’ve got you covered for hundreds of different topics.

Anchor charts

Anchor charts are a wonderful way to visually summarize a lesson. You can make one at the start of a new topic, to introduce key concepts and ideas. Or your child can make their own after finishing a lesson, to recap what they’ve learned.

The key is to make them as colorful and visually pleasing as possible. You can use them to decorate your classroom or compile them in a folder that students can refer back to. Here’s some more info on making effective anchor charts.

Lapbooks are a great tool to get your students engaged by letting them take the reins. They’re essentially just mini-books , made by your kids, filled with essential information about a certain topic. You can then bundle all these mini-books into a file folder to keep them all in one place.

Let your child handle the research and planning for the book, as well as choosing how it’s laid out and formatted. Visual learners will really benefit from the creative process of putting together their lapbook.

It’ll also help you, as a parent and/or teacher, to see how their brain works when collecting and presenting information — you can borrow similar techniques for lessons in the future!

Highlighters and colored markers

Don’t underestimate the power of colored markers! Visual learners love color, and being able to highlight their readings or make a diagram with many different colors will help reinforce their learning. Having a color-coded system can do wonders for information recall. For example, in a history lesson, students can highlight passages using green for dates, blue for places, and yellow for names.

Some kids (and adults!) have much better comprehension levels if they can doodle while learning. So long as they’re not focusing only on drawing, doodling can help visual brains process a lesson and let it come out in a way they can understand.

Leave blank space in the margins of their workbooks, or use a separate, unlined notebook where your students can let their thoughts flow out through drawing. Again, just like with lapbooks, you can look at their doodles for insights into how their brains work while learning.

Visual presentations

It’s all well and good to read a passage in a textbook, but visual learners will retain so much more when information is presented as more than just words.

You could make a quick and simple Powerpoint presentation to help introduce certain topics. Include explanatory text, sure — but back it up with pictures, diagrams, and visual formatting. Seeing it all laid out in an easily-digestible slide will greatly benefit visual learners.

See the difference!

If you’ve identified your child as a visual learner, experimenting with these tools and activities could considerably boost their learning.

Check out KidsKonnect for more worksheets and other helpful resources for all learning styles!

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Visual Learning: Effective Strategies and Best Practices

Research shows that  65% of students  are visual learners. For this population of students, visual aids help them process learning concepts and materials more efficiently. However, visual learning benefits many students in both K -12 and higher education populations. This is why educators often use visuals to enhance comprehension, retention, and engagement. 

With advancing technology, educators can easily implement digital visual aids in their lessons and courses. In this article, we’ll take a deeper look at visual learning, highlighting the importance of both digital and physical visual resources. In addition, we’ll explore effective strategies and best practices for implementing visual resources.

What is Visual Learning?

Visual learning is a learning style that uses imagery to communicate academic concepts and information. These visual elements often include images, charts, graphics, diagrams, etc. Visual learning is one of the primary learning styles, often associated with its counterparts, auditory and kinesthetic (hands-on) learning. 

However, with visual learning, the focus is on what students can see and observe. For example, most kindergarten and first-grade classrooms utilize a word wall. The young learners use the word wall to spot sight words and build their vocabulary. Likewise, in some higher education majors, learners use graphs and diagrams to gain a deeper understanding of their studies. 

Students who prefer visual resources or require visuals to learn are known as visual learners. These learners benefit from imagery and fully immersing themselves in their academic materials. Let's take a look at five ways visual students can improve their learning outcomes. 

Some suggestions may require additional support or modification depending on the environment. For example, students may opt to use online resources such as digital flashcards and note-taking apps. Consider age, as younger students may need help connecting the dots between the visual resource and the learning objective. With the appropriate strategies, visual learning can enhance learning for everyone.

Strategies for Incorporating Visual Learning in Education

Educators want to ensure they utilize every opportunity to immerse learners in their studies and academic environment. Let’s take a look at visual learning strategies that can support students both inside and outside the classroom:

Provide Visual Aids in the Learning Environment: Educators use a variety of visual aids to support their teachings – these aids act as an additional learning resource. Decorate the classroom with useful infographics, diagrams, and other imagery. Teachers can also provide attached visual aids in their online courses, where students can access and download the 

Utilize Interactive Visual Tools: Bring visual aids to life with interactive tools like virtual whiteboards and mind maps. This is a great way to brainstorm or even invite students to interact with the aids displayed. 

Remember to Prioritize Accessibility:  Create an inclusive learning environment, ensuring every student can participate and benefit from visual resources. In some cases, educators can provide textual and auditory alternatives. 

Best Practices for Educators

When used effectively, visual content enriches the learning experience, not just as supplementary material but as a resource that directly aligns with academic objectives. To ensure students are receiving visual resources that support their learning goals, educators can follow these best practices:

Align Visual Content with Curriculum Goals: Use visual content to support educational standards and learning targets. Educators can strategically curate materials that reinforce academic concepts and lessons. Aligning resources with instructional material allows students to make connections – supporting their overall learning journey.

Measure the Impact of Visual Learning:  Assess the effectiveness of visual learning materials by observing which aids students find useful. Educators can gauge the impact of visual resources, ensuring student understanding and comprehension improves. For additional feedback, invite students to offer feedback on visual aids and explain how the resources are used in their studies.

Continuous Improvement:  With student input, educators can continue to improve the visual resources offered. In the long run, this will enhance how students interact with visual aids using digital tools and platforms. 

For greater impact and accessibility, use a learning management system that supports media integration – improving the visual learning process. Let’s examine how Canvas LMS can elevate visual learning in course and instructional design.

Visual Learning with Canvas: Elevating Instructional Design

Canvas LMS offers a collection of tools and features designed to enhance and support visual learning experiences. With Canvas' seamless LTI integrations and user customization, educators can design modules and courses that engage the learner. Visual learning resources are embedded, uploaded, and linked directly into course discussions, announcements, assignments, and modules. Overall, course design is enhanced when implementing visual aids. Learn more about the importance of instructional design . 

Students benefit from tailored academic experiences designed to help them succeed. With Canvas LMS, students have easy access to the visual resources they need at all times. 

Digital Tools to Enhance Visual Learning

Canvas makes visual learning easier for teachers to implement, offering contributory learning resources to students. In addition to ensuring your LMS has robust tools to support visual learning, see what else you should consider  when choosing an LMS .

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How to support visual learners in elementary school stem.

Supporting visual learners in the elementary classroom is crucial for creating an inclusive and engaging STEM learning environment. By recognizing and implementing strategies that cater to their unique learning style, educators can empower their visual learning students and equip them with confidence around the STEM subjects.

By implementing strategies like visual cues and references, and holistic learning approaches, teachers can enhance comprehension, engagement, and overall learning outcomes.

Understanding Visual Learners

What is visual learning.

Among the diverse landscape of learning styles , an often overlooked group is visual learners. These are individuals whose most natural learning style is to interact with information visually, whether that’s with images, diagrams, graphs, or other visual representations of data. Research estimates that approximately 65% of individuals possess a strong inclination toward visual learning , however this percentage might be even higher due to a lack of self-assessment and awareness of our own learning styles.

Traditional educational settings often rely upon the practice of auditory instruction which misses the unique needs of visual learners. Once we recognize that such methods do not cater to all learners equally, it’s time to look for ways to support visual learners by fostering an inclusive, equitable, and effective learning environment for all learning styles—particularly in STEM.

What is the learning process like for visual learners?

Visual learners experience the learning process in a distinct way from their peers. Rather than auditory, memorization, or kinesthetic (hands-on, tactile learning) learning, visual learners succeed when there are many visual representations of the subject matter. They often recall facts or figures from visual images in their mind, and have a keen eye for details like colors, size, relative positioning, and ratios.

These learners posses a remarkable ability to retain and recall information that they perceive visually, so incorporating visual support in your lesson plans is extremely helpful for visual learning students.

How to Support Visual Learners in Elementary STEM Education

Overlooking the unique needs of visual learners can hinder their full potential and affect their confidence in STEM. By addressing their needs, educators can tap into their strengths and provide a more comprehensive and enriching learning experience for all their students.

To create an inclusive learning environment that supports visual learners, educators should integrate visual elements into the STEM curriculum. This might include visual aids, interactive materials, and well-designed instructional strategies.

• Visual Representation: Visual learners benefit from clear and tangible representations of concepts and ideas. Incorporate visual aids such as diagrams, charts, and infographics to enhance their understanding and retention of STEM concepts. These visual representations provide a concrete framework for visual learning students to grasp complex ideas and connect them to real-world applications.
• Interactive Learning Tools: Integrating interactive learning tools into your STEM instruction is essential for engaging visual learners. Utilize technologies like virtual simulations, interactive whiteboards, and graphic step-by-step guides with visual components to capture their attention and deepen their understanding of STEM principles. These tools provide opportunities for exploration, experimentation, and hands-on learning in a way that supports visual learners.
• Multimodal Learning Experiences: Visual learners thrive in multimodal learning environments that blend visual and auditory elements. Bring in multimedia resources like videos, animations, and presentations to engage their senses and reinforce the concepts they’re learning. By combining visual stimuli with auditory explanations, visual learners can build stronger connections of new STEM concepts.

Integrated STEM lesson plans also play a vital role in enhancing the learning experience of visual learners. In the following sections, we’ll explore more of these strategies in detail so you feel empowered to better support the visual learners in your class.

3 Ways to Support Visual Learners in the Classroom: Strategies for Engaging STEM Lesson Plans

When it comes to nurturing the minds of young learners, incorporating visual elements into your elementary STEM curriculum can make all the difference. You’ll find that the visual learners in your class thrive when provided with the right tools and teaching methods that align with their unique learning style.

By merging the power of visual with STEM instruction, educators can create an immersive and effective learning environment that resonates with visual learners and fosters their success in the STEM subjects.

Here are three different ways to support the visual learners in your classroom:

1. Introduce the Big Picture

Visual learners have a holistic  approach to learning, so seeing the big picture upfront keeps them engaged and motivated to work toward the lesson plan’s finished product. By previewing the desired outcome at the beginning of each lesson, visual learners can better understand the purpose and context of each step. With this strategy, educators allow students to connect the dots and appreciate the significance of each step of the process.

For example, in an elementary STEM lesson plan by Kid Spark Education, we introduce the mechanical engineering concept of linear motion by having students build a simple machine that generates linear motion by the use of a rotary motion mechanism. To support visual learners, the step-by-step visual instructions conclude with an image of the final result so that students can see the completed mechanism and also understand each broken-down component that is built to create the final product.

2. Use Colors as Visual Cues

Visual learners are particularly receptive to color and symbol cues—making them especially effective tools for facilitating comprehension with visual learning students. One idea to support to visual learners in your class is to use specific colors to outline the different steps of a STEM lesson on the whiteboard, or use different colored tables or signs for different stages of a station-based lesson plan.

Using colors in this way helps create structure and order for visual learners so they can easily identify the different parts within the overall project. This visual organization acts like a visual container in which students can keep tasks and ideas organized. It helps in capturing attention and maintaining focus, bringing a sense of clarity that helps visual learners navigate through the lesson with confidence.

3. Post a Visual Reference

Whether it’s leaving an example of the final product on the screen, or writing out each stage or step of the lesson plan on the whiteboard, posting a visual reference in a prominent place in the classroom helps visual learners find their place throughout the lesson without getting lost or overwhelmed.

These references can take on various forms such as outlining each stage of the process, using post-it notes to help guide where the class is in the process, or by providing a visual anchor such as diagrams, written instructions, or pictures.

By implementing these strategies, educators can create a supportive environment that caters to the unique needs of visual learners in STEM education. Remember, every learner is different, so it’s important to adapt and customize these approaches based on your students’ individual preferences to best support them in their STEM journey. By embracing visual cues and providing clear visual references, educators can empower the visual learners in their class through the exciting world of STEM.

Explore STEM Lesson Plans with Kid Spark

At Kid Spark Education, we believe in inclusive and equitable access to STEM education for all learners. To meet the many types of learning styles, Kid Spark lesson plans and lab kits include a variety of ways for students to interact and engage with each hands-on learning experience.

Our labs are strategically designed for each age group, from Pre-K through middle school, so that students receive targeted, grade-appropriate educational tools. From here, we include reusable engineering tools that students grow familiar with throughout the many lessons and learning activities.

To support educators, we provide step-by-step instructions to guide your students through each lesson plan and even provide online professional development to build your own confidence in every STEM subject before presenting it to the class.

For visual learners at the elementary level, our STEM lesson plans provide colorful worksheets and instructions with activities that touch on many different learning styles. There are many types of learning styles, and we try to incorporate as many as possible in our comprehensive STEM lesson plans. This includes graphic illustrations, written instructions, oratory presentations of their original designs, and more.

If you’re interested in learning more about Kid Spark’s STEM labs for your classroom, contact us today .

Topics: Elementary STEM Education , STEM Education

Written By Jordani Sarreal

Would you like to receive more information about starting a kid spark stem program for your students , go beyond the buzzword with kid spark..

At Kid Spark Education, STEM isn't a buzzword: it's a powerful way to nurture students' natural curiosity; build confidence and skills in science, technology, engineering, and math; and foster abilities in collaboration, problem-solving, and communication. You, their teachers, are our most important partner in achieving our mission of preparing all children for a lifetime of learning about science and technology. The Kid Spark Blog is written by educators, for educators to be a resource in your toolbox so you can feel confident and capable in teaching STEM to your elementary students. 

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The Visual Learning Style Guide: 15 Simple Tips for Visual Learners

Visual learning is a learning style that involves using visual aids, such as graphs, diagrams, and visual information, to understand and remember information.

Visual learners learn best when they can see information in a visual format, making use of pictures and images to process information.

Keep reading to learn more about The Visual Learning Style!

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What is Visual Learning?

Visual learning is a teaching and learning style in which ideas, concepts, and information are associated with images and visual aids to enhance understanding and retention.

15 Tips for Visual Learners

Ever tried reading a recipe and wished it was a cooking show instead? Or stared at a manual only to think, ‘A diagram would be nice’? Welcome to the world of visual learners, where seeing truly is believing.

Dive into these 15 tips tailored just for you, and by the end, you’ll be seeing your learning journey in a whole new light. And trust us, by tip number seven, you’ll be hooked!

1. Use Color-Coded Notes

Visual learners often benefit from differentiating information using colors. By color-coding notes, they can quickly identify and recall specific topics or concepts, making their study sessions more efficient.

2. Create Mind Maps

Mind maps allow visual learners to visualize connections between ideas. By mapping out concepts, they can see the bigger picture and understand the relationships between different pieces of information.

3. Watch Educational Videos

Videos provide a dynamic way of presenting information. Visual learners can benefit from watching educational videos that present concepts through animations, diagrams, and real-life examples.

4. Use Flashcards with Images

Flashcards with relevant images can help reinforce concepts. Visual learners can associate the image with the information, aiding in recall during tests or discussions.

5. Draw Diagrams and Sketches

Sketching out ideas or drawing diagrams can help visual learners understand complex concepts. This method allows them to break down information into easily digestible visual chunks.

6. Opt for Infographics

Infographics present data and information in a visually appealing manner. They can help visual learners quickly grasp complex data sets or understand a sequence of events.

7. Use Highlighters Sparingly

While highlighting is useful, overdoing it can be counterproductive. Visual learners should use highlighters to emphasize key points, ensuring they don’t turn their notes into a sea of colors.

8. Engage in Group Study with Whiteboards

Whiteboards offer a large canvas for drawing, diagramming, and jotting down ideas. Group study sessions using whiteboards can be particularly beneficial for visual learners.

9. Take Breaks and Visualize

Taking short breaks and visualizing the learned content can help reinforce memory. By replaying the information in their minds, visual learners can strengthen their recall.

10. Use Digital Tools and Apps

There are numerous digital tools and apps designed specifically for visual learners. These tools often incorporate diagrams, flowcharts, and other visual aids to enhance learning.

11. Organize Workspace with Visual Cues

A tidy workspace with visual cues, like labeled folders or color-coded binders, can help visual learners stay organized and focused.

12. Visit Museums and Exhibitions

Real-life visual experiences, like visiting a museum or an exhibition, can provide a deeper understanding of concepts and stimulate the visual learner’s mind.

13. Read Graphical Books

Books with diagrams, illustrations, and charts can be more engaging for visual learners than text-heavy books. They provide a visual context to the written content.

14. Practice with Puzzles and Games

Puzzles and games that require visual-spatial skills can be both fun and educational. They challenge the visual learner’s mind and reinforce their natural strengths.

15. Reflect on Learning Through Art

Engaging in art activities, like painting or sculpting, allows visual learners to express their understanding of concepts creatively. It’s a therapeutic way to process and reflect on what they’ve learned.

Understanding the Visual Learning Style

Visual learning is a learning preference that involves processing information through visual cues.

It is one of the three main learning styles, alongside auditory and kinesthetic learning.

Visual learners rely heavily on visual information, such as images, charts, and graphs, to understand and remember information.

Characteristics of Visual Learners

• Visual learners have certain characteristics that make their learning experience unique.
• They have a strong preference for visual information,
• learn best when information is presented in a visual format,
• and have good spatial awareness.
• Visual learners often have a vivid imagination and can create mental images to help them understand complex concepts.

Strengths of Visual Learners

• Visual learners have many strengths that can be beneficial in various learning environments.
• They are great at recognizing patterns, have good attention to detail, and have strong visual memory.
• Visual learners are also often skilled at using visual aids, such as graphic organizers, to organize and process information.

What are Some Tips for Visual Learners?

Visual learners benefit from using diagrams, charts, and illustrations, watching videos, and visualizing information through mind maps or flowcharts.

Visual Learning Strategies

• There are many visual learning strategies that visual learners can use to enhance their learning experience.
• Some examples include creating visual aids, such as flashcards or mind maps, to help visualize and organize information.
• Visual learners can also benefit from using color coding to highlight key concepts and using visual mnemonics to remember information.

Example of Visual Learning

• To better understand visual learning, let’s take an example.
• Suppose you are learning about the solar system.
• As a visual learner, you can create a diagram or visual representation of the planets and their positions.
• By visualizing this information, you can better understand and remember the order of the planets.

Tips for Parents of Visual Learners

• If you are a parent of a visual learner, there are various ways you can help support their learning style.
• Provide them with visual aids, such as books with illustrations or educational videos.
• Encourage them to create visual representations of what they are learning, such as drawing pictures or making collages.
• Creating a visually stimulating learning environment can also help visual learners thrive.

What are Some Strategies for Visual Learners in Education?

Educators can support visual learners by incorporating multimedia presentations, using visual aids like flowcharts and diagrams, and encouraging students to take notes with drawings or visual symbols.

Teaching Strategies for Visual Learners

• Teachers can implement various teaching strategies to cater to visual learners.
• They can make use of visual aids, such as charts, diagrams, and videos, during lectures.
• Providing opportunities for visual learners to create visual representations of what they are learning can also enhance their understanding and retention of information.

Strategies for Educators

• Educators can support visual learners by creating a visually stimulating learning environment.
• They can incorporate visual elements, such as bright colors, charts, and posters, into the classroom.
• Providing hands-on activities and incorporating technology that utilizes visual aids can also engage visual learners and enhance their learning experience.

Strategies for Teachers

• Teachers can employ specific strategies to help visual learners thrive in the classroom.
• They can provide clear and visually organized materials, such as handouts and worksheets.
• Using visual cues, such as highlighting key information or using visual mnemonics, can aid visual learners in remembering important concepts.
• Additionally, giving visual learners opportunities to work collaboratively and create visual projects can enhance their learning experience.

What are the key visual learning style strategies?

Visual learning style strategies revolve around the use of visual images, flowcharts, and multimedia to help students understand the information.

Visual learners typically benefit from instructional methods that involve reading information, using images, or having something to watch.

The human brain processes information presented visually faster, making it a preferred learning style for many.

How can teaching strategies amplify the strengths of visual learners?

Teaching strategies can amplify the strengths of visual learners by presenting content visually, using multimedia, and incorporating flowcharts or diagrams.

Visual learners have a good sense of direction and a preference for learning through visual-spatial methods.

By catering to these strengths, educators can make learning more enjoyable and efficient for these students.

Where can I find the characteristics of visual learners in the table of contents?

The characteristics of visual learners can typically be found in the table of contents under sections labeled “Visual Learning Style,” “Characteristics of Visual Learners,” or similar headings.

These sections will delve into how visual learners understand the information, their preference for learning, and examples of their learning method.

How can parents of visual learners implement effective teaching strategies?

Parents of visual learners can implement effective teaching strategies by using images, flowcharts, and multimedia in their instruction.

Since visual learners may have difficulty with spoken directions and are easily distracted by sounds, parents should focus on visual aids and written instructions.

Offering a visual learning example, like a sequence of events or a diagram, can also help them better grasp concepts.

Can you provide a visual learning example?

A visual learning example could be a flowchart detailing the sequence of events in a historical period.

Instead of just listening to lectures or reading text, visual learners can use the flowchart to visualize and remember the sequence, making the information more accessible and memorable.

Which learning style strategies for educators are recommended?

For educators, it’s essential to recognize that every learner is different, and multiple learning styles exist.

While visual learners need content presented visually, auditory learners benefit from auditory instruction.

Implementing a mix of instructional methods, understanding the VARK (Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, Kinesthetic) model introduced by Fleming, and catering to the preferred learning style of each student can lead to more effective teaching.

What are the best visual learning strategies for teachers?

The best visual learning strategies for teachers include using multimedia presentations, flowcharts, diagrams, and other visual aids to present information.

Teachers should also encourage visual learners to take notes using images or diagrams, as this can help them process and remember the content.

Given that the brain can process visual information swiftly, leveraging these strategies can help students learn more effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about Visual Learning Style. Get some quick answers to everything you need to know.

What is an example of visual learning?

An example of visual learning is using a flowchart to understand the steps of a process or a timeline to visualize historical events.

What are 3 strategies for visual learners?

Three strategies for visual learners include using flashcards with images, creating mind maps for complex topics, and watching educational videos or animations.

Why is visual learning effective?

Visual learning is effective because the human brain processes visual information faster than textual information, allowing learners to grasp and retain concepts more easily.

What is visual learning activities?

Visual learning activities are tasks or exercises that involve the use of images, diagrams, charts, or other visual aids to facilitate understanding and retention of information.

What are 3 advantages of learning visually?

Three advantages of learning visually are improved retention of information, quicker comprehension of complex concepts, and increased engagement and interest in the learning material.

What would a visual learner benefit most from?

A visual learner would benefit most from visual aids like diagrams, charts, infographics, and educational videos.

How does visual learning help children?

Visual learning helps children by making abstract concepts more tangible, enhancing memory retention, and catering to their innate curiosity through engaging visuals.

What are 3 characteristics of a visual learner?

Three characteristics of a visual learner are a preference for reading over listening, a tendency to visualize concepts or ideas, and an affinity for maps, charts, and diagrams.

What are three learning strategies examples?

Three learning strategy examples are using mnemonic devices for memorization, employing active recall through self-quizzing, and chunking information into smaller, manageable bits.

What is visual learning activity?

A visual learning activity is an educational task that emphasizes the use of visuals, such as diagrams, charts, or videos, to facilitate understanding.

What is an example of a visual learning?

An example of visual learning is using a pie chart to understand the distribution of different components in a dataset.

What is visual learning in the classroom?

Visual learning in the classroom refers to teaching methods that incorporate visual aids, multimedia, and other visual resources to enhance students’ understanding and retention.

How do visual learners learn examples?

Visual learners learn examples by visualizing them through diagrams, watching demonstrations, or using visual aids like flashcards with images.

Wrapping Up Visual Learning Style

In the vast spectrum of different learning styles, the visual way of learning stands out as a powerful and efficient learning method.

• Visual-spatial learners, often visual learners by nature, have a unique approach to absorbing information;
• They tend to learn by seeing and often have eyes that light up when they visualize or remember something.
• These learners prefer to learn through multiple mediums,
• From diagrams to videos,
• Ensuring they take in the information in a manner most resonant with them.
• The learning styles theory underscores the importance of recognizing and catering to these differences.
• After all, students are more likely to remember what they’ve learned when taught in their preferred style.

So, whether you’re skimming the footer of a textbook or diving deep into a visual guide, remember that visual learners are usually neat and clean in their approach, and their ability to visualize concepts makes them a force to be reckoned with in the educational realm.

If you enjoyed this article Visual Learning Style and would like to learn more, please leave a comment below.

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11 Ways to Teach Academic Skills to Visual-Spatial Learners

In his collaborative study, Jonathan Wai, a research scientist with the Duke University Talent Identification Program used longitudinal data from multiple data sets across 50 years to show that spatial talent (in addition to math and verbal talent) is important, especially for success in STEM domains.   Among the top 1% in spatial ability, 70% of these students were not in the top 1% for either math or verbal talent.  Since the schools mostly value those with math and verbal skills, students with spatial intelligence often have their gifts neglected and never have the chance to shine.

Here are 11 ways to help spatially intelligent students use their visual thinking skills in mastering academic subjects:

• Allow time after teaching a concept for students to close their eyes and visualize what they have just read or learned (e.g. ”picture in your mind’s eye how the main character we’re studying in this novel might respond to his car breaking down”) .
• Let students draw pictures of the material they are learning (e.g. making spelling words into pictures, drawing images of their vocabulary words, using pictures to illustrate a project etc.)
• Use computer software or apps that are highly visual and interactive to teach academic subjects (e.g. let students illustrate their ideas with draw and paint software or study history using The Oregon Trail software program).
• Allow students to demonstrate their understanding of a concept by building a model of it (e.g. clay figures to illustrate a story they’ve read, a diorama to show an historical event, pipe cleaners or commercially-made construction materials to show the structure of a molecule etc.).
• Make mathematics visual by using math manipulatives, by letting students create sketches or graphs to show their mathematical thinking, and by demonstrating new mathematical concepts through highly visual-spatial  demonstrations (e.g. learning the formula area = length x width by measuring the classroom).
• Show videos to accompany material being learned (e.g. watching the movie To Kill a Mockingbird either before or after reading the book by Harper Lee).
• Schedule brief ”visual thinking” breaks for students which might involve solving visual-spatial puzzles, playing visual-spatial games (e.g. Pictionary ), or doing imagination exercises (like imagining what their ideal school would look like).
• Allow students to keep visual-thinking journals where they can record images, visual thoughts, and other spatial inspirations that come to them during the school day.
• Show students how to use the Internet to gain access to highly visual material related to a specific academic skill  (e.g. entering vocabulary words into Google Images provides a wide range of pictures that vividly illustrate each word).
• Let students use mind-mapping as a way of taking notes (e.g. Kidspiration is a great app for mind-mapping on a computer).  Or use visual electronic boards to organize material like Milanote .
• Use heavily illustrated reading material for academic subjects  (e.g. books published by Dorling Kindersley are especially helpful for visual learners).

Keep in mind that Einstein used to do ”thought experiments” in his mind during his class time, and out of his imagination he created the general and special theories of relativity, which literally changed the way we think about the universe.  By bringing more visual-spatial learning into your own school, you can make sure that the little Einsteins in your classroom will thrive!

For more information about ”picture smart” or spatial intelligence, see my books on multiple intelligences:  

This article was brought to you by Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. and www.institute4learning.com .

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BJU Press Blog

Visual Learner: Characteristics, Study Tips, & Activities

September 28, 2021 by Guest Writer

What is a visual learner?

A visual learner is someone who learns better from images, charts, and other visual aids. This does not mean that videos of real-life experiences will resonate with the visual style. Visual learners often prefer to use handouts, flashcards, and outlines to organize information. You might find them doodling in the margins of their notes or closing their eyes to try to visualize what they are hearing. Surprisingly, videos of tend to appeal more to kinesthetic learners than to visual learners.

How do visual learners learn?

Visual learners respond well to demonstrations, graphics, written words, and opportunities to sketch or draw concepts for themselves. They also love organization and spatial cues. They do not benefit as much from lectures, slides filled with words (they will read the slide but not listen to the instructor), class discussions, games, or visual chaos. That does not mean you should exclude these teaching strategies or avoid learning in situations that might use them. Every learner can be multi-modal and benefit from a variety of sensory experiences.

Visual learner characteristics

You might be a visual learner if you love to organize by color coding. Visual learners also tend to share characteristics with read/write learners because reading is typically a sight-based exercise. So, if you read constantly, from cereal boxes to shampoo bottles, you may be a visual learner. Because they remember what they have read, visual learners tend to be good spellers. They might also prefer to see instructions in written form rather than be given them orally. Visual learners often doodle in their notes while listening to lectures. Visual learners might not notice background noise, but they can be distracted by disorganization or movement in their peripheral vision. If you recognize any of these visual learning characteristics in your child, he probably has a visual learning preference.

What percentage of people are visual learners?

Up to 50% of people have a visual learning preference with most of those having a multimodal (more than one learning style) preference that includes visual learning. This data comes from several research articles that use the online VARK assessment, so the number might be lower if you consider the additional learning styles. Many online sources cite an article from the Social Science Research Network that states visual learners are 65% of the population, but that statistic has no research behind it.

About two thirds of people have multimodal learning styles , according VARK. When you consider the additional learning styles of logical, social, solitary and verbal, it is easy to imagine that everyone would be multimodal. You probably have a preference to learn in a group or alone in addition to your VARK preference. Some multimodal learners prefer a different mode in different contexts, while others will utilize all of their modes at once.

Visual learning style

The visual learning style is one of seven learning styles . Both visual and read/write learners often like to read. Visual learners and kinesthetic learners love watching demonstrations, although the kinesthetic learner may prefer to be more involved. Visual learning is most different from auditory learning, but it’s easy to combine visual and auditory in your lesson planning and reach both types of learners simultaneously. Logical, social and solitary learning can also overlap with visual learning in complementary ways.

Visual learning examples

Visual learners generally

• Keep things tidy and organized
• Prefer to read rather than listen to a story
• Excel at handwriting and spelling
• Stay focused on their work
• Make to-do lists and plans for the future
• Are more likely solitary learners rather than social but can benefit from group learning
• Study by looking at their notes rather than reading them aloud
• Sit close to the front of the classroom so they can see well

Study tips for visual learners

• Use colors to categorize information.
• Study early and often. The more times you see the information, the more you will retain.
• Make practice exams for yourself.
• Leave white space in your notes, so you can add to them later.
• Draw pictures.
• Make flashcards.
• Create graphs and charts.
• Make your own outlines.
• Rewrite key points from your notes.

Using visuals in the classroom

Visual aids are important in any classroom, even if you have no visual learners. The human brain processes images quickly. Visuals are engaging for everyone. A multisensory approach to teaching benefits most students, and there is evidence that children learn well this way even outside of their preferred learning style. Pictures and stories broaden our scope to include subjects we have not or may never encounter in real life. I recently told a young child that I play the clarinet. I could tell by her blank stare that she had no idea what I was talking about. So, I pulled out my phone and found a picture of a clarinet on the internet to show her. Now, the next time she hears the word clarinet, she will know what it is. I could have also found audio recordings so she would know what a clarinet sounds like.

Manipulatives also fall within the scope of visual aids, and will benefit kinesthetic learners as well, if you have some to share with students. I can remember learning fractions from a teacher using an overhead projector with transparent, colorful little squares. A visual learner might learn the parts of a flower from a diagram better than he would from an actual flower, because diagrams are more structured and predictable.

To use visual aids well, make sure they are large enough for everyone to see. All visual elements should be relevant and informative. Use only well-designed visuals. Infographics are very popular with visual learners. Use color appropriately. For example, in a bar chart, make the colors meaningful. Warm colors like red, orange, and yellow will make the important parts of a visual stand out and draw the eye’s focus there. Even without the use of color, visuals can take advantage of other preattentive attributes—attributes people notice automatically without thinking about—to draw focus. They include size, shape, orientation, and position, as well as color attributes like hue and intensity. Well-designed visuals that use preattentive attributes are attractive to visual learners and will work well for students with other learning styles.

Visual Teaching strategies

• Use visual aids in your teaching.
• Use manipulatives to reach both visual and kinesthetic learners.
• Give handouts for note-taking and let students doodle.
• Give students a small, personal whiteboard to use while you teach.
• PowerPoint can be helpful to visual learners, but only if you strategically include graphics. A slide with only words will not fully utilize the visual learning style.
• Sway is another interesting Microsoft presentation tool that is more interactive for solitary learning.
• Worksheets allow visual learners to practice and interact with the material. You get bonus points if the worksheet makes good use of color.

Activities for visual learners

• Use anchor charts in your classroom, and have students make them with you whenever possible. Anchor charts are colorful posters that include definitions and examples. They can be useful in various subjects, from geometry to science and even grammar and literature. Involving students in the creation of the anchor chart will enhance their understanding and ability to remember the information in it.
• Visual learners will enjoy color coding in any context. When learning parts of speech, you can use a different color for each one, and have students use those colors to mark practice sentences.
• Mind maps, flow charts, and various other types of diagrams help visual learners put the information in context. Because graphic representations can simplify complex ideas, diagrams will likely help students with other learning styles as well.

Visual learning tools for students

Visual learners will appreciate having the following tools handy for learning:

• Index Cards or sticky notes. Put a key word on each card and the definition on the back. Use them as flashcards to help memorize facts. Alternatively, arrange the terms into a mind map to see how they best fit together. Use different colored sticky notes to group items into categories. Arrange events in chronological order.
• Colored pens, pencils, highlighters. Visual learners love to use color to organize their thoughts. Look for waterproof, acid-free art or scrapbooking pens for long-lasting visuals.
• Paper and notebooks. Visual learners like to write, take notes, and doodle. They will need plenty of paper. Encourage them to draw their own anchor charts to help them remember key facts.
• Personal white board. When I was a student, I used a rewritable tablet called a magic slate to memorize proofs in math class. A personal sized white board or tablet would work well for the modern student. The act of writing information out can help both visual and read/write learners.

You may be tempted to incorporate more high-tech tools for visual learning, but keep in mind that for visual learning it is often the action of seeing the words take shape as the student writes them that is most beneficial. In other cases, it is the action of drawing a graph or giving shape to an idea that helps them retain information. Typing information speeds up the process, but it also creates distance between the learner and the information.

Benefits of Visual Learning Methods

Visual learners benefit from the speed with which our brains process images. Charts and graphics often convey complex information in an easy-to-digest manner. Teaching with visual aids can remove language barriers in a multi-cultural classroom. For these reasons, including visual elements in your teaching will benefit most students, not just those with a visual learning style.

Valerie is a wife and a mother to a very busy toddler. In her free time she enjoys reading all kinds of books. She earned a B.S. in Biology from Bob Jones University, minoring in Mathematics, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Ohio State University. Valerie has 15 years of experience working in research laboratories and has coauthored 8 original research articles. She has also taught several classes and laboratories at the high school and college levels. She currently works as a Data Analyst and a freelance writer.

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This post was written by a guest writer for BJU Press. Learn more about the guest writer in the description above. If you have any questions regarding this post, please direct them to [email protected] .

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Visual learning guide to understanding visual learners.

We all learn differently. Even without noticing, some of us learn best by “seeing,” others by “hearing,” while other people learn best by “doing.” Understanding a student’s learning style helps educators and parents create a reliable learning environment.

For example, visual learners learn best when they can see information presented to them in a visual format, such as through diagrams, pictures, and videos.

Visual learners fall in the category of visual learning style. They learn and retain information best by interacting with visual information and may struggle to absorb information when it is presented in a purely auditory or written form.

The classroom is usually a great place for a visual learner because teachers use whiteboards, wall images, maps, and posters– objects they can easily connect with.

This article will cover visual learners' characteristics, strengths, and strategies teachers and parents can use to help them succeed.

What Is a Visual Learning Style?

Visual learning style is a learning method where learners need to see, I.e., watch, and observe to learn. The learning may involve spatial awareness, videos, photographic memory, diagrams, graphs, etc. Visual learners will quickly remember places, objects, and faces because they can quickly recollect details by creating a mental image.

Visual learning style is one of the most common types of learning style, estimated to be used by over 65% of all learners . Other learners may learn by auditory learning style—listening and hearing or tactile/ kinesthetic learning style—by touching and doing.

Different learners receive and process information differently. It's important for teachers to be aware of different learning styles so that they design and deliver lessons that accommodate all learners.

Many teacher preparation programs include learning styles in their curricula, ensuring that teachers are equipped to teach all learners.

Characteristics of Visual Learners

Visual learners are good at understanding information through visual aids and imagery. A child who is a visual learner will have different facial expressions and emotions when learning. For instance, they may stare when angry.

A child who struggles with reading or has a short attention span may be a visual learner. This is because they are easily distracted by visual stimuli.

Lets look at the most common visual learning characteristics :

• They tend to have a vivid imagination, sometimes leading to daydreaming or mental wandering.
•   Since they think primarily in pictures, they may highly enjoy visual stimulation.
• They are typically good at reading maps and charts because they learn through observation.
•   When spelling, visual spatial learners need to visualize the words to spell them correctly.  
• They are usually good at using their intuition to solve problems. 
• They can recognize patterns quickly and have a vivid imagination.

Strengths of Visual Learners in Classrooms 

Visual learners tend to do well in a modern classroom setting. This is because the classroom is designed to cater to this kind of learner. Visual aids in the classroom, such as whiteboards, handouts, posters, and images, provide a rich source of information that they can easily absorb and remember.

Visual learners have several strengths that teachers can use to tailor their teaching methods to their learning styles. The strengths of visual learners include:

• Visual learners instinctively follow directions – This ensures that they are at par with lessons, have great engagement in the classroom, and have great critical thinking skills.
• Easily visualize objects – Quickly create mental images that enable them to understand and remember information better.
•   Have a great sense of balance and alignment – They can easily spot asymmetries and imbalances, helping them solve problems fast.
•   They are great organizers – They know how to organize information so that it can make sense to them. They can create mind maps and diagrams that act as visual aids.
•   They have a strong sense of color and are very color-oriented – They can use color to categorize information and differentiate shades and objects based on color.
• Can see the passage from a page in a book the mind – They create visual images of texts that help them recall information easily.
• Notice minute similarities and differences between objects and people easily – They have a keen eye for detail.
• Can envision imagery easily – Their vivid imagination helps them understand, remember and communicate ideas effectively.

Benefits of Visual Learning

Visual learning benefits the student, teacher, and even parents. Teachers provide teaching aids that help the learners learn effectively, and parents use visual aids that reinforce the learning concepts. Visual aids are also a great way to communicate information, helping the learner study efficiently.

Here are the benefits of visual learning :

• Enhanced memory – Pairing ideas with images help students become more attentive and understand what they’re taught easier while remembering for a long time.
• It makes communication simpler and quicker – The brain processes information presented in a visual format quicker than text. Visual learning also helps overcome language barriers.
• Drives motivation – Visual learning style helps with retention and recall. Students can clearly visualize their goals and remain motivated to learn and achieve them.
• Stimulates emotions – Our brains use the same part to process visual information and emotions. Visual stimuli work with emotion to make learning more interesting.
• Accessibility – Visual learning tools are easily accessible. Teachers and parents can easily create drawings, cut-outs, and paintings that make learning easy.

How to Implement Visual Learning in Classrooms

As we’ve seen, visual learners have diverse strengths, such as great planning and organization skills. They’re also quite aware of color, contrast, and visual elements.

Teachers can take advantage of these strengths and implement different visual learning strategies in the classroom.

Here are different ways teachers can implement visual learning in classrooms:

Active participation

Active participation is where learners interact and engage with visual materials as they learn.

To implement active participation, you can allow your students to take notes when watching a video. You can also give them a personal whiteboard with a dry-erase and plenty of colors where they can draw out ideas and concepts.

You can also encourage group activities, discussions, and presentations that involve visual materials.

Using visual aids

Visual aids involve any visual material that can simplify learning for visual learners.

Teachers can use diagrams and maps to show how different concepts relate. Images and photographs, and videos are visual aids that illustrate concepts and provide examples. Charts and graphs help kids understand how numbers work.

Visual aids give a quick snapshot of information, making it easier for visual learners to understand.

Associating new concepts with familiar ones

Teaching involves introducing students to new concepts frequently. For visual learners, teachers can associate new concepts with what the students already know.

For example, you can use analogies to make complex ideas simpler. Let’s say you’re teaching about computer viruses; you can relate it with a real virus— and how it affects the computer just like a body.

You can also use real-world examples and help learners understand new concepts; like dropping objects down when teaching about gravity.

Wall displays

Wall displays of charts, pictures, and diagrams help visual learners understand difficult concepts. They help with memory retention since students always remember visual concepts.

Teachers can designate areas to set up visual examples in their classrooms. Students will use the wall displays to make connections between different ideas and concepts.

Visual schedule

A visual schedule is a tool that can help students organize their daily activities and routines. Children can easily understand what to expect for the day and prevent anxiety.

Visual schedules can be in the form of pictures, symbols, or icons, and they help visual learners understand their tasks easily and with clarity. They are also useful for learners who may have learning difficulties such as autism spectrum disorder.

Teachers can tailor visual schedules to each child’s needs and make them easy to understand. For example, some learners may prefer actual images of the items they’ll study during the day. Others may need simple icons or color codes.

Avoid using large text

Visual learners find large blocks of text overwhelming and difficult to process. This is because they process information that is clear, and organized in diagrams or visual aids.

Teachers can avoid large texts by using more visual teaching materials such as videos and images. They can also break large blocks of text into bullet points or smaller paragraphs.

You can also use different sizes of font for headings and mix bold and italics to emphasize important points.

Different colors are a great way to make texts more interesting for visual learners and highlight important points.

Study Tips for Visual Learners

Teachers should help their learners develop a learning routine and style that helps them study more efficiently. There are plenty of ways teachers can help visual learners.

Here are visual cues you can use to help your students:

• Instead of writing out their work, allow students to represent their learning in visual and creative ways.
• Provide them with a personal whiteboard and dry-erase markers with plenty of colors.
• Try using bright colors whenever possible because colors help make an imprint on the child’s mind.
•   Consider introducing documentaries and videos sometimes instead of using textbooks every time.
• Create to-do lists with the child, so they can refer back to them, help them stay on track, and visualize their progress.
• Help students incorporate lots of concepts and maps of their studies.

Ultimately, visual learning strategies help students engage with the material and use their visual skills more effectively.

Tips for Parents of Visual Learners

Parents play a key role in a child’s educational path. Once they identify their child’s learning style as visual, they can provide the necessary tools and material for the child to learn effectively.

Here is a list of ideas parents can use to facilitate the learning process for their visual learners :

• When reading aloud, encourage your child a chance to describe what they picture in their mind to see if they understand what you’re reading.
• Maintain eye contact when speaking to the child; the child can see your facial expressions and understand you better.
• Create a conducive learning environment at home . For instance, avoid visual distractions when the child is doing homework or learning.
• Encourage drawing and doodling . Drawing pictures as they learn helps visual learners remember key concepts.
•   Encourage the child to take breaks . Visual learners may become overwhelmed when they spend too much time on one activity, like reading or staring at a screen. Encourage the child to try some physical activities.
• Use color coding to highlight important items and information even at home.
• Take advantage of technology such as educational apps and websites and get visually stimulating and engaging content for your child.

Why Learning Styles Matter

Most people have a preferred way of learning. Some people learn best by listening, others observe every step, while others learn best by doing.

Understanding learning styles helps teachers and parents understand how their learners process information most efficiently. They can therefore tailor their interaction with the learner to be better.

For example, while most students prefer a specific learning style, the trick for teachers is adding an additional layer of study using other earning styles.

Let’s look at why learning styles benefit different categories:

• Teachers : By understanding learning styles, teachers can design and deliver instructions more effectively. They can tailor their lessons to match different student needs and also identify struggling students for additional support.
• Students : Understanding their own learning styles can help them study better. Self-awareness helps them develop more effective study habits and learning strategies. E.g., visual learners can create flash cards. Students can also communicate their learning needs better.
• Parents : By understanding learning styles, parents can support their children’s education more effectively. Parents get to know how each child’s learning needs are unique and tailor the learning activities.

E.g a visual learner may benefit from videos and pictures, while an auditory learner will appreciate listening and discussions. Parents can also communicate their child’s learning needs to the teachers.

Start Implementing Visual Learning in Your Classroom 

Students have unique preferences. Naturally, they process information differently. By understanding different learning styles, educators can cater to each student’s learning style and help the learners comprehend and retain information better.

A typical classroom will have learners with different learning styles. For instance, you’ll have visual learners who prefer learning through diagrams and visual aids and auditory learners who prefer listening to lectures. You’ll also have kinesthetic learners who prefer hands-on activities and experiences.

Teachers can take advantage of professional development courses and learn about different learning styles. This gives them great strategies and techniques that they can use and accommodate diverse learners in the classroom.

With our professional development courses , you’ll gain insights on how to recognize learning styles and accommodate and create a dynamic learning environment that caters to each student. Get started now .

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42 Easy Visual Perceptual Activities That Enhance Learning

Visual perceptual activities are great for a child’s developing brain!  These 42 visual perceptual activities support the components of visual perception… part of the foundation for learning.

What is Visual Perception? 

Visual perception is the brain’s ability to interpret what the eyes see. 

Vision, just by itself, requires many skills and abilities:

• Focusing on objects up close
• Scanning the environment using the eye muscles
• Taking in info from all fields of vision
• Coordinating the eye muscles to work together
• Seeing and focusing on objects far away
• Adjusting to objects that are moving toward or away from the eyes
• Filtering light and adjusting to light
• Following moving objects with the eyes
• Focusing on objects while the body is moving
• Visually sustaining attention to objects and the environment

The eyes have such an important role… and so does the brain!

As the eyes constantly look, attend, and take in information, the brain has to make sense of what it sees.

The brain processes, perceives, and interprets what the eyes see.  This is visual perception.

Visual perceptual skills rely on the brain’s cognitive abilities.  A child has to remember and organize previous visual info.  Then, it can automatically make sense of everything seen.   

Many other systems play a role in supporting the visual system and visual perception. 

Various postural muscle groups and the movement / balance (vestibular) system help support visual skills . 

Sensory processing helps support the attention centers needed for the visual system.  In order to effectively take in info, the eyes need to focus and attend well. But, at the same time, they have to ignore unnecessary visual info.

The brain’s job of actually making sense of what the eyes see (visual perception) is very complex!  This post focuses on seven components of visual perception.

What Are the Components of Visual Perceptual Skills and How do They Impact Learning?

The seven components of visual perception are: visual discrimination, visual memory, spatial relationships, form constancy, sequential memory, visual figure-ground, and visual closure.

Each area is explained below.  Additionally, visual perception examples are given for each area, showing how the components are part of learning.

Visual Discrimination

Visual discrimination is the ability to tell the difference between objects or the details of objects.  It involves recognizing what’s the same and what’s different. This helps with matching and categorizing.

This skill is used when recognizing the difference between b-d, p-q, p-9, 5-s, etc.  It’s used when kids recognize the difference between similar looking words. 

Or, it’s used when telling the difference between leaves or shapes of states or countries.

Visual Memory

Visual memory is remembering an object and the characteristics of an object after it’s out of sight.  Kids need to retain visual information for immediate recall, or for later retrieval.

This skill is used for learning shapes, letters, numbers, sight words, fact families, maps, patterns, etc.

It’s used when drawing a picture without a model.  Or, when writing a descriptive story about an object or a picture.

Visual Spatial Relationships

Visual spatial relationships is the ability to recognize and understand the physical relationships between objects.  It’s knowing the position of an object in space.

(The development of position in space is complete between ages 7 and 9.  Spatial relationships improves up to age 10.)

This is an important skill in understanding directional concepts (left, right, between, under, down, etc)

Kids need this skill during prewriting and writing. It’s crucial when forming shapes, letters and numbers… especially ones with angles and curves. 

Visual spatial skills are used when writing words and sentences with the correct letter size (tall, short, or hang below the line.) Additionally, the words have to be placed correctly on the writing lines. 

Letter and word spacing is also necessary (proper space between words, but letters within a word are close together.) Understanding of margin sizes and space around the written work is also needed.

Kids also use spatial skills when organizing their math problems on paper (with or without lines.)   They use it when figuring out maps, measurements, distance, patterns, and geometry.

Form Constancy

Form constancy is knowing that an object or form is the same no matter its size or what position it’s in. This helps kids understand consistency of objects. 

(This skill improves between ages 6 and 7, and continues to develop until age 9.)

The brain can look at an upside down A, and still understand that it’s an A.  Kids would also understand that an A is always an A, regardless of font or writing style (printed, italicized, bolded, upper/lowercase, etc.)

Children are able to form letters or words without reversing.

Additionally, form constancy involves looking at an object from a different angle but still knowing what the object is.

A picture of a world map on the wall is the same as a picture on paper in front of them.  They understand that it’s the same, even though the wall map is much larger, and maybe even at a different angle. 

Visual Sequential Memory

Visual sequential memory is remembering the correct order, series, or sequence of items.

This is extremely important for spelling, reading, and copying short text.  It’s useful when remembering the sequence of a visual story.  Or, when following written directions to complete a multiple-step task.

As kids get older, they have to remember longer words or a series of words when copying text from a book or from the board.  It’s also used when remembering the correct order of equations and formulas.

Visual Figure-Ground

Visual figure-ground is the ability to visually locate an object in a busy background.  It’s differentiating foreground from background. 

This skill continues to develop in kids between ages 6 and 7. 

It’s noticing an object, word, or letter with added visual input behind it. Such as on a busy worksheet.

Another example would be a child’s ability to locate a blue pencil on a blue marbled carpet.  Or, to find a math equation, part of an animal’s life cycle, or the outline of a state in a pile of others. 

Visual Closure

Visual closure is the ability to know what an object or picture is, when only presented with parts of it. 

This would be recognizing part of a homework page when most of it is covered up by a notebook.  It’s also knowing what a picture is, if only given parts of it (a partially completed puzzle… or a dot to dot picture that’s only partly finished.) 

It’s seeing an outline of a leaf that has been erased in many areas.  Even though all of the lines of the leaf are not complete, the brain can fill in the rest of the parts to identify it.

This is important when kids start to learn to read faster.  They don’t have to look at every single letter of a word, or even at every single word. 

Why Are Visual Perceptual Activities Important for Kids?

Visual perceptual activities support learning and cognition.  They’re an important building block for the brain and for many academic subjects.

The visual perception skills and examples previously listed are essential parts of math, reading, spelling, writing, science and social studies! 

They’re also important in staying organized and managing school materials.

If a child is having difficulty with any of the areas of visual perception, they can easily become frustrated.  Frustration leads to a dislike of school, a low confidence level, potential behavior challenges, and even anxiety. 

As a school based occupational therapist, I’ve worked with many, many kids who need support with visual perception.

I like using the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills (non-motor) to evaluate kids’ visual perception. This test assesses the 7 components that I’ve previously mentioned.

Checking all areas allows me to assess a child’s visual perceptual strengths and weaknesses.

Then, I’m able to offer very specific visual perceptual activities to the child’s educational team.  The chosen activities address important skills to support the child’s learning. 

42 Easy Visual Perceptual Activities for Kids

Examples of visual perceptual activities are listed below.  They’re organized in each of the 7 areas previously mentioned. 

I’ve only listed an activity once (under each category.)  However, some activities and games address more areas than the one they’re listed under. (I chose the most relevant component area that the activity focuses on.)  

If you want to start with the basics, there are simple ways to work on the foundation for visual perception during daily routines ( visual tracking , visual attention, etc.)  The following list gives specific examples of games and activities that support each component of visual perception:

Visual Discrimination Activities

• Matching complex shapes to outlines ( Perfection )
• Sorting coins
• “What’s Different?” Or “Find the Difference” Games
• Sort items by shape or size

Fun Visual Memory Activities

• Memory games
• What’s Missing? games
• Study the picture
• Word searches
• Concentration

Visual Spatial Relationships Activities 

• Copy designs using pencils, pennies, small erasers, etc
• Geoboard patterns and designs
• Traffic Jam game
• How to Draw books
• Directionality games
• Proprioceptive activities (to improve body awareness)

Cool Visual Form Constancy Activities

• Jigsaw puzzles
• Parquetry blocks
• Building sets
• Type spelling words using different fonts

Visual Sequential Memory Activities

• Crossword puzzles
• Sequence game
• Copy patterns (make a pattern, cover it up and have child re-create)
• Stringing beads in a specific sequence or to spell non-sense words

Easy Visual Figure-Ground Activities

• Hidden Pictures
• Sensory Bins with Letters (to build words)
• Shredded paper with letters or words on other paper scraps (to build sentences)
• Crafts with small beads
• Jigsaw puzzles (also great for visual closure)

Visual Closure Activities

• Partly cover up complex shapes before matching to the outline
• Word shapes activities (match the word to the outline)
• Match pictures to incomplete pictures
• Scavenger hunts (partly hidden learning items)
• Dot-to-dots (identify picture before connecting dots)
• Erase parts of pictures or words for a guessing game

Hopefully this gives you a variety of activities to help your kiddos! Pin this on Pinterest so others can find it! Check out similar posts below.

For More Information on Visual Skills…

• How to Improve Reading with 15+ Visual Skills Activities – Support visual perception with these fun games and activities.
• Best Educational Toys and Games for Kids (Ages 5-10) – Several games and toys on this post support visual perceptual skill development.
• 17 Special Balance & Movement Activities to Improve Visual Skills – Use balance and movement activities to support and strengthen the visual system.

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Amy Hathaway MOT, OTR/L, CIMI-2 is a licensed and registered occupational therapist.  She is the founder of Develop Learn Grow. 

Amy has 21 years of experience as a pediatric occupational therapist.   She enjoys collaborating with teachers, parents, therapists, administrators, and support staff in preschools & schools, as well as coaching and guiding parents of infants and toddlers in their homes.

She is married and has three children.  Click to read Amy’s bio.  

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Maximizing Classroom Learning for Visual Learners

Learn practical strategies for engaging visual learners in the classroom.

• brightwheel
• Child development

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to learning. Children learn through different styles, one of them being visual learning. Visual learners tend to get distracted during verbal instruction, as they comprehend better through their visual senses—they need to “see” the content. 

Teachers must understand how visual learners learn best and incorporate visual elements into their instruction to facilitate practical and effective learning experiences. This guide will help you understand the characteristics of visual learners and the strategies to use to keep them engaged in the classroom.

What is a visual learner?

Visual learners absorb information using their eyes rather than their hands (kinesthetic) or ears (auditory).  Some visual learners can comprehend concepts by reading—they write well and follow directions. Other visual learners learn best by observing and analyzing visual elements like diagrams, flow charts, graphs, colors, and maps. For example, a visual learner can learn how to build a block structure better when they follow a sequence of diagrams rather than when they listen to a teacher explain the process.

Visual learning is one of the main learning styles in the VARK model suggested by educator Neil Fleming in the early 1990s. The acronym VARK stands for the four primary learning modalities—visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. 

Visual learner characteristics

You’ll probably notice a visual learner looking through a picture book in the reading area or playing with shapes and blocks. Below are other common visual learner characteristics:

• Enjoys doodling and drawing
• Good memorization skills (can remember faces and images)
• Interested in machines and inventions
• Enjoys reading books with images
• Notices details (observant)
• Neat and organized
• Enjoys coloring pictures
• Often closes their eyes to visualize or remember
• Has good handwriting
• Has a vivid imagination
• May often look at a teacher’s lips while the teacher is talking

Generally, visual learners get distracted during verbal instruction, so you’ll need to implement visual learning strategies to keep them engaged.

Visual learning strategies

If you’ve noticed the characteristics mentioned above in your children, use the strategies below to engage them in the classroom:

Read picture books

Illustrations break up chunks of text, keeping young readers interested and engaged in what they’re reading. Pictures add meaning to a story and increase comprehension—this is especially helpful for children facing difficulty with words. In addition, it improves children’s confidence in narrating the events in the story.

Use multimedia

As we mentioned earlier, visual learners often get distracted during lecture-style lessons. Instead, supplement verbal instruction with diagrams, charts, and graphs to keep your children interested in the lesson and help them understand how things work. This strategy also helps them remember what they’ve learned.

Use a small whiteboard

A whiteboard is a fantastic tool for writing new words and drawing diagrams to explain concepts. Keep the content on the board neat and organized so it’s easy to refer to the main idea or new word of the day. Use different colored markers to make the illustrations aesthetically pleasing, as visual learners are color-oriented. 

Create visual schedules

Visual schedules communicate the day’s activities with words and pictures. The images give the children a mental picture of what to expect throughout the day. As a result, anxiety and confusion are reduced, and the children’s independence increases. 

Provide a dedicated workspace

Visual learners work best in organized environments. Having their own workspace helps them avoid distractions and stay focused. Consider grouping your visual learners together for specific tasks.

If you’re wondering how to include these strategies in your lesson plans, consider using a tool like brightwheel’s lesson planning feature . With this innovative software, you can create custom lesson plans, log observations, and share children’s progress with their families.

Multimodal instruction

Multimodal teaching engages the senses (visual, auditory, and tactile) during instruction. It involves using multiple sensory modes . For example, a lesson on a new vocabulary word might include visual vocabulary cards, repeating the word out loud, and incorporating movement or tapping out syllables. Here’s why multimodal instruction is beneficial to visual learners:

Leverages the use of digital technology

Multimodal instruction can expose children to technology which can benefit their early learning when used appropriately and under adult supervision. During your lesson, allow children to explore technology tools like touch-screen gadgets, cameras, and digital files on a computer.

Exposes children to musical learning

Music is a fun instruction method for teaching numeracy, literacy, and other subjects. It engages both the logical and creative sides of the brain , helping children think and express themselves. In addition, the repetition of popular songs and rhymes helps children learn new concepts, memorize new words, and use language correctly. When learning how to play an instrument, visual learners can easily memorize visual patterns on a musical instrument (like a keyboard or guitar) and musical notation, which helps them learn songs faster. 

Promotes experiential learning

Multimodal instruction allows children to learn by doing, including them in the instruction process. For example, in addition to reading a picture book about “how a plant grows” with visual learners, visit a community flower garden or vegetable garden so they can see what fully grown plants look like. 

Prepares children for the real world

Although visual learners are more inclined to receive instruction visually, they’ll experience life through all modes. Introducing them to all instruction modes will prepare them for real-life experiences and challenges in higher education, careers, and relationships. 

Engage your visual learners in the classroom

Understanding and accommodating visual learners in your classroom will help you grab their attention, keep them engaged, and help them remember what they’ve learned.

Implementing multimodal instruction in your program will help create a well-rounded and dynamic learning experience for your visual learners that will prepare them for a lifetime of successful learning experiences.

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2 Engaging Activities to Develop Your Students’ Visual Literacy

As art teachers, we have so much to fit into our precious time with students. Sometimes, more abstract concepts like visual literacy get pushed to the side. Sure, we know visual literacy is important, but we might struggle with how to explicitly teach it to our students.

I recently had the chance to talk to Stephanie about how we can improve our students’ visual literacy. She has some great suggestions and also will share two specific Barnes Foundation activities that you can recreate in your own classroom.

The Barnes Foundation

Stephanie describes the Barnes Foundation as, “a non-profit art and educational institution where people can learn about art by looking carefully at that art.” So, while it’s technically not a museum, it functions much like one today. In fact, according to Stephanie, “The Barnes holds an incredible, world-class collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Early Modern paintings, African sculpture, Pennsylvania German furniture, and American and European metalwork.”  If you’re unfamiliar with the Barnes, you can learn more by visiting its inspiring website .

Part of what makes the Barnes Foundation so special is this unique vision. Stephanie told me, “At the Barnes Foundation, our educational philosophies and practices are influenced by our founder, Dr. Albert Barnes. Dr. Barnes worked with John Dewey in developing a way of looking at art. Dr. Barnes believed that if viewers focused on four elements of art, they could understand any artwork, no matter who created it, when it was made, or where it was made.” According to Dr. Barnes, the elements to focus on were color, light, line, and space.

Using the Elements with Students

Stephanie says that these four elements can be used by students of all ages to better understand a piece of art. The elements can also be used as jumping off points to dive deeper into topics like narrative, culture, and materials.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that developing visual literacy should be an inquiry-based skill. Says Stephanie, “We use inquiry-based teaching to guide students in looking carefully at art to create their own understanding. In most cases, we are not looking for a specific right answer. Instead, we allow students to shape their understanding of art and tell them that if they have proof, that statement is right for them.”

In fact, unlike most traditional museums, the Barnes Foundation doesn’t focus on art history. Instead, “Through explorations of color, light, line, and space, students sharpen their observational skills, analytical skills, problem-solving skills, and critical-thinking skills, and develop visual literacy.”

For example, when looking at Van Gogh’s painting The Postman (Joseph-Étienne Roulin) , educators   ask students guiding questions such as:

• “What colors do you see in the postman’s skin? In his beard?”
• “Why do you think Van Gogh chose to use those colors?”
• “Where do you think the postman is? What is in the background?”

In this way, students are asked to really think about and understand the painting in their own way. Whatever answers they come up with are right for them.

If you’d like to recreate this kind of learning experience in your own classroom, you’re in luck. Stephanie is graciously sharing two specific activities that are used at the Barnes Foundation in their Pictures & Words program. The program is free for K-3 students in the Philadelphia School District and combines literacy and art.

Here are 2 simple activities from the program that you can use in your own classroom.

Activity 1: the rainbow bag.

This group activity asks students to think carefully about color.

Materials Needed

• Resealable bag
• Fabric strips in a variety of solid colors
• Poster or projected image of an artwork of your choice
• Tell students you are going to play a game about color.
• Show students the bag. Explain that it’s a very special bag because it’s filled with every color in the rainbow. (For older students, you could also include tints, shades, and neutral colors to make things more challenging.)
• Choose a student to reach into the bag and pull out a fabric strip.
• Then, ask the student to find a place in the painting that matches the strip in their hand. (Depending on the colors in the bag and the painting, there may not be a match!)
• If there is a match, then ask the rest of the students, “Do you see that color anywhere else in this artwork? On the count of three, point to where you see the color. 1, 2, 3!”
• Discuss the areas in which the color is present.
• Repeat a few times with different students.

Activity 2: White Strings

This activity is a great way to get students thinking about brushstrokes and line.

• 4-6 Paintbrushes of varying sizes
• Small, stretched canvas
• Foot-long pieces of white cording or yarn (Insider tip: Tie the cord or yarn at the ends to prevent fraying.)

Part 1: Examining the Art Tools

• Show students some tools that artists use to make paintings (brushes and canvases).
• Discuss how paintbrushes can be thick, thin, round, or flat and how different kinds of paintbrushes make different kinds of brushstrokes. (If you have time, you can even demonstrate this or have different students use the brushes to create strokes in front of the group to compare and contrast.)
• Show students the canvas and explain how it’s stapled to a wooden frame. Explain canvases come in different sizes.
• Let students feel the canvas and ask them to describe the texture.
• Explain that when artists apply paint to a canvas with a brush, the mark is called a brushstroke. Show students examples of different kinds of brushstrokes. Talk about how they can be straight or curvy.

Part 2: Experimenting with Line

• Pass out the white strings and explain that students will use them to help them understand lines and brushstrokes better.
• Demonstrate how to create a horizontal, vertical, and diagonal line by holding the white string between your two hands in different ways. Have students follow along.
• Then, ask students to find each kind of line in the artwork and match their string to those lines.
• Finally, talk about how sometimes artists use wavy, curvy, curly, or swirled lines in their artwork.
• Ask students to find a wavy line in the artwork. Then, have them use their strings on the floor in front of them to make that wavy line.
• Discuss how everyone’s wavy lines are different. Ask students to describe them.

These two simple activities are perfect to introduce your students to some of the key components of visual literacy. You could use them to introduce or wrap up a project or as stand-alone activities. They’re also great because they can be used with almost any piece of art, making them easy to fit into your curriculum.

Connecting Art and Storytelling

When students come to the Barnes to complete these activities through the Pictures & Words program, they also work with the concept of storytelling. You can watch a great video that depicts some of these activities on the Barnes Website . (Scroll down to the Pictures & Words section and press play.) Many of the ideas in this video could also be translated to your classroom for some truly powerful cross-curricular learning experiences.

Examples include:

• Discussing a painting and then having students draw what comes next in the story.
• Having students describe a painting using only body movements.
• Having students use a famous artwork as a jumping off point for their own painting on the same theme.

If your classroom is located in the School District of Philadelphia, it’s worth your time to check out this amazing program. If a visit to the Barnes isn’t feasible for you, make sure you check out all the wonderful program descriptions and videos on the K-12 Outreach page for ideas you can use with your students.

Thanks so much to the Barnes Foundation and to Stephanie for sharing their work with us!

Tell us, have you ever visited the Barnes Foundation? What did you think? 

How do you approach visual literacy with your students?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Amanda Heyn

Amanda Heyn is AOEU’s Director of K–12 PD & Media and a former AOEU Writer and elementary art educator. She enjoys creating relevant and engaging professional development just for art teachers.

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• M.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction, University of Florida
• B.A., History, University of Florida

Every classroom contains students with varying styles of learning . While most people can use any of the three primary styles -- auditory, visual and kinesthetic -- to learn information, their dominant style reflects their preferred form of instruction and easiest means of assimilating new knowledge. Teachers with a basic understanding of the three main styles can adapt their lessons to give all students the best chance of success.

Visual Learners

The typical visual learner prefers to read information in a textbook or on a whiteboard rather than listen to a lecture. Visualization techniques help them remember things. They often enjoy doodling and drawing and can use this practice as a study tool.

Visual learners tend to use sight words in their everyday terminology. For example, they might say, "Let's take a look at this." They easily remember details including colors and spatial arrangements, and they excel at memory games that require visual recall. They often have a good sense of direction because they can visualize maps and directions in their mind.

Key Learning Methods for Visual Learners

Visual learners learn best when they can see the material being taught. They follow instructions better when they can see a demonstration first, rather than just be told how to do something. Visual learners typically prefer images, maps, graphs and other visual representations to other forms of instruction. They like to read.

Ways to Adapt Lessons for Visual Learners

Include diagrams, mind maps, word webs, visuals and other forms of graphic organizers to help visual learners get the most from your instruction. Accompany oral instructions with a written recap before requiring students to complete an assignment. Further, avoid lecturing without accompanying notes and/or visuals.

Ways for Visual Learners to Adapt Instruction to Their Style

Students inevitably encounter teachers whose styles of instruction differ from their own learning preference. Visual learners can take control of their learning experience with techniques that adapt varying teaching methods to their visual strengths. For example, students can use highlighters when they review their notes, organize information into outlines and use flashcards to study for tests. Visual learners may also find that if they include images, mind maps, lists and other visual techniques in their notes, they more easily remember key information. 

Other Learning Styles:

Auditory Learners

• Kinesthetic Learners
• The Visual Learning Style
• 6 Study Tips for Visual Learners
• What’s Your Learning Style?
• Understanding Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Learning Styles
• Visual Learning Style: Traits and Study Strategies
• The Best Study Techniques for Your Learning Style
• Adapt Your Studying Techniques to Your Learning Style
• Varying Assignments to Enhance Student Learning Styles
• The Auditory Learning Style
• Resources for Adult Students with a Kinesethetic Learning Style
• 5 Principles for the Teacher of Adults
• Multiple Intelligence Activities
• Study Habits That Can Improve Grades and Performance
• Using Graphic Organizers for Special Education
• How to Facilitate Learning and Critical Thinking

Visual Learning

November 27, 2023

Discover effective visual learning strategies to boost comprehension, retention, and engagement in educational settings.

Main, P. (2023, November 27). Visual Learning. Retrieved from https://www.structural-learning.com/post/visual-learning

What is Visual Learning?

Visual learning is an educational approach that incorporates graphic aids to convey information, leveraging our innate ability to process visual data faster and more effectively than text alone. This method taps into the cognitive process where learners gain knowledge through visual means, making it a crucial strategy for teachers to enhance understanding and retention of information.

The efficacy of visual learning is grounded in the Dual Coding Theory, which posits that information is more readily absorbed when presented in both verbal and visual forms.

As we delve into the subject, this article will outline a series of visual learning strategies, such as concept mapping, data visualization, and the use of educational videos, which cater to the needs of diverse learners. These strategies are not just supplementary; they form the backbone of robust pedagogical practices that can lead to significant gains in student engagement and academic achievement.

The upcoming sections will also explore the empirical research supporting visual learning, providing educators with a solid foundation to understand why these methods work. We'll look at how visual learning can simplify complex ideas, support abstract thinking , and aid in the development of spatial abilities—skills that are increasingly important in our visually-rich world.

To quote a recent study in Science Education , "Learners construct more integrative knowledge when they can visualize the structures and connections within learned material". This sentiment will guide our exploration of visual learning, ensuring that the strategies discussed are not only theoretically sound but also practically applicable in classrooms from primary to post-16 learning environments.

Through this article, educators will gain insight into creating visually stimulating and cognitively engaging learning experiences that can stand the test of rigorous academic standards.

Benefits of Visual Learning

Visual learning strategies are transformative in educational settings, providing a scaffold for students to climb to greater heights of understanding and cognitive development. Here's a concise list of seven cognitive benefits that such strategies afford:

• Enhanced Comprehension : Visual learning materials can simplify the presentation of complex academic concepts, making abstract ideas more concrete and understandable.
• Improved Retention : The use of visual stimuli in conjunction with verbal explanations helps encode information into long-term memory, enhancing learning outcomes.
• Increased Engagement : Incorporating visuals can transform a difficult subject into an engaging learning experience, boosting student motivation and attention.
• Fostering Higher-Order Thinking : By presenting information visually, students are encouraged to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate content, promoting higher-order thinking skills .
• Supporting Diverse Learning Styles : Visual learning caters to a wide range of cognitive capabilities and learning styles, including those with strong artistic abilities or spatial intelligence.
• Clarifying Learner-Generated Explanations : Students can articulate their understanding through learner-generated explanations in visual formats, deepening their grasp of the material.
• Aiding in the Development of Spatial Abilities : Regular interaction with visual learning systems can enhance the spatial ability of participants, a skill critical in many academic and professional fields.

The integration of visual strategies in formal learning environments, from primary school to college, taps into innate cognitive processes that facilitate the transition from rote learning to a deeper, more analytical engagement with material.

This approach is especially effective for middle-aged students who benefit from explanation types that align with their developing cognitive frameworks. By leveraging visual strategies, educators can provide a robust foundation for students to excel in their understanding and application of academic concepts across disciplines.

Visual Learning Strategies

Visual learning strategies harness the innate spatial strengths of students, transforming complex theories into tangible visuals that enhance understanding and retention. Here are nine effective visual learning strategies that educators can employ across primary and secondary education:

• Concept Maps : Create visual schematics that link ideas and concepts, aiding in the comprehension and memory of difficult concepts.
• Infographics : Translate text-heavy explanations into graphic formats to simplify and highlight key information.
• Graphic Organizers : Utilize tools like Venn diagrams and T-charts to visually organize and compare information, fostering analytical thinking.
• Flowcharts : Break down scientific processes or historical events into clear, sequential steps, assisting in Science Education and other subjects.
• Diagrams and Illustrations : Offer visual representations of anatomical parts or geometric shapes to support learners who may struggle with textual descriptions.
• Symbolic Representations : Use symbols and formulas to represent complex mathematical and scientific principles for advanced post-16 learners.
• Annotated Texts : Encourage students to make their own notes directly on texts or images, creating a visual dialogue with the material.
• Visual Prompts : Integrate visual aids like posters or slides into lessons to reinforce key concepts and engage all types of learners.
• Videos and Simulations : Implement multimedia tools to provide an interactive and engaging way to grasp abstract theories.
• Data Visualization : Teach students to interpret and create visual representations of data, such as graphs and charts, making statistics and research findings more accessible.

These strategies not only cater to visual learners but also add variety to teaching methods, helping to maintain high levels of student engagement across different ages and subjects. The key is to blend these visual elements with traditional auditory instruction, providing a rich, multi-sensory learning experience that can meet the needs of all types of learners.

The Impact of Visual Aids on Memory Retention

Visual aids have a significant impact on memory retention and learning outcomes. Research has shown that visual learning enhances memory retention by engaging both the visual and cognitive processes . When information is presented visually, it becomes easier for learners to process and organize the information in their minds.

Visual aids, such as diagrams, are particularly powerful for explaining complex processes. They provide a visual representation that makes it easier for learners to understand and remember the steps involved. By studying diagrams, learners can visually relate the different components and their relationships, which enhances their comprehension and retention.

Understanding the learners is crucial when using visual aids for memory retention. By incorporating visual aids in teaching, educators can cater to the needs of these learners and make the information more accessible and memorable.

In addition to diagrams, computer animations are another effective form of visual aid. They offer dynamic visuals that can simulate real-life processes and scenarios. Animated visuals grab learners' attention and stimulate their imagination, helping them to form vivid mental images that can be retained for a longer period.

In conclusion, visual aids have a profound impact on memory retention. They enhance understanding, assist in organizing complex information, and cater to the needs of neurodiverse learners . By incorporating visuals, such as diagrams and computer animations, educators can create an engaging and effective learning experience.

Mind Mapping: Visualizing Concepts for Better Comprehension

Mind mapping is a powerful visual tool that enhances comprehension by allowing individuals to organize and visualize their thoughts and concepts. It can be used in various settings, such as note-taking, brainstorming, problem-solving, and studying.

The concept of mind mapping revolves around creating a diagram that branches out from a central idea, with related ideas and concepts connected through lines or branches. This structure mimics the way our brain naturally processes and organizes information, making it easier to understand and retain knowledge.

By using mind maps, individuals can see connections between different ideas and concepts, which enhances their overall comprehension. The visual representation of information helps to clarify complex topics and digest large amounts of information in a more manageable way. It also allows for a more creative and holistic approach to learning and problem-solving .

When it comes to creating mind maps, mapping software stands out as a highly beneficial tool. It provides a user-friendly platform with various customizable features, making it easy to create visually appealing and professional-looking mind maps. Digital mapping enables users to add images, colors, symbols, and branches to their mind maps, enhancing the visual experience. Additionally, it offers collaboration features that allow multiple users to work on the same mind map simultaneously, making it an ideal choice for group projects or brainstorming sessions.

In conclusion, mind mapping is a valuable visual tool for enhancing comprehension. It enables individuals to organize and visualize their thoughts and concepts, making it easier to understand and retain information . By incorporating mind mapping into their learning or work routine, individuals can improve their comprehension and increase their overall productivity and creativity.

Visual Learning and Neurodiversity

Visual learning refers to the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through the use of visual aids and techniques. Neurodiversity refers to the concept that neurological differences , such as those associated with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia, are natural variations of the human brain rather than disorders that need to be fixed or cured.

For individuals with different learning styles and abilities, visual learning techniques can provide valuable support. Some people may have a preference for visual learning, meaning they learn best through the use of visual materials such as diagrams, charts, or videos. By incorporating visual aids into the learning process, educators can help these individuals better understand and retain information.

In the context of neurodiverse conditions such as autism , ADHD, and dyslexia, visual learning can have a profound impact. People with autism, for example, often have strong visual processing skills, and visual learning techniques can help them make sense of the world and communicate more effectively. Individuals with ADHD may benefit from visual materials and graphic organizers, as they can enhance focus and support organization and comprehension. For individuals with dyslexia, visual learning techniques such as using colored overlays or visual mnemonics can aid reading and understanding.

Incorporating visual materials and graphic organizers into the learning process for neurodiverse students can have numerous benefits. Visual aids can enhance comprehension, improve memory retention, and help students organize information more effectively. By recognizing and embracing neurodiversity in the classroom, educators can create a more inclusive learning environment that supports the individual needs and strengths of all students.

The Science behind Dual Coding

Dual coding is a scientific approach that combines verbal and visual information to enhance learning and comprehension. The coding methods used in dual coding involve the use of color coding, arrows, and multiple steps to analyze and process explanations.

Color coding is an effective coding method used in dual coding to distinguish and organize different types of information. Different colors are assigned to various concepts or categories, which helps learners visually differentiate and understand the information more efficiently. This method enables learners to easily identify and associate relevant information, enhancing their overall comprehension of complex subjects.

Arrows are another coding method commonly utilized in dual coding. They are used to establish connections and relationships between different elements or ideas in an explanation. The use of arrows helps learners to visualize the flow of information, making it easier to follow and comprehend the logical progression of a concept or process.

Analyzing the number of steps involved in explanations is essential in dual coding. By breaking down complex ideas or processes into multiple steps, learners can better understand and retain the information. Analyzing the number of steps allows learners to focus on smaller, manageable chunks of information, reducing cognitive load and facilitating better retention and application of knowledge .

Addressing Visual Learning Critiques

The concept of visual learning methods and their effectiveness in education is distinctly different from the much-debated learning styles theory . Learning styles, including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic preferences, have faced critique for their lack of empirical support, especially concerning the labeling of children into rigid categories. Critics argue that such labels do not necessarily enhance learning and may limit students’ exposure to diverse teaching methods. However, visual learning methods stand apart from this controversy for several reasons.

Visual learning is an effective strategy grounded in the cognitive science of how people learn. It emphasizes making abstract concepts concrete through visual representations, a practice supported by research in fields like Cognition & Instruction and Child Development . Unlike the criticized learning styles theory, visual learning does not pigeonhole learners but instead offers tools that can benefit all students, irrespective of their preferred learning style.

Research has shown that learner-generated visual explanations can aid in the comprehension of academic concepts, offering a tangible way to grasp complex ideas. This approach is particularly beneficial in subjects like science, where understanding the human body or intricate systems can be challenging. Visual Learning Systems provide a platform for students to engage actively with content, encouraging them to create and interpret visual information rather than passively receive verbal explanations.

Furthermore, studies have demonstrated that college students, when engaged in visual learning activities, often exhibit improved understanding and retention of material. This outcome is attributed to the active engagement and cognitive processes involved in creating and interpreting visual content. The effectiveness of visual learning strategies is thus not just about catering to "visual learners" but about leveraging the innate human capacity for visual processing to enhance learning for all students.

In summary, while the learning styles theory, including the categorization into visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners, remains controversial and under-supported by research, the use of visual learning strategies in education is a distinct and effective approach. These strategies harness the power of visual representation to make learning more accessible and engaging, benefiting a broad range of learners in understanding and retaining complex academic concepts.

Research-Evidence Supporting Visual Learning Strategies

Here are seven key studies that explore the efficacy of using visual learning strategies in the classroom:

• Technologically Assisted Teaching Approach: The Visual-Only Video Teaching Strategy in the Nursing Education Classroom by L. M. D. Santos (2020) found that visual-only video teaching strategies, incorporating local facilities and sites, highly increase the motivation of learning in nursing students.
• Modifying a Research-Based Problem-Solving Intervention to Improve the Problem-Solving Performance of Fifth and Sixth Graders With and Without Learning Disabilities by Jennifer Krawec and Jia Huang (2017) reported that the modified cognitive strategy intervention with visual supports significantly improved mathematical problem-solving for students with learning disabilities.
• Effect of active learning using program visualization in technology-constrained college classrooms by Gargi Banerjee, S. Murthy, and Sridhar V. Iyer (2015) demonstrated that the strategy of prediction with visualization ("responding") leads to higher active behavioral engagement and higher perception of learning among students in instructor-mediated classrooms.
• Measuring Students’ Engagement in Learning Volumes of Revolution when Using Advanced Visualization Media in an Active Learning Environment by Dr. Fadi Castronovo (2020) showed that visualization activities in a mathematics course significantly increased students' self-efficacy, task attraction, and perceived usefulness compared to traditional classroom activities.
• Modes, media and methods: the search for educational effectiveness by K. Spencer (1991) found that visual learning strategies, such as illustrations and visual-based instructional media , produce significant improvements in student performance.
• Audio-Visual Approach to Remedial Instruction in Algebra by Cynthia C. Honrales (2017) confirmed that an audio-visual approach is effective in learning algebra, improving students' academic performance compared to a lecture without audio-visual materials .
• Using Data Visualizations to Foster Emotion Regulation During Self-Regulated Learning with Advanced Learning Technologies by R. Azevedo, M. Taub, Nicholas V. Mudrick, Garrett C. Millar, Amanda E. Bradbury, Megan J. Price (2017) revealed that data visualizations of cognitive, affective, metacognitive, and motivational processes can potentially foster learners' emotion regulation during learning with advanced learning technologies .

These studies collectively suggest the significant impact of visual learning strategies on student engagement, motivation, problem-solving abilities, and overall academic performance across various subjects and learning environments.

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Classroom Practice

Learning Activities for Visual Learners

Recently, I've see some learning designers who are 100% word people have trouble grasping what means to be a visual learner. Often when we think about visual learners, we think: "Oh, they will need pictures and diagrams." This is a good start . . . if your learning design is an information dump. What about when it comes to assessment tasks or learning tasks? What sort of things could work for visual learners?

Well, think of "visual learners" as code for "we hate writing and reading."

This is not much of a problem when your learners need to just follow processes. But when your learners need to analyze, reflect, compare, create, and generally thinking at a higher level, it's a bit more difficult. It can be done. In situations like thinking at art school where visual literacy is high, it's a given: most evidence is a visual portfolio. In that environment, the "outsiders" are the people who can articulate their thoughts well in words.

Here are some suggestions for learning activities for visual thinkers.

Photo Essays

Photo essays are simply sequences of photos. With photo essays, I don't mean the combinations of images and voiceovers that have become known as "Photo Stories." What I mean is just simple sequences of images. The camera phones in our pockets give us powerful storytelling tools. A great use of a photo essay could be to compare and contrast aspects of a workplace, or a visual diary.

A mindmap is one of the "classics" of visual thinking. I've often assumed that most people have seen mindmaps and understand what they are. If you have never seen one, they start with a central word or images and then lines are drawn that branch out from the central word These lines then branch out into more and more detail. Most of the time when we are thinking about getting our learners to write they could be making a mindmap.

Flowcharts are one of the underused types of diagrams in learning. I was even told by reviewers of learning recently that flowcharts were unsuitable for use in eLearning. Often flowcharts are used when processes or sequences of activities need to be explained. Flowcharts work really well when a learning needs to explain what is happening in the workplace or when decisions need to made. Developing a flowchart could be great when a learner then has to synthesize new knowledge and understanding.

Technically, mindmaps and flowcharts are types of diagrams, and the use of a diagram in learning is a huge area. Visual thinkers often just have trouble organizing thoughts into paragraphs and logic essays. This where diagrams can be useful, as a way to organize words. An example is when a comparison needs to be made: this could be just two boxes side by side with dot points in each box.

Now you might be thinking (or might be drawing by this stage) the following:

"Well, this all right for face-to-face learning where I could collect pieces of paper. Online images are hard. The online environment is about text and words, and our Learning Management System works only with text documents."

eLearning and visual learners

What is more of a concern is the assumption that most Learning Management Systems work only with text documents. Most of the assignment tools in Learning Management Systems support the uploading of files; there is an assumption that these files have to be text documents. Actually, the files could just as easily be image files. Maybe the learner could even do the assignment on pencil and paper and take a photo with a phone and just send the assignment to you.

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Activities for Visual Learners

As a homeschool teacher, you should know that students will have different learning styles, you have to be able to reach them by find the best teaching style for them. These are some activities for visual learners to help guide you on this journey.

As an auditory learner, my world opened up when I discovered that my oldest son was a visual spatial learner.

I have a wonderful series on my blog about visual spatial learners

• What is a Visual Spatial Learner?
• How to Teach a Visual Spatial Learner
• How to Teach a Visual Spatial Learner Math
• How to Teach a Visual Spatial Learner History
• How to Teach a Visual Spatial Learner without Pulling my Hair Out
• How do I Keep my Visual Spatial Learner Motivated? 
• What is a Visual Learner?
• How to Teach a Visual Learner
• Characteristics of a Visual Learner
• Tips for Visual Learners
• How to Teach Decimals to a Visual Learner
• How to Teach Fractions to a Visual Learner

The Best Activities for the Visual-Spatial Learner

In this post, we are going to focus on the visual-spatial learner and the best activities for this type of intelligence.

As parents, we want to keep our kids engaged with fun activities that are also educational. You might’ve heard of Howard Gardner’s revolutionary Theory of Multiple Intelligences . It was so groundbreaking that, I dare say, it changed the way educators approached their lessons and teaching.

But the Multiple Intelligences Theory doesn’t only apply to school. It can also help parents at home. First, try to figure out what kind of intelligences/abilities your child has. If your child is a preschooler and can’t read or write yet, you can simply observe him/her and see what activities s/he’s mostly drawn to, keeping in mind the eight intelligences . If your child is a bit older, s/he can take this short test that will tell you, with approximation, what kind of intelligences your child has.

Before we reveal our awesome list of visual-spatial activities for kids, I just want to make one thing clear. You might’ve noticed that I talk about intelligences in the plural and not singular. That is because one person’s learning style can be defined by more than one intelligence. Thus, one can have a combination of Verbal-Kinesthetic intelligence or Musical-Mathematical intelligence, for example. There can even be three combinations.

Even though we have grouped these activities as belonging to a specific intelligence, you will notice that some will exercise more than one area of intelligence.

Let’s begin our Multiple Intelligences list of fun activities for kids with the first one:

This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. You can read my full disclosure here .

Visual-Spatial Activities

(People who learn through “seeing”; they are good with images, space, distance, and measurements)

1. Imaginative Storytelling

The goal of the activity is simple, fun, and it can have different variations. Simply put, each player has to make up a story based on the pictures s/he receives. The game can be played in several ways. You can start by giving each player five story cards and one genre card (funny story, scary story, sad story, adventure, story, fantastic story) and allowing them a few minutes to come up with a story. Of course, if you want, you can give out more or fewer cards. It is up to you.

Alternatively, if you want more spontaneity, you can put all story cards in a pile upside down, and each player makes a story as they pull each card.

You can also play this game as a chain story, especially if there are more players. I personally find this option to be more fun. Have the cards in a pile upside down. The first player draws a card and starts the story by saying a few sentences based on the picture. The second player takes a different card from the pile and continues the story from where the first player has left it off based on his/her picture. Then the third player does the same and so on until the last player finishes the story.

Imaginative Storytelling is an excellent game for visual-spatial Intelligence as the picture cards will offer great visual aid. However, it is also a fun activity for kids with verbal-linguistic intelligence as the players will have to make full use of their vocabulary to make up the story. It is an excellent game to develop imagination, vocabulary, and spontaneity, among others. You can get your copy of Imaginative Storytelling for Free now! The pack contains 50 story cards + 6 genre cards- you will find the download button further down the page.

Is there anyone who doesn’t like doing puzzles? Whenever I read ideas for fun activities for kids which involve quiet games, doing puzzles is one of them. And with good reason. Besides being fun, puzzles have a plethora of benefits.

Visual-Spatial learners love doing puzzles because they use their spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination, something that they are good at. Puzzles will also exercise their fine motor skills, as well as help with their reasoning skills and decision making. It is a perfect game to give a young brain a complete workout.

I’ve only introduced jigsaw puzzles recently but I’m so happy that my little boy enjoys them. There is a broad selection of jigsaw puzzles for toddlers with 9 pieces that are sturdy and perfect for little hands. He feels so proud when he finishes one and then we spend a little time making up a story based on the picture. It’s a fantastic activity.

3. The Mirror Game

This is such a simple game that to us, adults, it might seem silly. But to young kids, especially the ones with Visual-Spatial and Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligences , it means fun, laughter, and the chance of imitating others.

The Mirror Game goes like this: one person does something while the other players try to imitate him as closely as possible; they are the ‘mirrors’. The player who does the action will choose one of the most accurate ‘mirror’ to be the one that does the actions next. That’s it. Told you it was simple.

Download all the 7 printables for Visual-Spatial Learners (24 worksheets in total) for FREE – scroll down

4. hot, warm, cold.

Because kids with Visual-Spatial Intelligence have very good spatial awareness, they are very mindful of their surroundings, this game will be right up their alley. Since it also involves moving around, Hot, Warm, Cold will also appeal to Bodily-Kinesthetic learners .

One player hides a predetermined object somewhere in the room. The other player(s) will then try to find the object as quickly as possible. The player who hid the object will give verbal hints to the seeker(s) in the form of cold (if the seeker is far away from the object), warm (if the player is somewhat close to the object) or hot (if the player is extremely close to the object).

Of course, the game is a lot more entertaining if there are more players searching for the hidden object because there is an element of competition. But if there is only one player searching for the object, you can set a time limit for the seeker to find the object.

5. Lead me to the treasure!

This is a variation of the Hot, Warm, Cold game that focuses more on spatial words. This is one of the fun activities for kids that I used to play in the classroom when I taught prepositions of place. Again, Visual-Spacial learners, as well as Bodily-Kinesthetic and Verbal-linguistic ones, will benefit from this game.

It would be great if there were at least five players, but it can be very well played in as little as two players.

Let’s imagine that there are five players. There are two teams formed of two players each and one player who will hide the object (s/he is the keeper of the treasure). One player from each team will cover their eyes (the seekers), while the keeper hides the treasure. The other two players will be allowed to see where the object has been hidden (they are the leaders). Once the treasure is in its place, the two seekers will follow the verbal instructions of the leaders that will take them to the treasure. The seekers are not allowed to do anything outside the leaders’ instructions.

Some examples of instructions are: ‘Move forward ten small steps. ‘Go to the left. ‘Walk behind the chair and turn to the right’. ‘Look up/down’ etc.

If the players involved are a little older, you can blindfold the seekers. Make sure you remove any dangerous obstacles. The seekers will have to fully make use of their auditive skills as well as form an image in their heads of the path that they much take based on the instructions from the leaders.

If there are only two players, then the keeper of the treasure will play the role of the leader as well.

6. Draw me!

Even though Visual-Spacial Intelligence doesn’t equate to artistic mastery, people with this type of intelligence have the ability to notice fine details and visualize objects from different angles. This game will give them the chance to practice these skills.

Choose a familiar object from around the house. It could be a flower in a pot, a toy, a decorative item and so on. Each player will have one minute (you can decide together on the amount of time) to analyze the object from all angles and remember as many details about it as possible. When the time is up, put the object out of sight and let the competition begin. Each player will have to draw the object from memory. When everybody is ready, the drawing that is closest to reality is the winner.

7. Memory Game

Memory Games are one of my preferred fun activities for kids and the perfect game for a Visual-Spatial learner for a few reasons. They train visual memory, improve concentration, increase short-term memory, improve one’s attention to detail, and the list goes on.

Depending on the child’s age, you can put as few as four or six cards for young kids (2-3 years). Increase the number of cards and the difficulty if the child is older.

The most common memory games contain six cards, that is three pairs. Place all the cards face up at the beginning and allow the child to see them for a few seconds. Shuffle them and turn them upside down. The child will start by choosing and turning two cards at a time. If the cards match, they remain face up. If they don’t match, the player turns them upside down, and the game continues until all the pairs have been matched.

To add to the fun, you can set a time in which all the pairs must be found.

You can get your set of printable Marine Animals Memory Game (picture to picture for younger kids) and this set of Marine Animals Memory Game (picture to words for children who are starting to read) completely FREE!

8. Make a map

Visual-Spatial learners have the ability to create clear pictures in their minds and generally have good orientation and spatial awareness skills.

To put these abilities to work, why not create your very own map? You can work together with your child to draw a map of the neighbourhood that is as accurate as possible. If you are, let’s say, new to the area and not very familiar with it yet, you can make a map of your house. Or, why not, you can create a map of an imaginary neighbourhood. There are so many options; just let your imagination fly.

You can turn this into an exciting game by making a map of a treasure. Step one is to hide the prized object somewhere. If you are lucky enough to have a garden or a safe outside area, it’s even better. Step two, draw a map that will lead your young adventurer to the treasure. After the treasure has been found, the roles can be reversed.

9. Matching Games

Matching games are fantastic, especially for very young children, as they develop essential cognitive skills. One of the main benefits of playing matching games is that children get to practise visual discrimination. In addition to this, matching games improve memory and concentration.

There are quite a few matching games that you can play: picture to picture matching, word to picture, match the picture to its shadow, letter matching games, number matching games and the list can go on.

Have you seen our super cute Shadow Matching Game for Toddlers? Or this awesome printable Numbers and Fruit Matching Game for Toddlers which you can get for FREE.

10. Pattern Games

Pattern games help children notice recurring patterns, provide a sense of order, allow players to make educated guesses and assumptions, and they develop important skills like critical thinking.

Thus, playing pattern games will benefit multiple intelligences: visual-spatial, logical-mathematical , and verbal-linguistic .

The game is simple, and chances are you and your kid have already played it. It goes like this: you have two or three images following a pattern. The images can be shapes, numbers, letters, animals, clothes, any vocabulary that you want your child to practice. At the end of the pattern, you will have one or two blank spaces where your child will have to complete the sequence.

For example, let’s imagine that we are playing with shapes- circle and square. We have the following sequence: circle, circle, square- circle, circle, square- circle, circle, blank space. The child will have to make the logical assumption that a square is missing from the pattern.

You will also like:

How can the Multiple Intelligences Theory help your child

What is Intrapersonal Intelligence?

11. Play-Doh fun

I used to love playing with Play-Doh when I was young. Meanwhile, I grew up, and guess what! I still love it! Except now I can play with my son, who, no surprise here, loves Play-doh as well.

There are so many colors, smells, and accessories to choose from; it’s fantastic. Besides having fun squishing and squashing, Play-Doh is a great way for your child to exercise his/her fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, develop imagination and creativity and it has a calming effect (at least for me).

Play-Doh uses multiple intelligences at once. It is a perfect visual-spatial activity as children first create an image in their mind of what they would like to model. It is excellent for a bodily-kinesthetic learner because it is a hands-on activity. And last, but not least it uses verbal-linguistic intelligence , especially when there are more people playing together. It is one of the fun activities for kids that will never get old.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab that Play-Doh and start squish-squashing.

12. Lego Matching and Categorising Games

Thanks to the genius of Ole Kirk Christiansen we can enjoy Lego today. We all know the immense benefits of playing with Lego. We’ve seen what can be done with it- miniature cities build entirely out of Lego bricks, life-size houses, cars even people out of Lego. There are numerous awesome LegoLand Parks where adventure awaits.

But besides exercising creativity by building various structures, Lego bricks can also be used for matching and categorizing activities. For example, you can ask your child to gather in a pile all the Lego blocks that have the same color. Or the Lego blocks that have the same size. You can practice additions, subtractions, multiplications, fractions and so on. You can check more Lego-related activities here .

13. Find the country

All you need for this game is a world map and two keen eyes. If there are more players, even better. You’ve got a friendly competition on your hands.

As the name of the game suggests, the player(s) have to find a specific country on the map as quickly as possible. You can use this country name generator to make things more fun. Generate the country name, ready, steady, go! Whoever finds that country first is the winner, The game continues with another country.

Of course, instead of countries, you can play with cities as well. Instead of a world map, you can use the map of your own country. It is up to you.

It is an excellent game for visual-spatial learners as they get to use their eyes and orientation skill. Not to mention that they learn Geography while having a blast.

We chose this beautiful Children’s map from Collins and we love it . It’s so colourful and packed with information presented in a playful way. It’s lovely, don’t you think?

14. Do origami

Origami is the art of folding paper. Some people have reached such incredible skill that it is almost unbelievable what they can create through folding a single piece of paper.

But we are going to stick to simple origami which improves concentration, spatial awareness, imagination and brain development. Not to mention that there is a sense of achievement after managing to create a beautiful paper ‘sculpture’.

If you are looking for simple origami ideas, you can find some here .

These fun activities are aimed at the Visual-Spatial learner but, as you have noticed, will touch other intelligences as well.

Do you know what combination of intelligences your child has?

Check out our other posts on Multiple Intelligences:

Activities for Auditory Learners

Interpersonal Intelligence Activities for Kids

11 Existential Intelligence Activities for Children

Activities for bodily-kinesthetic learners.

Insanely Fun Activities for the Verbal Linguistic Learner

T he Best Activities for Logical Mathematical Intelligence

A ctivities for Kids with Intrapersonal Intelligence

D on’t forget to download the 7 printable games seen in this post.

Latest Posts:

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Mom of two wonderful children, dedicated teacher and book lover.

63 thoughts on “The Best Activities for the Visual-Spatial Learner”

What great activities ! Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to try them with my son!

Love these ideas dear, they definitely come in handy. Thank you for sharing.

I am truly touched by this article, thank you for sharing, I love kids so much, and this an awesome way of creating additional fun activities with them, very engaging and educational as well.

These are amazing suggestions! Thanks for sharing!

What a great resource! So many fun activities kids won’t even realize they are learning.

Amazing tips! Great post!

This is a great resource! I’m definitely going to determine my son’s intelligences and refer back to this for learning activities.

This is so interesting! It’s fascinating how differently people learn.

As a homeschool mom of 8 years, I know that understanding your kids’ learning style is so important! These visual-spatial preschool tasks are awesome!

Great ideas for when my husband and I have kids!

I’ll share these with my brother for my nephews and niece!

I have a couple of visual learners and these are wonderful ideas and tips to implement in their learning.

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11 Real World Math Activities That Engage Students

Bridging the gap between abstract math concepts and real life experiences can make the subject accessible and relevant for kids.

During a unit on slope, José Vilson’s students just weren’t getting it, and their frustration was growing. The former middle school math teacher began brainstorming creative ways to illustrate the concept. “I kept thinking, ‘My students already understand how this works—they just don’t know that they know,’” Vilson writes in a recent article for Teacher2Teacher . “How can I activate knowledge they don’t believe they have?”

Then he thought about a hill a couple of blocks from school that his students “walk up every day to get to the subway.” He tacked up paper and began sketching stick figures on the hill. “One was at the top of the hill, one was halfway up, one was near the bottom skating on flat ground, and one was on a cliff,” writes Vilson, now the executive director of EduColor. “Which of these figures will go faster and why?” he asked his students. “That got my kids laughing because, of course, my stick figures weren’t going to hang in the MoMA.” Still, his sketch got them thinking and talking, and it provided a simple stepping stone that “gave that math relevance and belonging in their own lives,” Vilson concludes. 

“It’s not unusual for students to walk into our classrooms thinking that math belongs to people who are smarter, who are older, or who aren’t in their immediate circle,” Vilson writes. “But every time I teach math in a way that’s accessible and real for my students, I’m teaching them: ‘The math is yours.’”

To build on Vilson’s idea, we posted on our social channels asking teachers to share their favorite strategies for connecting math to students’ experiences and lives outside of school. We received hundreds of responses from math educators across grade levels. Here are 11 teacher-tested ideas that get students seeing and interacting with the math that surrounds them each day.

Hunt for clues

Coordinate systems can feel abstract to some students—but using coordinates to navigate a familiar space can solidify the concept in a relevant and fun way. “Before starting a unit on coordinates, I make gridded maps of the school—I make them look old using tea staining —and send my students off on a treasure hunt using the grid references to locate clues,” says Kolbe Burgoyne, an educator in Australia. “It’s meaningful, it’s fun, and definitely gets them engaged.”

Budget a trip

Students enjoy planning and budgeting for imaginary trips, teachers tell us, offering ample opportunities to practice adding, subtracting, and multiplying large numbers. In Miranda Henry’s resource classroom, for example, students are assigned a budget for a fictional spring break trip; then they find flights, hotels, food, and whatever else they’ll need, while staying within budget.

Math teacher Alicia Wimberley has her Texas students plan and budget a hypothetical trip to the Grand Canyon. “They love the real world context of it and start to see the relevance of the digits after the decimal—including how the .00 at the end of a price was relevant when adding.” One of Wimberley’s students, she writes, mixed up his decimals and nearly planned a $25,000 trip, but found his mistake and dialed back his expenses to under $3,000.

Tap into pizza love

Educators in our audience are big fans of “pizza math”—that is, any kind of math problem that involves pizza. “Pizza math was always a favorite when teaching area of a circle,” notes Shane Capps. If a store is selling a 10-inch pizza, for example, and we know that’s referring to its diameter, what is its total area? “Pizza math is a great tool for addition, subtraction, multiplication, word problems, fractions, and geometry,” another educator writes on our Instagram. There are endless pizza-based word problems online. Here’s a simple one to start, from Jump2Math : “The medium pizza had six slices. Mom and Dad each ate one slice. How much pizza is left?”

Break out the measuring cups

Lindsey Allan has her third-grade students break into pairs, find a recipe they like online, and use multiplication to calculate how much of each ingredient they’d need in order to feed the whole class. The class then votes on a favorite recipe, and they write up a shopping list—“which involves more math, because we have to decide, ‘OK, if we need this much butter for the doubled recipe, will we need three or four sticks, and then how much will be left over?’” Allan writes. “And then it turns out students were also doing division without even realizing!” 

Sometimes, a cooking mistake teaches students about proportions the hard way. “Nobody wants a sad chocolate chip cookie where you doubled the dough but not the chocolate chips,” adds teacher Holly Satter.

Heading outdoors is good for kids’ bodies , of course, but it can also be a rich mathematical experience. In second grade, kids can head out to measure perimeters, teacher Jenna McCann suggests—perhaps of the flower boxes in the school garden. If outdoors isn’t an option, there’s plenty of math to be found by walking around inside school—like measuring the perimeter of the tables in the cafeteria or the diameters of circles taped off on the gym floor.

In Maricris Lamigo’s eighth-grade geometry class, “I let [students] roam around the school and take photos of things where congruent triangles were applied,” says Lamigo. “I have students find distances in our indoor courtyard between two stickers that I place on the floor using the Pythagorean theorem,” adds Christopher Morrone, another eighth-grade teacher. In trigonometry, Cathee Cullison sends students outside “with tape measures and homemade clinometers to find heights, lengths, and areas using learned formulas for right and non-right triangles.” Students can make their own clinometers , devices that measure angles of elevation, using protractors and a few other household items.

Plan for adult life

To keep her math lessons both rigorous and engaging, Pamela Kranz runs a monthlong project-based learning activity where her middle school students choose an occupation and receive a salary based on government data. Then they have to budget their earnings to “pay rent, figure out transportation, buy groceries,” and navigate any number of unexpected financial dilemmas, such as medical expenses or car repairs. While learning about personal finance, they develop their mathematical understanding of fractions, decimals, and percents, Kranz writes.

Dig into sports stats

To help students learn how to draw conclusions from data and boost their comfort with decimals and percentages, fourth-grade teacher Kyle Pisselmyer has his students compare the win-loss ratio of the local sports team to that of Pisselmyer’s hometown team. While students can struggle to grasp the relevance of decimals—or to care about how 0.3 differs from 0.305—the details snap into place when they look at baseball players’ stats, educator Maggierose Bennion says.

March Madness is a great source of real world data for students to analyze in math class, says sixth-grade math teacher Jeff Norris. Last March, Norris decorated his classroom like a basketball court, then had his students do basic statistical analysis—like calculating mean, median, and mode—using March Madness data, including individual game scores and the total win rate of each team. “We also did some data collection through our own basketball stations to make it personally relevant,” Norris says; students lined up in teams to shoot paper balls into a basket in a set amount of time, recorded their scores in a worksheet, and then examined the scoring data of the entire class to answer questions about mean, median, mode, range, and outliers.

Go on a (pretend) shopping spree

“My students love any activities that include SHOPPING!” says Jessie, a sixth-grade teacher who creates shopping-related problems using fake (or sometimes real) store ads and receipts. Her students practice solving percentage problems, and the exercise includes opportunities to work with fractions and decimals.

To get students more engaged with the work, math educator Rachel Aleo-Cha zeroes in on objects she knows students are excited about. “I make questions that incorporate items like AirPods, Nike shoes, makeup, etc.,” Aleo-Cha says. She also has students calculate sales tax and prompts them to figure out “what a 50% off plus 20% off discount is—it’s not 70% off.”

Capture math on the fly

Math is everywhere, and whipping out a smartphone when opportunities arise can lead to excellent content for math class. At the foot of Mount Elbert in Colorado, for example, math teacher Ryan Walker recorded a short word problem for his fourth- and fifth-grade students. In the video, he revealed that it was 4:42 a.m., and it would probably take him 249 minutes to reach the summit. What time would he reach the summit, he asked his students—and, assuming it took two-thirds as long to descend, what time would he get back down?

Everyday examples can be especially relatable. At the gas station, “I record a video that tells the size of my gas tank, shows the current price of gas per gallon, and shows how empty my gas tank is,” says Walker. “Students then use a variety of skills (estimation, division, multiplying fractions, multiplying decimals, etc.) to make their estimate on how much money it will cost to fill my tank.”

Connect to social issues

It can be a powerful exercise to connect math to compelling social issues that students care about. In a unit on ratios and proportions, middle school teacher Jennifer Schmerler starts by having students design the “most unfair and unjust city”—where resources and public services like fire departments are distributed extremely unevenly. Using tables and graphs that reflect the distribution of the city’s population and the distribution of its resources, students then design a more equitable city.

Play entrepreneur

Each year, educator Karen Hanson has her fourth- and fifth-grade students brainstorm a list of potential business ideas and survey the school about which venture is most popular. Then the math begins: “We graph the survey results and explore all sorts of questions,” Hanson writes, like whether student preferences vary with age. Winning ideas in the past included selling T-shirts and wallets made of duct tape.

Next, students develop a resource list for the business, research prices, and tally everything up. They calculate a fair price point for the good they’re selling and the sales quantity needed to turn a profit. As a wrap-up, they generate financial statements examining how their profits stack up against the sales figures they had projected.

HELP OTHER TEACHERS OUT!

We’d love this article to be an evolving document of lesson ideas that make math relevant to kids. So, teachers, please tell us about your go-to activities that connect math to kids’ real world experiences.

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BYU students create online marketplace focused on retro video games

From Mario to Sonic, three BYU students have created an online marketplace making retro video games affordable and easily accessible.

Travis Hoffman, CEO of the online marketplace Evertro , started the business after years of buying and selling his own video game collection.

“With the prevalence of digital media, I feel like physical media has become even more important. A lot of times these types of physical video games are the only way that someone is able to play a copy of the game now,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman said he decided to start the business after noticing various scams on different marketplaces.

“I noticed that people were getting scammed online,” Hoffman said. “Whether that was being sold a fake or a game that ended up not working.”

Hoffman said the inconvenience of going through a long refund process after a scam inspired the creation of Evertro.

“We wanted to help stop that from happening and give people a safe place to buy video games online,” Hoffman said.

Dallin Burningham, Evertro chief operating officer, joined the business with Max Mason, Evertro chief technology officer, in late 2023.

“It was kind of the right place and right time for all three of us,” Burningham said.

The three co-founders met through the BYU Sandbox program designed for business and computer science majors at BYU.

Sandbox allows students to spend two semesters working in small teams building their own software tech business, according to the Sandbox website.

“This isn’t something that we are just doing as a school project. This is a business that we hope to continue working on for as long as possible,” Hoffman said.

The program helps students start a business but the students have complete control over the company.

“You completely own the business. The program doesn’t take any of the profits,” Mason said.

The marketplace officially went online in February after months of preparation and networking, Burningham said.

“It’s challenging because you don’t have a playbook and it’s not like school where you have specific assignments. It’s totally just up to what you want to do,” he said.

Finding customers who will trust a start-up business has become a challenge for the company, according to Mason.

The major problem comes from “feeding both sides of the marketplace and trying to find buyers and sellers and people that are trying to use it,” Mason said.

Burningham said the company has built a strong network through various gaming conventions and other events across Utah.

“We just want to be a company that really solves problems for this community,” Burningham said.

Burningham said he appreciated the freedom Sandbox has given the business as they start their own business.

“You just kind of have to figure it out and that’s something that our advisors are really good at, is letting us learn and figure it out on our own,” Burningham said.

According to Evertro’s website, every game is rigorously authenticated and tested for quality.

“We go through a manual process of checking about 40 different elements of the game,” Hoffman said.

The process of authenticating games before shipping them to the buyers usually takes about a day, according to Hoffman.

“We check the label, authentic stamps inside the game, as well as opening up the game and looking at the board because we care about all the elements being authentic including the label, cartridge and board inside,” Hoffman said.

According to Burningham, many customers will buy video games to play and collect as they become more valuable over time.

“When people want to have a collector’s item they want them to be real in the real world,” Burningham said.

Hoffman said the retro video game business will continue to grow as more people become interested in retro games that are no longer easily accessible.

“I see video games from a nostalgia factor as well as a relevance factor,” Hoffman said. “These games will continue to grow in popularity and value over time.”

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How this Iowan, one of the few Black male teachers, builds community in his classroom

Editor's note: Kenny Gaskin first told this story on stage at the Des Moines Storytellers Project's "Community."  The Des Moines Storytellers Project  is a series of storytelling events in which community members work with Register journalists to tell true, first-person stories live on stage. An edited version appears below.

Back in 2003, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, fifth-grade me lived a carefree life like most kids. I went to school, did homework and played tons of neighborhood games. 

Unlike most kids, I loved school. I was “the sad kid” on snow days. 

I learned for the sake of learning. Though, it helped that I had some incentive to get good grades. My stepdad gave me $25 for every A I got. And, I got straight As all throughout elementary school. 

In class, we’d do science projects, play games and read books like “Hatchet” and “The Box Car Children.” 

Even as the quiet kid, I felt like I belonged, and I think everyone else did too. I don’t know if it was my academic performance or me just being me, but my teacher made me feel special. I got special trinkets, helped her out a lot and got to sit at the teacher's desk often. One girl even called me a “glory hogger” because of the praise and attention I received. 

One day, near the end of that fifth grade year, I remember my teacher Mrs. Leighton looking at me and saying something along the lines of “you’re going to be someone in this world.” Those words stuck with me, especially as the quiet kid. I spent the next few years in tune with the school community. 

Fast forward to January 2008, and my younger brother and I boarded a Martz bus with my dad, who lived in Iowa, for a permanent move to Bettendorf. This was the only option for us after my mom’s relationship with her boyfriend turned south. Here I was in a totally new community. A whiter community. It was a culture shock.

I felt a bit out of place. I was always a quiet kid, but I didn’t really fit in with the majority white school. I deliberately distanced myself from some of my Black peers. 

I saw myself through the eyes of the white majority and couldn’t be myself. I dressed a certain way, never used profanity, stayed quiet, and had zero interest in drugs or alcohol. I might have been depressed. 

My family didn’t have a lot, but I was determined to find belonging and break the cycle of poverty that so many Black and brown families endure in America.

When it came time to think about college, I questioned what my future had in store for me — what community I’d belong to during and after college. I wondered who I’d spend time with, what I would do with my life.

You see, role models for kids like me mostly consisted of athletes, entertainers and civil rights icons. I looked up to people like Martin Luther King Jr., NBA player Kevin Garnett and several rappers. I never had a Black teacher or personally knew any Black professionals.

Fewer than 2% of all of our country’s teachers are Black men.

And I am now part of that count.

About eight years ago, I became an elementary school teacher in Des Moines Public Schools.

I got a long-term substitute teaching position in April 2016. I never asked what happened to the classroom teacher. I was just happy to have a class to call my own for a while. As I took over the fourth-grade class, all I heard were: “Good luck!” and “You sure you want to do this?”

I just smiled and nodded. 

Right away on that first day, I realized this might be a challenge. Students were fighting, destroying things, swearing, screaming, daydreaming. You name it. Seven of the 24 students had behavior goals.

Thankfully, the admin supported the room with one to two additional staff members who rotated in and out every hour until we got a handle on things. They co-taught with me, but the main responsibility was creating a positive culture, a strong classroom community. 

When it came to teaching, I connected lessons to the students’ lives and maintained a sense of my patience and understanding self as opposed to coming in there like Ms. Trunchbull from “Matilda.”

We rebuilt that community through one-on-one conversations, whole class recess games, lunch with students, literature circles and fictional writing. We got the room on track for the most part. 

I went into my first official year teaching fifth grade knowing a lot more about community building in a classroom. I was vulnerable in speaking about the challenges of my upbringing. We talked about real stuff — things like adoption, race and the 2016 election. We talked about fun stuff like video games, slime-making and Pokémon. We also did fun things like bottle flipping, science experiments and the "Mannequin Challenge."

And yes, I taught the mandated reading and math lessons by the book. It was clear to me that I had a lot to learn about teaching despite decent test scores. Throughout all the ups and downs, I believe we had a strong classroom community.

Being a Black man in a field dominated by white women isn’t easy. I’ve always questioned what colleagues and parents were thinking. I felt pressure to trust my colleagues’ words even when I disagreed with something. For example, I couldn’t muster up the strength to say something when they suggested skipping slavery lessons in Social Studies one year.

I’ve grown accustomed to microaggressions — to not receive eye contact during conversations. I felt the need to look and sound professional in dress pants and dress shirts. I froze when someone angrily demanded my students stand for the pledge even though the law says we can’t force them to.

Despite these things, I believe I’ve always felt a high level of community or purpose with my colleagues, students and families.

I also see the benefits of being a positive Black role model when working with kids. I can be sure that my approach is unlike most they’ve seen. I’ve been middle class. I’ve been poor. I’ve lived in single-parent households and two-parent households. I’ve been discriminated against, witnessed domestic violence and had incarcerated family members. 

Community is vital for kids with similar experiences.

My second year roster was diverse in several ways, but I often heard students joking about their differences without realizing how hurtful they were being. A dark-skinned girl whose family immigrated from Africa would get teased about her skin tone. 

I made sure to be there for her and remind her that Black is beautiful. I remember handing her Sharon Flake’s award-winning book called “Skin I’m In.” She looked just like the girl on the cover and thought reading it would help her become more comfortable in her skin, just as the main character, Maleeka, did. 

You should have seen the smile on her face. She even asked for it as her “promotion” book that fifth-graders received on the last day. Just like my fifth-grade teacher made me feel special, I was able to help that little girl feel a sense of belonging.

Large class sizes, personal struggles and COVID really affected the middle of my career, but I've enjoyed building with students these last few years. 

Despite the pay, systemic changes, and proposed changes within the profession, relationships with colleagues, students and families make it easy to go into work each day. 

I was reminded of the characteristics and impact of my community after reading a sub note when I was out two months ago. She said I had a wonderful group who looked out for one another. That she can tell students appreciate my calm and affirming teaching style. To keep doing what I'm doing because it’s having a positive impact — and that she'd welcome the opportunity to come back, which is unheard of these days. 

My first group of students are high school seniors now. I've run into some of them and gotten emails from others. They have shared with me how fifth grade was their favorite year. How I supported them in staying true to themselves and being leaders. One student is pursuing journalism while another is doing missionary work outside the U.S.

Early on, I was determined to find purpose and community in my career for my well-being. But as the years go on and society becomes more polarized, that focus has shifted to ensuring my students feel like they belong and believe they can do anything.

I can’t imagine any other career or any other community to be a part of. That shy, quiet, Black boy grew up and found his community in a place that fails so many regardless of race. My classroom is a home away from home. 

I’m thankful for the colleagues, parents, and 20 to 25 9- and 10-year-olds that I get to share it with every year. I find comfort in knowing that I’m a part of something committed to improving society. 

Students won’t remember what I taught them, but I hope they remember how I made them feel. How I urged them to value education and how they can do anything. I hope they find their place in the world and contribute to their communities as I did.

ABOUT THE STORYTELLER: Kenny Gaskin is a fourth-grade teacher in Des Moines. He has a bachelor’s from the University of Iowa and a master’s from Drake University. His favorite people are his wife and two kids. Kenny enjoys learning new things, reading, video games, and playing recreational sports.

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Want to tell your story at one of our upcoming Storytellers Project events? Read our guidelines and submit a story at  DesMoinesRegister.com/Tell .

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Trine University ready to assist Notre Dame College transfer students

April 01, 2024

Trine University stands ready to assist students of Notre Dame College impacted by the suspension of activities at that school.

Like any student, Notre Dame College students can apply to Trine University free of charge. The university also offers generous scholarship options to transfer students, with academic tuition scholarships available up to $20,000.

Tuition at Trine University is the same for out-of-state students as it is for students from Indiana. The university also offers a $2,000 grant toward tuition for out-of-state students.

Trine University, similar to Notre Dame College, is a private, co-educational college offering degrees in an environment that offers individual attention to each student. More than 99 percent of Trine graduates over the past decade were employed or in graduate school within six months of commencement.

Trine is financially stable and continues to grow in its enrollment, academic programs and facilities. The university set a record with more than 13,000 students enrolled in spring 2024. The university has invested more than $176 million in campus enhancements since the year 2000 and looks forward to the opening of the new Brooks College of Health Professions in fall 2024.

For more information on Trine University and a stress-free transfer and financial aid process, Notre Dame College students can visit trine.edu/admission-aid/notre-dame-college.aspx . For transfer credit questions, contact Renee Shipe, director of transfer pathways and evaluations, at [email protected] or (260) 665-4241. For admission questions, contact Kim Bennett, vice president for enrollment management, at [email protected] or 260-665-4438.

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News story type, lilly endowment awards trine $750,000 for science of reading.

Trine University has received a grant of $750,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative, Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana (ASRI).

Trine launching environmental science degree

Drawing on its strengths in the sciences and engineering, Trine University has launched a Bachelor of Science in environmental science degree program to equip students with the skills to understand and address the environmental challenges facing the planet.

Capstone group works with Community Foundation to help those in poverty

A senior capstone group from Trine University’s Ketner School of Business completed a project this semester to help those whom many feel are invisible.

• Israeli ambassador to U.S., former Palestinian Authority prime minister visit Vanderbilt classroom

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Apr 1, 2024, 4:14 PM

Former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog joined Professor Brett Benson’s Introduction to International Politics class last week, with Fayyad on Wednesday, March 27, and Herzog on Thursday, March 28. “I think this is the only university in the country that can host Salam Fayyad one day and the Israeli ambassador the next,” Morgan Ortagus , former spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State told students, as she led the conversation with Ambassador Herzog.  

Ambassador Herzog, a retired Israel Defense Forces brigadier general and senior military aide, has played vital roles in various peace negotiations with Arab nations for more than 30 years, including with Jordan, Palestine and Syria, and many other nations in the region.  

“Not everywhere is there a platform to exchange views,” Herzog echoed in his appreciation to the class for hosting his visit. “You can disagree with me and criticize policies, but I want to have a free discussion, and that’s not available everywhere, so thank you. “  

Fayyad, a distinguished fellow in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution and a visiting senior scholar and Daniella Lipper Coules ’95 Distinguished Visitor in Foreign Affairs at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, visited the campus on Wednesday morning, interacting with students in several informal settings.  

“To move forward, we must trust that people are telling their truths and take them at face value,” Fayyad told students at an intimate gathering before he addressed the Introduction to International Politics class. “Nothing is gained by telling someone that their reality is not true. We can only make progress by trying to better understand that reality and finding goals we have in common to work together.”   

Students had the unique benefit of discussing the ongoing conflict in the Middle East with these two deeply knowledgeable practitioners and asked poignant, probing questions, ranging from Israel’s need to balance brokering peace with Palestinians and removing the threat of a repeated Hamas attack, to the role and effectiveness of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, to Fayyad’s philosophy as finance minister and prime minister and how his belief in the rule of law informed his leadership approach.  

The two visits are emblematic of Vanderbilt’s resolve to advance its educational mission and promote civil, respectful dialogue across difference. “The opportunity to meet former Prime Minister Fayyad and Ambassador Herzog provided all of us incredible insight into their roles as diplomats and statesmen,” said Max Perry, a Vanderbilt sophomore who is also an ambassador for the Open Dialogue Visiting Fellows Program . “The conversations,” Perry continued, “provided a tremendous occasion for students to use dialogue as a tool to navigate difficult topics.”  

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Over 700 EPISD students compete in Unidos Games

Over 700 El Paso Independent School District student participated in the 6th annual Unidos Games.

Students flocked to Burges High School today to participate in a parade. The rainy and cloudy weather cancelled today's event.

To kick off Day 2 tomorrow, there will be a parade of 454 student-athletes from 23 schools for the Unidos Games.

Student-athletes will go head to head in competitions which will include biking, running, and walking.

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Valeria Medina

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